When you need to look up an arrest record in Franklin County, the records live in two separate systems: court dockets maintained by the Greenfield District Court and the Franklin County Superior Court, and booking records held by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The Greenfield District Court handles most misdemeanor and lower-level felony cases; call (413) 775-7400 to reach the Clerk’s office during weekday business hours. For docket searches online, the statewide MassCourts docket search covers Franklin County cases filed in the Trial Court system.
If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Franklin County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.
Searching for records beyond Massachusetts
A Franklin County court docket only shows cases filed in Massachusetts. If the person you’re researching has lived in other states, those records won’t appear in MassCourts or the Greenfield District Court system. A nationwide database search may help surface records from other jurisdictions that local portals never index — including out-of-state filings, federal cases, and records predating the online window of any single state’s portal.
Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).
This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.
How to look up arrest records in Franklin County
Even if a name search turns up nothing online, a records request to the right Franklin County office can still retrieve what you need — the key is knowing which system holds which record.
MassCourts public docket search. The MassCourts docket search is the fastest online path for Franklin County criminal cases. It covers District Court and Superior Court filings statewide, including Greenfield District Court cases. Search by name or case number. The portal shows case status, scheduled hearings, and docket entries — but it does not always display full disposition details for older cases. If the docket entry you need isn’t visible online, the next step is a direct request to the Clerk.
Greenfield District Court Clerk. Most Franklin County arrest records — misdemeanors, lower-level felonies, and arraignments — flow through the Greenfield District Court. Call the Clerk’s office at (413) 775-7400 to ask about in-person records requests and any applicable copy fees. The court is located at the Franklin County Justice Center in Greenfield. Confirm hours before visiting — the Clerk’s office operates on weekday business hours, and the counter closes for lunch at many Massachusetts courthouses.
Franklin County Superior Court. Felony indictments and cases bound over from District Court are filed at the Franklin County Superior Court. The Superior Court Clerk maintains its own docket separate from the District Court. If you’re researching a felony charge or a case that went to a jury, this is the correct office. The Superior Court also sits at the Franklin County Justice Center in Greenfield.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office records request. Booking records — the Sheriff-side entry created at the time of arrest — are separate from court dockets. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office maintains custody records for the county house of correction. For booking-level information, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly; no confirmed direct phone number for records requests is published online, so call to confirm the current procedure.
Franklin Police Department public information logs. For arrests handled by the Franklin Police Department specifically, the town publishes public information logs and arrest logs through its records request process. The Franklin Police Department public records request page describes how to submit a request. Note that “Franklin” here refers to the Town of Franklin in Norfolk County — not the county seat of Franklin County, which is Greenfield. Confirm which jurisdiction you need before submitting.
Massachusetts Department of Correction inmate lookup. For anyone serving a state sentence rather than a county sentence, the Massachusetts Department of Correction inmate lookup covers state prison placements. Franklin County’s house of correction holds pre-trial detainees and those serving sentences under 2.5 years; longer sentences go to state DOC facilities.
Are Franklin County arrest records public?
Does Massachusetts law actually give you the right to see an arrest record? The answer depends on what happened in the case and who is asking.
Court filings are public records under M.G.L. c. 66, § 10 (with c. 4, § 7, cl. 26) — sealed cases, juvenile records, and victim-protection redactions are the narrow exceptions. That statute establishes a default-public rule: government records are presumed open unless a specific exemption applies. For Franklin County criminal cases, this means docket entries, charging documents, and disposition records are generally accessible to any member of the public who asks.
Massachusetts also operates under the CORI law (M.G.L. c. 6, §§ 167–178B), which restricts how criminal-record information can be disseminated by employers and others. CORI limits who can pull a full criminal history report — but it does not make court dockets private. The distinction matters: a court docket is a public document; a compiled CORI report is a regulated one.
Sealed records are the clearest exception. Once a record is sealed under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100A–100C, it is removed from public view. A sealed case will not appear in a MassCourts search, and the Clerk is required to respond to public inquiries as if the record does not exist. Law enforcement retains access, but the general public does not.
Juvenile records carry their own protection. Cases adjudicated in the Juvenile Court department are not public records. A person arrested as a juvenile in Franklin County will not have that record appear in a standard public docket search.
Victim-related information — addresses, contact details, and certain identifying information for victims of specific crimes — is routinely redacted from publicly accessible court documents even when the underlying case is public. You may see a docket entry but find that portions of the complaint or police report are withheld.
