Search Plymouth Criminal History Records
Criminal history records for Plymouth, Massachusetts are filed at Plymouth District Court and Plymouth County Superior Court, both located in Plymouth. Plymouth is the county seat of Plymouth County, so both the District Court and the Superior Court are right in town, which makes in-person records research more straightforward than in cities where the county court is far away. All case data from these courts goes into the statewide CORI database managed by DCJIS. This page explains how to access court records, police records, and your own CORI for cases tied to Plymouth.
Plymouth Overview
Where Criminal Cases Are Filed in Plymouth
Plymouth District Court handles most criminal matters that arise in Plymouth. This includes arraignments, misdemeanor cases, and initial proceedings for felony charges. Plymouth District Court is the entry point for the vast majority of criminal cases in town. When a case is serious enough to go to trial in Superior Court, it moves to Plymouth County Superior Court, which is also in Plymouth at 52 Obery Street.
Plymouth County Superior Court is at 52 Obery Street, Plymouth MA 02360. The phone number is (508) 747-6204. This is where felony jury trials, grand jury proceedings, and major criminal cases are handled for all of Plymouth County. Because Plymouth is the county seat, the Superior Court is right in town. You can visit the clerk's office at Obery Street to pull case files, request copies, or confirm case details. More on the Superior Court is at mass.gov/locations/plymouth-county-superior-court.
Plymouth also has a Probate and Family Court at 52 Obery Street. While that court handles civil matters like probate and guardianship, some criminal-adjacent proceedings can appear there in certain cases. For strictly criminal matters, the District Court and Superior Court are the two courts to know. Both are accessible through the free state case portal at masscourts.org.
All court records from Plymouth feed into the state CORI system. Under M.G.L. c. 6, Section 167, DCJIS compiles criminal records from every Massachusetts court and manages access to the database. The DCJIS office is at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea MA 02150. Phone: (617) 660-4600. Cases from Plymouth District Court and Plymouth County Superior Court are included in the statewide database and will appear in a CORI check unless they have been sealed or expunged.
Plymouth Police Records
The Plymouth Police Department keeps records on arrests, incidents, and law enforcement contacts within the town. Police records and court records are different things. The police record shows an arrest or a stop. The court record shows what happened legally after that. You may need both if you are trying to get the full story on a case.
To request records from Plymouth Police, contact the Records Division. The department is at 20 Long Pond Road, Plymouth MA 02360. The main number is (508) 830-4218. Ask for the Records Division at extension 242. Staff can explain what you need to submit your request, whether a mail request is accepted, and what the fee is for copies. Some records require an in-person visit with a valid photo ID.
Plymouth Police publishes arrest logs as a public record. These logs show name, charge, and date of arrest. They are available without a formal records request. The department's website at plymouthpolice.com has current contact information and may show recent arrest logs. For older or more detailed records, use the formal written request process through the Records Division.
Keep in mind that an arrest log entry does not mean a conviction. A person may have been arrested and later had their charges dropped or been found not guilty. If you need to know the outcome of a case, you need the court docket. That is at masscourts.org or at the courthouse clerk's office.
Plymouth Town Clerk Records
Plymouth operates as a town rather than a city, so records management goes through the Town Clerk rather than a City Clerk. The Town Clerk handles public records for the municipality and can help direct you to the right office for records the Clerk does not hold directly.
The Town Clerk is at 11 Lincoln Street, Plymouth MA 02360. Call (508) 747-1620. The Clerk follows Massachusetts Public Records Law and handles written requests for town documents within the required time frame. Criminal court records are held by the courts, not the Town Clerk, but the Clerk can often confirm where to look or help route your request. More at plymouth-ma.gov/town-clerk. If you are searching for something that touches both town records and court files, starting with the Clerk is a reasonable first call.
Court Records Search for Plymouth Cases
The free public case portal at masscourts.org covers both Plymouth District Court and Plymouth County Superior Court. You do not need an account to search. Enter a name or case number to pull up basic case details, charges, docket entries, and current status.
