www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Guidelines to assist persons seeking access to public records in the custody of the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. Chapter 66 & Chapter 4, Section 7(26)) provides that every person has a right to access public information.

In order to assist members of the public with accessing public records in the custody of the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Office), the following guidelines are provided.

  • Requests for public records should be directed to Valerie Connolly, the Office's Records Access Officer. The Records Access Officer can be contacted at:

    Valerie J. Connolly
    Records Access Officer
    Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
    One Ashburton Place - Room 1710
    Boston, MA 02108
    Phone: 617-878-3106
    Fax: 617-723-1372
    Email: Sec.RAO@sec.state.ma.us

  • Although not required, requests for public records should be submitted in writing in order to ensure that the Office accurately and completely responds to your request.
  • A request for public records should include a reasonable description of specific records being requested.
  • Under some circumstances the Office may assess a reasonable fee for the production of public records.
  • The public records maintained by the Office include, but are not limited to, records contained within the following areas of the Office:
    • Public Records Division
    • Elections Division
    • Corporations Division
    • Securities Division
    • Lobbyist Division
    • Massachusetts Archives
    • Massachusetts Historical Commission
    • State Publications and Regulations Division
  • The Office maintains a searchable website, where public records are available for public inspection and copying.
  • In addition, certain Divisions, such as the Public Records Division, Lobbyist Division, Corporations Division, Elections Division, and the Securities Division maintain websites that contain a variety of records available to the public. These records can be accessed by following this link: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/.
  • Requests for land records from Registries of Deeds should be made directly to the applicable Registry. Information pertaining to the Registries can be found by following this link: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/rod/rodidx.htm.