Booking photos (mugshots) are not routinely released in Massachusetts. The state’s CORI framework makes Massachusetts one of the more privacy-protective states on this point. For Franklin County’s current mugshot release policy, call the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy is not posted online.
What’s in a Franklin County arrest record?
How far back does a Franklin County arrest record go, and what will you actually see when you retrieve one? The answer differs depending on whether you’re looking at the court-side docket or the Sheriff-side booking entry.
Court docket entries — the records held by the Greenfield District Court and the Franklin County Superior Court — typically include: the case number, the arraignment date, the charges as filed (statute and offense description), the name of the attorney of record (if any), scheduled hearing dates, and the final disposition. Disposition entries show whether the case ended in a conviction, a dismissal, a nolle prosequi (prosecutor’s decision not to proceed), a not-guilty finding, or a continuance without a finding. Each of these outcomes matters for sealing eligibility, so the disposition field is the most important one to locate.
The Franklin County Courthouse dockets accessible through MassCourts go back to cases entered into the electronic system. Older paper-only cases — those filed before the court’s electronic records window — may require an in-person request at the Greenfield courthouse. Call (413) 775-7400 to ask the Clerk how far back electronic records extend and whether older cases require a manual search fee.
Sheriff-side booking entries are a separate record. When someone is booked into the Franklin County house of correction, the Sheriff’s Office creates a custody record that includes the booking date, the arresting agency, the charges at booking, and the person’s identifying information. This record exists independently of the court docket. A booking entry does not update when the court case resolves — so a booking record may show an arrest charge even if the court case was later dismissed. If you’re checking your own record, it’s worth confirming both the court disposition and the booking entry to make sure they tell a consistent story.
Old records remain retrievable. Massachusetts does not have an automatic purge schedule for adult arrest records. A case from decades ago that was never sealed will still appear in the court’s records and may surface in a docket search. The only way to remove it from public view is through the sealing or expungement process described in the next section.
One practical note: MassCourts docket entries sometimes lag behind actual court activity by a day or more. If you’re checking a case that had a hearing very recently, the disposition may not yet be reflected online. The Clerk’s office at the Greenfield District Court — reachable at (413) 775-7400 — can confirm the current status directly.
How to expunge an arrest record in Franklin County
A petition sitting on a desk at the Greenfield District Court — that’s where the sealing process begins for most Franklin County residents. Petitioning to seal or expunge an arrest record is a routine legal procedure, and many people handle it without an attorney.
Massachusetts offers two distinct forms of relief. Sealing under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100A–100C hides the record from public view — it remains accessible to law enforcement but disappears from public docket searches and background checks run by employers or landlords. Expungement under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100E-100U permanently destroys the record, but it applies to a much narrower set of cases.
Sealing a non-conviction. If your Franklin County case ended in a dismissal, a nolle prosequi, a not-guilty verdict, a no-bill, or a no-probable-cause finding, you can petition to seal it immediately — no waiting period applies. File the petition at the court where the case was heard: the Greenfield District Court for most cases, or the Franklin County Superior Court for felony indictments. There is no filing fee to request sealing. The Commissioner of Probation processes the order once the court approves it.
Sealing a conviction. A misdemeanor conviction carries a 3-year waiting period measured from the completion of your sentence (the end of any incarceration or probation, whichever is later). A felony conviction carries a 7-year waiting period on the same measure. Sex offenses carry a 15-year wait. Once the waiting period has passed and you have no new convictions, you may file the petition at the sentencing court.
Expungement is narrower. Under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100E-100U, the offense must have occurred before your 21st birthday. The same 3-year (misdemeanor) and 7-year (felony) waiting periods apply. You may have no more than two records total. Serious offense categories are excluded: offenses causing death or serious bodily injury, sex offenses, firearms violations, OUI, restraining-order violations, and domestic assault. If your case qualifies, file the petition at the court where the matter was adjudicated.
Juvenile records have a separate and typically more accessible sealing procedure. Juvenile cases adjudicated in the Juvenile Court department are already shielded from public view, but a formal sealing petition can provide additional protection and may be available sooner than the adult timelines above. Ask the Clerk at the court where the juvenile matter was heard about the current juvenile sealing procedure.
