Suffolk County Deed Records

Suffolk County deed records are kept at the Registry of Deeds in Boston, one of the oldest registries in the United States with records going back to 1643. The registry serves Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, and you can search deed records online through the state's land records portal or visit the office in person at the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse on New Chardon Street.

Suffolk County Registry of Deeds

The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds sits on the first floor of the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse at 24 New Chardon Street in Boston. It is one of the oldest deed registries in the country, with records going back 375 years to 1643. Stephen J. Murphy serves as the 31st Register, elected in November 2016. The registry handles recorded land documents for Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. About 90% of land in Suffolk County is recorded land; the remaining 10% is registered land, which has its own separate process.

You can reach the registry by phone at 617-788-6221 or 617-788-8575. The Plan Counter is at 617-788-6253, and the Registered Land section is at 617-788-6251. You can also email Suffolk.Deeds@sec.state.ma.us. The Public Records Officer is Thomas M. Ryan, First Assistant Register, at (617) 788-6275. The registry website is massrods.com/suffolk, and online deed records are at masslandrecords.com/suffolk.

Note: There is no parking at the courthouse. Take the MBTA to Haymarket (Green or Orange lines), North Station, or Government Center (Green or Blue lines).

Search Suffolk County Deed Records Online

The main place to search Suffolk County deed records online is masslandrecords.com. The system is free to use and does not need an account for basic searches. What you can search depends on when the document was recorded. Records from 1975 to the present are fully name-searchable. Documents from 1893 to 1975 are digitized and viewable online, but you need the book and page number to pull them up. Records before 1893 are not online and are held at the Massachusetts State Archives.

The MassLandRecords portal lets you search by grantor, grantee, document type, or date range. Once you find a record, you can view the scanned image and print or save it. Certified copies cost extra and have to come from the registry office. The site covers deeds, mortgages, discharges, homesteads, plans, and other land documents. If you want to check for liens or encumbrances on a property, this is the right place to start. The registry has also made Book 1, Page 1 available online so you can view the very first recorded document from the 1600s.

In 2024, the registry recorded 92,967 total documents. That includes 12,657 deeds, 11,089 mortgages, and 6,205 homestead declarations.

Boston Neighborhood Deed Research: Why County Matters

If you are searching deed records for certain Boston neighborhoods, the records may not all be at the Suffolk County Registry. Several neighborhoods were part of different counties before being annexed into Boston. This is one of the most important things to know when doing a title search or historical deed research in this area.

Here is a breakdown of which neighborhoods changed counties and when:

• Charlestown: Part of Middlesex County before 1874
• Brighton: Part of Middlesex County before 1874
• West Roxbury: Part of Norfolk County before 1874
• Roxbury: Part of Norfolk County before 1868
• Dorchester: Part of Norfolk County before 1870
• Hyde Park: Part of Norfolk County before 1912

This means that if you need deed records for a Dorchester property from the 1860s, you would look at the Norfolk County Registry, not Suffolk County. Once the annexation date passed, all new recordings for those neighborhoods went to Suffolk County. If your title search crosses one of these cutoff dates, you will need to check both registries. The Middlesex County and Norfolk County registries both have their own online search tools and can help with those older records.

Historical assessors maps and atlases can also help you trace properties. Boston's Assessing Online database is at cityofboston.gov/assessing/search. Chelsea property records are at mapsonline.net/chelseama, and Revere property data is at revere.patriotproperties.com.

What Suffolk County Deed Records Contain

Suffolk County deed records cover a wide range of land documents. A standard deed shows the names of the grantor (seller) and grantee (buyer), the property description, the legal lot and block or metes and bounds description, the date of the transfer, and the consideration paid. Each document gets a book and page number when it is recorded. Modern records also carry a document number. Deeds must follow the recording requirements under MGL Chapter 183, which governs conveyances in Massachusetts.

Beyond standard deeds, the registry holds mortgages, discharges of mortgage, homestead declarations, attachments, liens, easements, and subdivision plans. Homestead declarations under MGL Chapter 188 protect a portion of a home's value from creditors. A mortgage discharge tells you a loan has been paid off. Plans show lot boundaries and subdivisions. If you are doing a full title search, you will need to look at all of these document types, not just deeds.

