Best Practice
Appeal denials to the Supervisor of Records before going to court. This process is free and often resolves issues.
Back to jurisdictions
Massachusetts (MA)
Law: Massachusetts Public Records Law (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 4, § 7, cl. 26; ch. 66, §§ 10–18)
Notes: Appeal denials to the Supervisor of Records before going to court. This process is free and often resolves issues.
Generate a Request for MassachusettsJurisdiction Facts
Sourced from the jurisdiction registry. Not legal advice.
Statutory Response Deadline
10 business days under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10(a).
Observed Average Response
90 days (MuckRock observed average, not a statutory deadline).
Fee Waivers / Intake
No fees if 10-day response deadline is missed.
Appeals
Appeal to the Supervisor of Public Records within the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office.
Primary legal sources
Direct links to the governing statute, official requester guidance, and central portal for this jurisdiction.
Common Agencies
Attorney General's Office
Portal: Submit online
Mail: Hanne Rush, Records Access Officer, Office of the Attorney General, One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Fees & notes
Online form preferred. Does not accept oral public records requests. Press inquiries: (617) 727-2543.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Bristol Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Bristol Community College Police Department 777 Elsbree Street Fall River MA 02720
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the college's central public records officer.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Bureau of the State House
Email: [email protected]
Fees & notes
Phone: (617) 727-1100. Fax: (617) 727-7700.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
City of Boston — Public Records Request
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Fees & notes
First two hours of search time are free; after that, no more than $25.00/hour. Online portal is the preferred method.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
City of Worcester — Public Records Requests
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
Many commonly requested records are available on the 'Informing Worcester' open data portal. RAOs must respond within 10 business days.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
Email: [email protected]
Fees & notes
Use the DESE Public Records Center to submit requests. Educator license information is available via the Public Lookup Tool.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
General requests via online form. Regional file reviews also available via specific forms. Phone: 508-792-7650 for Central Region.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Department of Mental Health (DMH)
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
Medical records are not public and cannot be requested through the Public Records Request Portal. Use the DMH Medical Record Request page for those.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Department of Public Health (DPH)
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Helen Rush-Lloyd, Records Access Officer, 250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108
Fees & notes
Phone: (617) 624-5223. Vital records (birth/marriage/death certificates) are not subject to the Public Records Law and must be requested from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Department of Public Safety, Architectural Access Board
Portal: Submit online
Source Reviewed 2026-05-21
Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
Online portal preferred. Requesters are encouraged to use the form for the most expeditious response. Oral requests may not be appealable.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Executive Office for Administration and Finance (ANF)
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Executive Office for Administration & Finance, Attn: Records Access Officer, State House, Room 373, Boston, MA 02133
Fees & notes
Phone: 617-727-2040. Online form is encouraged. Oral requests accepted but not appealable.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS)
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
Online form is the preferred method. Submitting online ensures the most expeditious and accurate response. Oral requests may not be appealable.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Holyoke Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Holyoke Community College Police Department 303 Homestead Avenue Holyoke MA 01040
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the university's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Massachusetts General Court — Public Records Law Statute
Portal: Submit online
Fees & notes
The official text of the Massachusetts Public Records Law. First four hours of work are free; after that, agencies may charge up to $25/hour. Standard photocopies: $0.05 per page. Search fees for law enforcement records range from $1.00 to $5.00 per report. The statute also defines the 10-business-day response requirement.
Source Reviewed 2026-05-21
Massasoit Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Massasoit Community College Police Department 1 Massasoit Boulevard Brockton MA 02302
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. The email is primarily for general inquiries; requests should be directed to the college's public records officer.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Middlesex County Clerk of Courts / Superior Court
Mail: Middlesex County Superior Court 200 Trade Center Woburn MA 01801
Fees & notes
Known for charging high fees for searches performed by clerk staff; records requests must be submitted in writing; does not have a dedicated public portal.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Mount Wachusett Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Mount Wachusett Community College Police Department 444 Green Street Gardner MA 01440
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the college's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
North Shore Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: North Shore Community College Police Department 1 Ferncroft Road Danvers MA 01923
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled by the Records Access Officer Rebecca Oliver.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Office Of Emergency Medical Services, Department Of Public Health
Portal: Submit online
Source Reviewed 2026-05-21
Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General
Portal: Submit online
Mail: Attn: Public Records Request, Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General, 1 Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Fees & notes
Primary RAO: Cassandra Chung, Senior Paralegal (617) 367-9333 Ext. 464. Requests accepted by email, telephone, website, hand delivery, or mail.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Quinsigamond Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Quinsigamond Community College Police Department 670 West Boylston Street Worcester MA 01606
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the college's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Salem State University Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Salem State University Police Department 352 Lafayette Street Salem MA 01970
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the university's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Secretary of the Commonwealth — Public Records Division
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Public Records Division, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108
Fees & notes
Phone: (617) 727-2832. The Division provides guidance, the official Public Records Law guide (https://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/guide.pdf), and processes appeals of denials. It does not hold records for other agencies.
Source Reviewed 2026-04-27
Somerville Police Department
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Somerville Police Records Bureau 220 Washington Street Somerville MA 02143
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Generally responsive but can be slow due to high volume.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Springfield Technical Community College Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Springfield Technical Community College Police Department 1 Armory Square Springfield MA 01105
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the college's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Suffolk County Sheriff's Department
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Suffolk County Sheriff's Department 20 Bradston Street Boston MA 02118
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
Tynsborough Police Department, Tynsborough
Portal: Submit online
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
UMass Lowell Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: UMass Lowell Police Department 220 Pawtucket Street Lowell MA 01854
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the university's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27
University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Christine Wilda Associate Chancellor for Compliance 341 Whitmore Administration Building UMass Amherst 181 Presidents Drive Amherst, MA 01003
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
University of Massachusetts (Lowell)
Email: [email protected]
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
University Of Massachusetts Boston
Email: [email protected]
Mail: UMass Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125-3393
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
University Of Massachusetts Worcester Medical School
Email: [email protected]
Mail: 55 Lake Avenue North Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
University of Massachusetts, Amherst Police Department
Portal: Submit online
Email: [email protected]
Source Reviewed 2026-05-24
Worcester State University Police
Email: [email protected]
Mail: Worcester State University Police Department 486 Chandler Street Worcester MA 01602
Fees & notes
No specific MuckRock audit data available. Requests are handled through the university's central public records office.
Reviewed 2026-04-27