Self-petition vs. attorney-assisted. The Petition to Seal form is available through the Massachusetts Trial Court. Many people file successfully without an attorney, particularly for non-conviction dismissals where eligibility is clear. For conviction sealings or expungement petitions — where eligibility rules are more complex — an attorney can help you assess whether the waiting period has run and whether any disqualifying factors apply. The Massachusetts lawyer referral service and the Committee for Public Counsel Services can connect you with low-cost or free legal help if cost is a concern.
After sealing, the record is removed from public docket searches. Law enforcement agencies and certain licensing boards retain access. The record does not appear on standard background checks run by the public. After expungement, the record is destroyed — the Commissioner of Probation effects the destruction order — and even law enforcement access is eliminated for most purposes.
Quick-contacts for Franklin County arrest records
| Resource | What it confirms | What it cannot confirm | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| MassCourts docket search | Case numbers, charges, hearing dates, dispositions for Franklin County District and Superior Court cases | Booking-level Sheriff records; cases pre-dating electronic filing; sealed cases | Search by name or case number; if not found, call the Clerk |
| Greenfield District Court Clerk | Misdemeanor and lower-felony dockets; certified copies of court records; disposition details | Sheriff booking records; Superior Court felony indictments | (413) 775-7400 — weekday business hours |
| Franklin County Superior Court Clerk | Felony indictments; cases bound over from District Court; jury trial records | District Court misdemeanor records; booking entries | Call the Superior Court Clerk — number on the Mass.gov location page |
| Franklin County Sheriff’s Office | Booking records; custody history at the house of correction | Court dispositions; records from municipal police departments | Contact the Sheriff’s Office directly — no records-request phone is published online |
| Massachusetts Department of Correction inmate lookup | State prison placements for sentences over 2.5 years | County house of correction detainees; pre-trial holds | Search by name on the DOC inmate lookup tool |
| Nationwide database search | May help surface records from other states, federal cases, or records predating online portals | Cannot guarantee completeness; not a substitute for official court records | Use the search form above; preliminary scan is free |
Sources used for this page, verified 2026-07-20:
- Massachusetts Courts docket search — statewide Trial Court docket search covering Franklin County District and Superior Court cases.
- Franklin County Superior Court — address, Clerk contact, and docket access for felony-level Franklin County cases.
- Franklin County Justice Center — facility information for the Greenfield courthouse housing both District and Superior Court.
- Overview of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office — official overview of the Sheriff’s Office, which operates the county house of correction.
- Massachusetts Department of Correction inmate lookup — state-level inmate search for persons serving sentences in DOC facilities.
- Understanding the criminal court process — plain-language guide to how Massachusetts criminal cases move through the Trial Court system.
- Franklin Police Department Public Records Requests — records request procedure for the Town of Franklin Police Department (Norfolk County).
- the state bar lawyer directory — Massachusetts lawyer referral resources for sealing and expungement assistance.
- Committee for Public Counsel Services — public defender and low-cost legal help for criminal record relief petitions.
Found an error or outdated detail? Submit a correction — we review and update within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions about Franklin County arrest records
What is the timeline for sealing a Franklin County arrest record, and does a hearing take place?
The timeline depends on the outcome of the case. A non-conviction — a dismissal, nolle prosequi, or not-guilty finding — carries no waiting period under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100A–100C; you can file the petition at the Greenfield District Court or Franklin County Superior Court immediately after the case closes. A misdemeanor conviction requires a 3-year wait from the end of your sentence; a felony conviction requires 7 years. For non-conviction sealings, the process is largely administrative — the Commissioner of Probation processes the order without a contested hearing in most cases. Conviction sealings may involve a hearing if the court or prosecutor raises an objection. Call the Greenfield District Court Clerk at (413) 775-7400 to ask about current scheduling for sealing petitions.
Will a sealed Franklin County arrest record still appear on a background check?
After sealing under M.G.L. c. 276, §§ 100A–100C, the record is removed from public docket searches and will not appear on standard background checks run by the general public. The MassCourts portal will not return the case in a name search. Law enforcement agencies and certain licensing boards retain access to sealed records, but those channels are not available to the general public. If you want to verify that a sealing order has taken effect, run a MassCourts name search after the Commissioner of Probation processes the order — the case should no longer appear. For records that may exist in other states or in federal databases, a nationwide database search may help you identify whether anything outside Massachusetts is still surfacing under your name.
Search records by county: