Hampden County Deed Records
Hampden County deed records are held at the Registry of Deeds, which runs two offices: one in Springfield and one in Westfield. The registry covers 23 cities and towns in western Massachusetts, and its online search portal at search.hampdendeeds.com gives free access to deed images going back to 1636, making it one of the most complete digital land record collections in the state. Whether you need a recent deed, a mortgage discharge, or a historic title document, the Hampden County registry has a lot to work with.
Hampden County Overview
Hampden County Registry of Deeds
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds is one of the few registries in Massachusetts that operates out of two physical locations. The main office is in Springfield at 436 Dwight Street, Room B042, inside the Springfield State Office Building, with the zip code 01103. The second office is in Westfield at 59 Court Street, Room 104, inside Westfield City Hall, at 01085. Both offices handle the same functions: recording documents, providing certified copies, and assisting the public with searches. Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, Esq. serves as Register. You can reach the registry at 413-755-1722 or by fax at 413-731-8190. Email goes to HCRODSD@sec.state.ma.us.
Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. If you need to record a document, the recording window closes at 4:00 PM. Both locations have public access terminals so you can search the online system on-site without bringing your own device. The registry website is at massrods.com/hampden, and you can also find information at hampdendeeds.com.
| Registry | Hampden County Registry of Deeds |
|---|---|
| Springfield Office |
Springfield State Office Building 436 Dwight Street, Room B042 Springfield, MA 01103 |
| Westfield Office |
Westfield City Hall 59 Court Street, Room 104 Westfield, MA 01085 |
| Phone | 413-755-1722 |
| Research Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Recording Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Website | massrods.com/hampden |
Note: Registered Land documents require pre-approval before recording. Contact the registry before you submit to confirm your document meets their requirements.
Search Hampden County Deed Records Online
The online search portal for Hampden County deed records is at search.hampdendeeds.com. It is free to use and does not require an account. What you can do on the site depends on the time period you are researching. Recorded land document indexes go back to 1948. Document images, on the other hand, go all the way back to 1636, which makes the Hampden portal unusually deep compared to most Massachusetts registries. Grantor and grantee indexes covering 1636 to 1964 are also available. Land Court documents, certificates, and plans are searchable from 1905 forward.
One thing to know: records before 1948 do not have a name-searchable index in the online system. If you need to find a deed from the 1800s or early 1900s, you will need to know the book and page number in advance. Once you have that, you can pull the image directly from the portal. The portal also covers recorded land plan indices from 1902 forward. If you are searching Land Court plans, use the case number without the letter prefix.
The screenshot below shows the Hampden County deed search portal at search.hampdendeeds.com, where you can search by name, document type, or date range for records going back to 1948 by index.
The portal is the fastest way to find Hampden County deed records without visiting either office. Images load quickly, and you can save or print what you find at no cost through the online system.
Hampden County Deed Records and Hampshire County History
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds was established in 1812, when Hampden County was split off from Hampshire County. That split is important for anyone doing historical research. Hampden County holds all of the original deeds of Hampshire County going back to its founding in 1662. That means nearly 150 years of deeds for what is now both counties are physically held here in Springfield. If you are tracing land ownership in western Massachusetts from the colonial period through the early 19th century, Hampden County is where you start, even if the land is now in a different county.
Document images in the online portal go back to 1636, which predates even the county's formal establishment. This depth of record is rare. Most deed researchers working on old Hampshire County land will find Hampden County has what they need. The registry staff can help point you toward the right books if you are not sure where to look for a specific time period.
What Deed Records Are Available and How Far Back They Go
Hampden County deed records cover a wide range of document types. Standard deed documents show the names of both parties, a legal description of the property, the date of transfer, and the consideration paid. Each document gets assigned a book and page number at the time of recording. Deeds in Massachusetts must meet the requirements set out under MGL Chapter 183, which governs how land conveyances are structured and recorded. Mortgages, discharges, homestead declarations, easements, liens, and attachments are all part of the recorded land system as well.