For Plymouth criminal cases, the online search works well for most matters. The docket entries show you the full sequence of court events: arraignment, motions, hearings, trial dates, and the final disposition. This is the most useful part of the portal because it gives you a timeline of what happened in the case. District Court dockets cover misdemeanors and lower-level felony proceedings. Superior Court dockets cover jury trials and serious criminal matters.
Some records are not available through the public portal. Juvenile records are restricted. Sealed records do not appear. Cases that are still in progress may have limited docket entries visible online. If you can't find what you're looking for online, call the clerk at Plymouth District Court or at Plymouth County Superior Court on Obery Street. They can confirm whether a case exists in their system and walk you through how to get a copy.
The Plymouth Probate Court is also at 52 Obery Street. More on that court is at plymouthcountyprobate.com. Probate records are separate from criminal records, but if your research touches on both, all three courts at that address can be visited in one trip.
The image below shows the Plymouth Police Department's official website, where Records Division contact information and public arrest logs are available.
The Plymouth Police Department Records Division at extension 242 handles requests for police reports and arrest records tied to Plymouth.
CORI Access for Plymouth Residents
CORI, or Criminal Offender Record Information, is the Massachusetts state system for criminal history records. It pulls data from every court in the state, including Plymouth District Court and Plymouth County Superior Court. You can request your own CORI to see what is on file about you. The cost is $25 for a personal request.
The iCORI online portal at icori.chs.state.ma.us is the fastest way to request your CORI. Create an account, verify your identity, pay the $25 fee, and submit. Most responses come back in 24 to 48 hours. Mail is also an option. Download the form from mass.gov and mail it with a copy of your ID and a check for $25 to DCJIS at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea MA 02150. Mail requests take longer than online ones.
Your personal CORI shows you every Massachusetts court case tied to your identity. This includes charges that were dismissed, not just convictions. If you find an error, file a dispute with DCJIS. The process is on their site at mass.gov/orgs/department-of-criminal-justice-information-services. Common errors include wrong case dates, incorrect charge descriptions, or cases that belong to someone with a similar name.
Under M.G.L. c. 6, Section 172, certain authorized users, such as courts and some government agencies, can access a fuller version of CORI that includes sealed records. As an individual, the $25 personal CORI shows what is in your file but does not include what is visible only to authorized agencies. For background on the law overall, see mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-criminal-records-cori.
Sealing and Expungement of Plymouth Criminal Records
If you have criminal cases from Plymouth, you may be eligible to seal them. Sealing cuts a case from public view. It stays in the court system, but it no longer shows up in a standard CORI search or in the masscourts.org public portal. That can make a real difference for many people.
The sealing statute is M.G.L. c. 276, Section 100A. Misdemeanor convictions can be sealed three years after you finish your sentence. Felony convictions require seven years. Cases without a conviction, including dismissals and not-guilty findings, can often be sealed sooner. To seal a Plymouth District Court case, file your petition at Plymouth District Court. To seal a Superior Court case, file at Plymouth County Superior Court on Obery Street.
There is no fee to file a sealing petition. Once sealed, the case disappears from public CORI searches. Some agencies can still access sealed records under M.G.L. c. 6, Section 172, but those are limited by law. Expungement, which fully removes a record from the system, is available in a narrower set of situations under state law. It covers some juvenile cases and cases involving mistaken identity or false charges. If you think your situation might qualify for expungement, DCJIS can give you guidance on the next steps. Legal aid resources in the Plymouth area can help with sealing petitions at no cost for those who qualify.
Nearby Cities
These nearby Massachusetts cities have criminal history record pages with local court and police contact information.
Plymouth County Criminal History Records
Plymouth is the county seat of Plymouth County. All criminal cases from the town go through Plymouth District Court and Plymouth County Superior Court, both located in Plymouth. The county page has more detail on the Superior Court, the Sheriff's Office, and other county-level resources for criminal history access.