The registry also holds registered land documents under a separate system governed by MGL Chapter 36. Registered land has its own series of certificates of title, and the process works differently from recorded land. If you are not sure which system applies to a property, the registry staff can help you figure that out.

Recording Fees and Requirements

The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds uses a set fee schedule for all documents. Fees as of recent updates are: Deed $155, Mortgage $205, Discharge $105, Homestead $35, and Plans $105 per sheet. Copies cost $1 per page. You can see the current fee list at massrods.com/suffolk/fees-forms-of-payment. The registry accepts checks, money orders, and certain other payment types; confirm before you go.

When you record a deed, you also pay the Massachusetts real estate excise tax. The rate is $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price. So a $500,000 home sale carries a transfer tax of $2,280. You can use the calculator at franklindeeds.com/excise-tax-calculator to estimate costs before you record. The tax is paid at the time of recording. Documents that do not meet the recording checklist requirements may be rejected. Review the checklist at massrods.com/suffolk/recording-checklist before submitting.

Note: Incorrect documents or missing information can delay recording and may result in a rejection, so check all requirements in advance.

The Massachusetts Land Records portal at masslandrecords.com is the primary online tool for searching Suffolk County deed records by name or document type.

The portal gives free access to scanned deed images for Suffolk County going back to 1975, with digitized records available for earlier years when you have a book and page number.

Traveling Tuesdays and Community Services

The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds runs a program called Traveling Tuesdays. Registry staff travel to neighborhoods throughout Boston as well as Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop to bring deed record services directly to residents. The goal is to help elderly residents and people with mobility issues who cannot easily get to the courthouse. If you need help getting a copy of your deed, filing a homestead, or just understanding what is recorded on your property, this program can come to you. You can learn more about homestead declarations at massrods.com/suffolk/homestead-information.

The registry also has multilingual staff. Employees speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish. The website has Google Translate built in, which covers more than 100 languages. The registry has worked with the National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH to make its website work with screen readers and keyboard navigation. These are not common features for a county deed registry, and they make it easier for a broader range of residents to get help.

E-Recording and Fraud Alerts for Deed Records

Suffolk County accepts e-recording for deed documents. This means attorneys, title companies, and other frequent filers can submit documents electronically without coming to the office. E-recording speeds up the process and creates a faster turnaround for getting a document number and confirmation. Information on how to set up e-recording is at massrods.com/suffolk/erecording.

The registry also offers a free Consumer Notification Service. This service sends you an email alert any time a document is recorded in your name in Suffolk County. It is a useful way to catch deed fraud or unauthorized transfers on your property. You sign up at cns.masslandrecords.com. The service is free. Many homeowners use it as an early warning system.

How Far Back Suffolk County Deed Records Go

Suffolk County has deed records going back to 1643, making it one of the oldest recording systems in the country. The records have been split across different locations based on the time period. Books 1 through 100, covering roughly 1639 to 1799, are at the Massachusetts State Archives at 220 Morrissey Blvd in Boston. Books 101 through 2170, covering 1799 to 1924, are in the basement of the State Archives. Books 2171 to the present are at the Suffolk Registry of Deeds itself.

Online access is divided by period. Records from 1975 to the present are fully name-searchable at masslandrecords.com. Records from 1893 to 1975 have been digitized, but you need the book and page number to find them; they are not name-searchable for that range. Records before 1893 are not online and require a visit to or a request from the archives. For people doing genealogical research or old title work, knowing these divisions saves time. You can also get a copy of your current deed at massrods.com/suffolk/get-a-copy-of-your-deed.

The registry's FAQs page at massrods.com/suffolk/faqs covers many of the most common questions about records, copies, and how the recording process works in Suffolk County.

The Consumer Notification Service at cns.masslandrecords.com lets Suffolk County property owners set up free email alerts when new documents are recorded in their name.

Signing up takes a few minutes and gives you an automatic alert any time a deed, mortgage, or other land document is recorded under your name at the Suffolk County Registry.

Cities in Suffolk County

Suffolk County covers Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. All deed records for these communities are recorded at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds. Boston and Revere have city-level deed record pages with more local details.

Chelsea and Winthrop are also in Suffolk County. Deed records for both communities are recorded at the same registry at 24 New Chardon Street in Boston.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Suffolk County. If you are researching a property near a county line, or if a Boston neighborhood was historically part of a neighboring county, check those registries as well.