Here is a summary of what the online portal covers by document type and date range:
- Recorded land document images: 1636 to present
- Recorded land document indexes: 1948 to present
- Grantor and Grantee indexes: 1636 to 1964
- Recorded land plan indices: 1902 to present
- Land Court documents, certificates, and plans: 1905 to present
Homestead declarations protect a portion of your home's value from creditors under MGL Chapter 188. The registry offers free Notary Public service specifically for homestead filings, which is worth knowing if you want to get that done without paying a notary elsewhere. If you need to discharge a mortgage, the registry has guidance at massrods.com/hampden/discharging-your-mortgage.
The Massachusetts Land Records portal at masslandrecords.com provides a statewide entry point for searching deed records across all 14 Massachusetts registries, including Hampden County.
The state portal links directly to the Hampden County system and other registries, making it a useful starting point if you are not sure which county holds the records you need.
Springfield and Westfield Green Books
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds holds a collection of historical volumes known as the Green Books. These are records specific to the Springfield and Westfield areas that document older transactions and county business. The Springfield Green Books are available online at massrods.com/hampden/springfield-green-books. The Westfield Green Books have their own section at massrods.com/hampden/westfield-green-books.
In addition to the Green Books, the registry holds County Atlas Books, County Commissioners Books, and records for the Mount Tom Reservation. County highway records are also part of the collection and cover roads by town. Towns with county highway records include Chicopee, Palmer, Westfield, Springfield, West Springfield, Ludlow, Agawam, Holyoke, Wilbraham, Longmeadow, Monson, Granville, Montgomery, Tolland, Wales, Blandford, and Hampden. You can browse those records by town at massrods.com/hampden/county-roads-town-selection. These are not deed records in the traditional sense, but they are part of the historical record that researchers often need when working on older properties.
Bilingual Services and Registry on the Road
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds offers bilingual Spanish customer service. Given that Springfield has a large Spanish-speaking population, this is a practical feature that makes the registry more accessible to a wider range of residents. Staff can assist in Spanish at both the Springfield and Westfield offices during normal business hours.
The registry also runs a community outreach program called Registry on the Road. Through this program, staff go out into the community to hold Deed and Homestead Workshops. These workshops help residents understand what is recorded on their property, how to file a homestead declaration, and how to get copies of their deed. The registry provides free Notary Public service for Declaration of Homesteads, which means you can get your homestead filed and notarized at no cost. The registry also administers the Notary Oath and Commission. These services are not common at most deed registries and reflect a broader outreach effort by Register Coakley-Rivera.
Recording Fees for Hampden County Deed Records
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds uses a standard fee schedule. Current fees are: Deed $155, Mortgage $205, Discharge $105, Homestead $35, and Plans $105 per sheet. Copies cost $1 per page. The full fee schedule is at massrods.com/hampden/recording-fees. These fees apply at both the Springfield and Westfield offices.
When you record a deed, you also owe the Massachusetts real estate excise tax. The rate is $4.56 per $1,000 of the purchase price. A home that sells for $300,000 would carry a transfer tax of $1,368 at recording. You can estimate that cost before you go using the calculator at franklindeeds.com/excise-tax-calculator. The tax is due at the time of recording. Documents that do not meet all recording requirements can be rejected, so confirm the checklist before you submit.
The legal framework for deed recording in Massachusetts is primarily in MGL Chapter 183 for recorded land and Chapter 188 for homestead protections. A broader overview of Massachusetts general laws is at law.onecle.com/massachusetts/183. These statutes set out what documents must contain, how they are indexed, and what rights property owners hold once a deed is recorded.
Note: If you are filing a homestead declaration, the registry's free notary service can save you a separate trip to a notary before you record.
Cities in Hampden County
Hampden County covers 23 cities and towns. All deed records for these communities are recorded at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. Springfield and Chicopee have city-level deed record pages with more local detail.
Other communities in Hampden County include Agawam, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, East Longmeadow, Granville, Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russell, Southwick, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, Westfield, and Wilbraham. Deed records for all of these towns are filed at the same registry offices in Springfield and Westfield.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Hampden County. If a property sits near a county line, or if you are tracing older records from before county boundaries were set, check the neighboring registries as well.