Welcome to the Secretary’s division of Public Records

The Public Records Law gives every person the right to access public records. If you are denied access to records, you can appeal the denial to the Supervisor of Public Records within 90 days.

Note: The Public Records Division is not a warehouse for all government records. Our office does not have custody of records belonging to other government agencies. To request public records, contact the Records Access Officer of the city, town, or state agency that created or received the records you are seeking.

• Request a Public Record
• Appeal a Denial of Access to Public Records
• Track Your Appeal

• Upload Agency Public Records Requests
• Access Agency Records Request Database
• Records Retention Schedule Help
• Statewide Records Retention Schedule (PDF)
• Municipal Records Retention Schedule (PDF)

• Public Records FAQs
• View Archived Records from the Secretary’s Office
• A Guide to Massachusetts Public Records Law (PDF)
• Sunshine Week
• Training and Law References