Access New Bedford Probate Court Records
New Bedford probate court records fall under the Bristol County Probate and Family Court. The court runs a New Bedford session at 505 Pleasant Street for hearings, but all filings must go through the main office in Taunton. Bristol County has three court locations in total, and the New Bedford session is the most limited of the three. You can search for wills, estate cases, guardianships, and other probate filings online through MassCourts or visit the courthouse in person. Bristol County has probate records dating back to 1686, and the court serves 20 cities and towns across southeastern Massachusetts.
New Bedford Overview
New Bedford Probate Court Location
The New Bedford session of the Bristol County Probate and Family Court is at 505 Pleasant Street. This location handles hearings only. It does not accept new filings at its counter. All new petitions, motions, and papers must go to the main registry in Taunton at 40 Broadway, Suite 240. The Taunton office is the primary filing location for all of Bristol County. Register Thomas C. Hoye, Jr. manages operations across all three Bristol County locations.
| Court | Bristol Probate and Family Court (New Bedford Session) |
|---|---|
| Address | 505 Pleasant Street New Bedford, MA 02740 |
| Phone | (508) 999-5249 |
| Hours | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM CLOSED Wednesdays |
| Filing Office | 40 Broadway, Suite 240, Taunton, MA 02780 (508) 977-6040 |
| Website | mass.gov - New Bedford Probate Court |
One thing to know right away: the New Bedford courthouse is closed on Wednesdays. This is different from most courts in the state. Plan visits for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. SRTA bus service runs to the area. Call (508) 999-5211 for route info. Two parking garages sit within walking distance, and metered street parking is available nearby.
The Taunton main office at 40 Broadway is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. If you need to file something, go there or use the eFileMA electronic filing system. Bristol County also has a county probate website with forms, policies, and contact information for all three locations.
Search New Bedford Probate Records
The MassCourts portal is the free online tool for searching New Bedford probate court records. Pick "Probate & Family Court" and the Bristol division. You can look up cases by name or docket number. The system shows party names, filing dates, case type, docket entries, and any scheduled court dates. Document images may be available for cases filed from 2009 onward.
Bristol County has specific rules for reviewing files in person. You can look at up to 3 files the same day without an appointment. For larger research projects, the court allows up to 12 files with advance notice. Send your request to bristolprobate@jud.state.ma.us by 3:00 PM and the files will be ready the next morning by 8:30 AM. Title examiners are encouraged to work through the virtual registry and limited to 30-minute in-person appointments with a maximum of 10 files per visit.
The Bristol County virtual registry is on Zoom at meeting ID 1612606196 or by phone at 1-646-828-7666. Hours run daily from 9:00 AM to noon and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Staff can look up cases, confirm status, and walk you through requests. The virtual registry page has the full connection details.
The New Bedford court page shows what services are available at the Pleasant Street location, including hours, contact info, and directions.
The screenshot above shows the New Bedford Probate Court location page on mass.gov. It includes the address, phone number, hours, and a note about the Wednesday closure.
New Bedford Probate Filing Process
New Bedford residents file under M.G.L. c. 190B, the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code. All filings go to the Taunton registry, not New Bedford. You can file in person at 40 Broadway in Taunton or use eFileMA online. The Taunton office processes all new cases for the county.
Informal probate under Section 3-102 is the simplest route. The Register reviews the petition without a court hearing. File form MPC 150 and pay $375 plus $15 surcharge. Formal probate with a judge costs the same base but adds a $15 citation fee for $405 total. Voluntary administration for small estates is $115. Guardianship of a minor is free. Guardianship of an incapacitated person costs $255 total, and conservatorship is the same at $255. Check the full fee schedule for account filing fees based on estate value.
Note: The New Bedford courthouse handles hearings only. All new filings must go to the Taunton office at 40 Broadway or through eFileMA.
Probate cases from 1931 to 1970 in Bristol County have been moved to off-site archive storage as of February 2022. If you need a file from that era, the court orders archive files on Fridays. Allow extra time for these requests. The file review policies page on the Bristol County Probate website explains the process and has a file location chart.
Copies of New Bedford Probate Court Records
Use the PFC 18 form to request certified copies. Specify "Bristol" as the court division, include the docket number and case name, and list exactly what documents you need. Mail the form with payment to the Taunton office. Make checks payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Bristol County probate records stretch back to 1686. Historical records through 1880 are available online at AmericanAncestors and FamilySearch. The collection includes 21,143 cases with over 416,600 file papers from 1761 to 1900. Published abstracts by H.L. Peter Rounds cover Bristol probate from 1687 to 1762. The Mayflower Descendant journal continues the abstracts from 1762 to 1768. Under M.G.L. c. 215, the Probate Court has exclusive jurisdiction over these records, so everything sits in one system.
Copy fees are standard across the state. Plain copies cost $1.00 per page. Attested copies are $2.50. Certified guardianship decrees run $22.00. The copy request instructions on mass.gov detail every step and accepted payment method.
Legal Resources in New Bedford
Free probate forms are at mass.gov. The Bristol County Probate website at bristolcountyprobate.org also has forms and local instructions. The Trial Court help line at 1-833-912-6878 answers basic procedural questions during business hours.
The Massachusetts Bar Association referral service at (617) 654-0400 can connect you with a probate attorney. First meetings cost $25 for 30 minutes. The free Dial-A-Lawyer program runs the first Wednesday of each month. Low-income filers can request a fee waiver by submitting an Affidavit of Indigency to the court. The historic records guide helps if you are doing genealogy or tracing older Bristol County estates.
Bristol County Probate Court Records
New Bedford is in Bristol County. All probate filings go through the Bristol County Probate and Family Court, which has locations in Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford. For the full county breakdown, filing policies, and archive information, visit the Bristol County page.
Nearby Cities
Other cities near New Bedford that use the Bristol County probate system: