Medford Probate Court Records
Medford probate court records are handled by the Middlesex County Probate and Family Court at its Woburn location. Middlesex is the largest county in Massachusetts by population, and the Woburn court processes the highest volume of probate cases in the state. Medford residents who need to find wills, estate filings, guardianship orders, or conservatorship records can search online through MassCourts or visit the Woburn courthouse. The court is about a 15-minute drive north of Medford on Route 93.
Medford Overview
Medford Probate Filing Location
Medford is part of the Middlesex South division for probate purposes. That means all filings go to the Middlesex Probate and Family Court in Woburn at 10-U Commerce Way. The court also has a second location in Lowell for Middlesex North towns, but Medford falls under the Woburn office. This is where you file new petitions, pull existing case files, and request certified copies.
| Court | Middlesex Probate and Family Court South |
|---|---|
| Address | 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 |
| Phone | (781) 865-4000 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | mass.gov - Middlesex Probate Court |
The courthouse has free parking at the Trade Center complex. From Medford, take Route 93 North and the trip takes about 15 minutes depending on traffic. You can also reach the area by taking the Orange Line to North Station and then transferring to the Lowell commuter rail line. The Anderson/Woburn stop is nearby. Public terminals inside the courthouse let you search for cases on the spot.
Search Medford Probate Records Online
The MassCourts portal is the best way to search Medford probate court records from home. Select "Probate & Family Court" as the department and choose "Middlesex" as the division. You can search by name or by case number. Results show party names, case type, filing dates, scheduled court dates, and docket entries.
Middlesex County case numbers use the format MI followed by the two-digit year, case group, sequence, and type code. For example, MI15P0123EA means a Middlesex 2015 probate case. Knowing the docket number gets you to the right case immediately. Name searches work fine but may return many results in a county this large. Adding the approximate filing year helps narrow things down. Cases from 2000 onward are in the system. Documents filed after 2009 may have images available online.
The Middlesex County Virtual Registry runs on Zoom from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM weekdays. Staff can look up cases, explain procedures, and help with records requests. You join through the Zoom link on the mass.gov page or call in at 1 (646) 828-7666 with meeting ID 16137270176.
The state maintains all probate forms on its website for free download.
Medford residents can download any form they need for probate filings, including petitions, inventories, and copy request forms.
Getting Copies of Medford Probate Records
You can get copies of probate court records for Medford cases in person at Woburn, by mail, or through the virtual registry. In person is fastest. Go to the clerk's counter, give them the case name or docket number, and staff will pull the file. Plain copies cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies of most documents are $20.00 each.
For mail requests, use the PFC 18 form. Send it to the Middlesex Probate and Family Court South at 10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801. Include a money order, attorney's check, or cashier's check payable to "Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Personal checks are not accepted by mail. The court processes mail requests in the order they come in, so allow time for delivery and processing both ways.
Certified copies of guardianship decrees for minors cost $22.00 each. Conservatorship decrees run $21.00. Letters of authority cost $25.00 for subsequent copies. If you need an exemplified copy, the fee is $50 plus $1 per page after the first page.
Probate Court Filings for Medford
Medford residents file all probate petitions at the Woburn courthouse. The Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code under M.G.L. c. 190B, § 3-102 allows informal probate through the Register of Probate. Informal probate costs $390 total. Formal probate under M.G.L. c. 190B, § 3-301 costs $405 including the citation. Voluntary administration for small estates is $115.
The court also handles guardianship and conservatorship cases under M.G.L. c. 190B, § 5-103. Guardianship of a minor has no fee. Incapacitated person guardianship is $255. Conservatorship costs $255. Electronic filing is available through eFileMA for most case types.
Account filing fees depend on the estate value. Estates under $25,000 pay nothing. Estates from $25,001 to $100,000 pay $100. The fees scale up from there, reaching $3,500 for estates valued over $10 million. The full schedule is posted at mass.gov.
Middlesex County Historical Probate Records
Middlesex County has some of the oldest probate records in Massachusetts, dating back to 1648. FamilySearch carries Middlesex County probate records from 1648 to 1924, including wills, inventories, accounts, and bonds. AmericanAncestors also has Middlesex probate file papers. Pre-1900 records are largely available online through these free and low-cost platforms.
For records from the 1900s that are not yet digitized, you can contact the courthouse directly or reach out to the Massachusetts State Archives at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston. The Supreme Judicial Court Archives at (617) 557-1087 handles older court materials that are no longer held at local courthouses. The historic records guide on mass.gov lists what is available online by county.
Middlesex County Probate Court Records
Medford is one of the Middlesex South towns served by the Woburn courthouse. The county has two probate locations total, with Lowell handling Middlesex North towns. For complete details on both locations, the virtual registry, historical records, and all county resources, visit the Middlesex County page.
Nearby Cities
Other cities near Medford with probate court record pages:
Malden • Somerville • Cambridge • Everett • Boston