Find Criminal History in Worcester
Worcester criminal history records are available through the Worcester District Court, Worcester County Superior Court, the Worcester Police Department, and the state CORI system. Worcester is the second largest city in Massachusetts and the largest city in New England outside of Boston, with about 206,000 residents, and it is the county seat of Worcester County. This page covers how to search and obtain criminal records from each of these sources.
Worcester Overview
Where Worcester Criminal Cases Are Filed
Criminal cases from Worcester are split between two state courts based on the severity of the charge. Misdemeanors and lower-level felony cases go to the Worcester District Court at 225 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608. More serious felony charges, once indicted by a grand jury, go to the Worcester County Superior Court in the same building complex. Federal charges are handled at the federal courthouse in Worcester as well.
Both the District Court and the Superior Court are near downtown Worcester. The District Court handles arraignments, bail hearings, and trials for most criminal matters that arise in the city. When a grand jury returns an indictment, the case moves to Superior Court for the felony trial. Each court maintains its own set of case files and docket records. These records are public unless a judge has issued a sealing order. You can search them at no cost through the Massachusetts court portal at masscourts.org.
The Worcester Probate and Family Court handles probate matters but does not handle criminal cases. If you are searching for a criminal matter involving a Worcester resident, start with the District Court or Superior Court. The court portal lets you search by name, which is often the easiest starting point.
Worcester Police Department Records
The Worcester Police Department maintains arrest records and incident reports for events within the city. The department is at 9-11 Lincoln Square, Worcester, MA 01608. The main number is (508) 799-8600. The Records Division can be reached at extension 0. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Worcester has a designated public records officer. You can reach that office at rao@worcesterma.gov for questions about records requests. Written requests can be submitted by mail or email. The WPD website at worcesterma.gov/police has information on how to submit records requests and what types of reports are available. Arrest records document the charge, date, and location of an arrest. They are separate from court records and do not show what happened after the arrest.
For city public records more broadly, the City of Worcester has a central public records request system at worcesterma.gov/public-records-requests. This covers records from city departments other than the court system. If you need a document from a city agency and are not sure where it sits, this portal is a good place to start. Responses to public records requests are generally due within ten business days under Massachusetts law.
The image below shows the Worcester City Clerk's website, which serves as a starting point for many city records requests in Worcester.
The city clerk's page covers vital records, public meeting records, and links to other city departments where records are held.
Worcester City Clerk Records
The Worcester City Clerk's office is at 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608. The phone number is (508) 799-1120. You can email the clerk at cityclerk@worcesterma.gov. The clerk's website is at worcesterma.gov/city-clerk. This office holds vital records and city government documents but does not maintain criminal case files.
Vital records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates are available from the city clerk. These records are not criminal history records, but they can be part of a broader records search if you are trying to verify identity or locate related public documents. The clerk's office can also help direct you to the right department if you have a records request that falls outside their scope.
The image below is from Worcester's public records request page, which shows how to submit requests online for city-held records.
Worcester's public records portal makes it easy to route a request to the right department without needing to call each office separately.
CORI Requests for Worcester Residents
CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. It is the state's official criminal history database, managed by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. DCJIS is at 200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200, Chelsea, MA 02150. You can call DCJIS at (617) 660-4600. Their main website is at mass.gov/orgs/department-of-criminal-justice-information-services.
Worcester residents can request their own CORI through the iCORI online system at icori.chs.state.ma.us. You need to create an account and verify your identity before the request is processed. The fee is $25 for a personal request. Online requests are processed in 24 to 48 hours. If you mail your request to DCJIS instead, allow about ten business days. The step-by-step guide for individuals is at mass.gov/how-to/request-cori-as-an-individual.
CORI records include arraignments, charges, and court dispositions from Massachusetts courts. They cover all courts statewide, so a Worcester resident's CORI will include records from Worcester District Court, Worcester County Superior Court, and any other Massachusetts court where they had a case. The legal basis for the CORI system is in M.G.L. c. 6 § 167. Rules on who can access CORI and under what conditions are in M.G.L. c. 6 § 172. More background on the CORI law is at mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-criminal-records-cori.
If your CORI has an error, you can dispute it. DCJIS has a formal challenge process. You submit a written dispute, and DCJIS investigates and corrects any confirmed errors. This process can take several weeks but is free to use. Contact DCJIS directly at (617) 660-4600 to start a dispute.
Sealing and Expungement for Worcester Cases
Massachusetts law lets people seal or expunge certain criminal records under M.G.L. c. 276 § 100A. Sealing makes a record invisible in most public searches. Expungement fully removes it. Both processes are available to Worcester residents who meet the eligibility requirements.
For misdemeanor convictions, the waiting period before you can petition to seal is three years from the end of the case. For felony convictions, it is seven years. Some charges are not eligible for sealing at all regardless of how much time has passed. A Worcester resident petitioning to seal a record from Worcester District Court files the petition at that court's clerk's office at 225 Main Street. For Superior Court cases, you file at the Superior Court clerk's office in Worcester.
Expungement in Massachusetts applies to a narrower set of cases, mainly certain offenses committed by young adults and cases involving errors or identity fraud. The petition process is different from sealing and goes to the court that handled the case. Once a record is sealed or expunged, it will not show up on masscourts.org and will not appear in standard CORI searches. The Massachusetts Court System's website at mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-court-system has current information on both sealing and expungement procedures.
Searching Worcester Court Records Online
The free public portal for Massachusetts court records covers the Worcester District Court at mass.gov/locations/worcester-district-court and the Worcester County Superior Court. You can search by name or by case number. The portal at masscourts.org shows charges, docket entries, hearings, and dispositions for cases that are not sealed.
To search for a Worcester case, go to masscourts.org and select the Worcester District Court or Worcester County Superior Court from the court list. Enter the name of the person whose record you are searching. The system will return a list of cases that match. You can then click into individual cases to see the full docket. If you need official copies of documents from the file, you have to contact the clerk's office directly. Certified copies cost $2.50 per page.
Records that predate the online system may not be available through the portal. Older case files are stored physically at the courthouse. For historical records, call the clerk's office and ask about their archive access procedures. For very old records, the Worcester County Registry of Deeds or the probate court may have related documents depending on what you are searching for.
Online searches work well for getting basic case information quickly. If you need the actual documents, court orders, or certified copies, the in-person or mail process at the clerk's office is the right path.
Nearby Cities
Worcester is the county seat of Worcester County. There are no other qualifying cities in Worcester County with pages on this site, but cities in neighboring counties are listed on the cities page.
Worcester County Criminal History Records
Worcester is the county seat of Worcester County, and all criminal cases from the city are part of the Worcester County court system. The county page covers the full range of courts, clerk offices, and agencies across all of Worcester County.