Massachusetts Death Records: Are They Public + How to Get Them

Massachusetts is an open-record state for death certificates. The fact of death is public, so anyone may order a certified copy from the city or town clerk where the death occurred or from the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. There is no general waiting period before death records become available.

Are Death Records Public in Massachusetts?

Yes. Massachusetts treats the fact of death as a public record. Any member of the public may request and receive a certified copy of a death certificate, and there is no statutory waiting period that must pass before a record becomes available.

That right comes from the Massachusetts Public Records Law, not from the vital records chapter. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10, a records access officer must permit inspection or furnish a copy of a public record "without unreasonable delay" and, in most cases, "not later than 10 business days following the receipt of the request."

Chapter 46 governs how vital records are created, corrected, and kept, and it lists the narrow restricted categories in Section 2A. It does not by itself give the public a right to obtain a copy, and it contains no response deadline or appeal process.

This is different from many states that close death records to family or legal representatives for decades. In Massachusetts, the certificate is open from the time it is filed.

State law does carve out a narrow set of restricted records under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46, Section 2A. Those restrictions cover records such as births to unmarried parents, fetal death records, and certain marriage notices. Ordinary death certificates are not on that restricted list.

One piece of data is shielded even on an open record. The Social Security number recorded on a death certificate is not released except to a person with a legitimate need, as defined by Department of Public Health regulations.

If you want to understand how cause-of-death and autopsy information is treated more broadly, see Are Cause of Death Records Public? and Are Autopsies Public Records?.

Who Can Request a Massachusetts Death Record?

Anyone can request a standard Massachusetts death certificate. Because the record is public, you do not need to prove a family relationship or a legal interest to buy a certified copy of an ordinary death record.

You will need to provide enough identifying details to locate the record, including the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and the city or town where the death occurred.

The open-access rule applies to the death certificate itself. For the limited categories of restricted vital records under Chapter 46, Section 2A, the statute releases a record only "upon proper judicial order, or upon request of a person seeking his own birth or marriage record, or his attorney, parent, guardian, or conservator, or a person whose official duties, in the opinion of the town clerk or the commissioner of public health, as the case may be, entitle him to the information contained therein."

That list does not include a personal representative or executor of an estate. It also reaches only a person's own birth or marriage record, so for a restricted fetal death record the practical routes are a proper judicial order or a requester whose official duties entitle them to the information.

The restricted Social Security number on a death record follows the same tighter standard and is released only to those with a documented legitimate need.

How to Get a Massachusetts Death Certificate

You can order a certified Massachusetts death certificate three ways: from the local city or town clerk, from the statewide Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, or through the state's online and telephone vendor.

Order from the city or town clerk

The fastest route is usually the clerk in the city or town where the death occurred. Local clerks keep their own death records and can issue certified copies in person.

Order from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics

The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS), part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, issues statewide certified copies. RVRS holds death records from 1931 to the present. Older records are held by the Massachusetts State Archives.

You can order from RVRS in person, by mail, or online and by telephone through the state's authorized vendor.

Fees and processing time

As of 2026, the Registry's fees are roughly:

• In person: about $20 per copy
• Standard mail: about $32 per copy, processed in about 15 to 20 business days
• Expedited mail: about $42 per copy, processed in about 10 business days
• Online or telephone: about $54 for the first copy, with additional copies and expedited service costing more

Fees change, and the local clerk may charge a different amount, so confirm the current price with the office before you send payment. For records from 1841 to 1930, the Massachusetts Archives issues certified copies for $3 each.

If a clerk or the Registry refuses your request

Because this is a Public Records Law request, a refusal is appealable. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 66, Section 10A, you may petition the Supervisor of Records at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office for a determination on whether a violation occurred. The Supervisor must issue a written determination within 10 business days of receiving the petition.

If the office still refuses to comply with the Supervisor's order, the Supervisor may refer the matter to the Attorney General, who may take the measures the Attorney General considers necessary to ensure compliance.

You may also file a civil action in superior court instead. In that action each requested record is presumed public, and the burden is on the agency or municipality to justify withholding it. A requester who prevails may be awarded reasonable attorney fees and costs.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Massachusetts?

Yes. The cause of death is recorded on the standard Massachusetts death certificate, and because the certificate is a public record, the cause of death is generally available on the certified copy.

This is a key difference from closed-record states, where the cause of death is often withheld from the public for many years. In Massachusetts, the medical cause of death is part of the open record.

There are narrow exceptions. Information considered a medical record, or material restricted under other provisions, may be withheld even when the underlying death record is public. For deeper detail on how this varies, see Are Cause of Death Records Public?.

How Far Back Do Massachusetts Death Records Go?

Massachusetts death records are split between two state offices. The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics holds death records from 1931 to the present, while the Massachusetts Archives holds statewide vital records, including deaths, from 1841 to 1930. The Archives' own certified-records application says it holds vital records only for 1841 to 1930 and directs requests for 1931 forward to the Registry.

Older records, from 1841 onward, are public and have been indexed and digitized. The Massachusetts Archives makes a vital records index and citation database available, and certified copies from the Archives cost $3 each, with a limit of five certificates per order.

There is no national death-records database that replaces these state files. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics confirms that death certificates are issued by the states, and its National Death Index is a research tool, not a public lookup.

The Social Security Administration's public Death Master File is the closest thing to a national index, but under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 it excludes deaths that occurred within the most recent three calendar years. For recent deaths, the state certificate from Massachusetts remains the authoritative source. Records like these are often used alongside birth certificates for genealogy and estate work.

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information about public-records access in Massachusetts, not legal advice. Fees, processing times, and access rules change, and individual offices may apply them differently. Confirm current requirements with the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics or your local city or town clerk before relying on this information.

Looking for another state? See the full Death Records by State guide.

Sources

This article is based on official Massachusetts state government sources, including the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, the Massachusetts General Laws, the Massachusetts Archives, and federal sources at the CDC and Social Security Administration, cited below.