Find Family Court Records in Nantucket County

Nantucket County family court records are filed at the Nantucket Probate and Family Court on Broad Street in Nantucket town. This is Massachusetts's smallest county by population, and its court serves just one town: Nantucket itself. Records cover divorce, custody, child support, guardianship, conservatorship, and probate matters for island residents. You can search Nantucket County family court records online through the state's free case search system, request document copies by mail, or visit the court in person during business hours. This page explains where records are kept, how to get them, and what to expect from this unique island court.

Nantucket Probate and Family Court

The Nantucket Probate and Family Court is located on the second floor of 16 Broad Street in Nantucket town. It is a small office by any measure. Nantucket is the smallest county in Massachusetts, and the court reflects that scale. But small does not mean limited in scope. The court handles the full range of Probate and Family Court matters that any Massachusetts county court handles, including divorce, custody, child support, guardianship, conservatorship, and estate probate. If you live on Nantucket and need to file a family law case, this is where you go.

One feature of this court that makes it unusual in Massachusetts is that the county and the town share the same name. Nantucket County and the town of Nantucket are the same place. There is no separate county seat with a different name. The court serves one town and one town only, which means every family court case originating from the island flows through this single office. This makes record searches straightforward in one sense: if the case was filed here, you know exactly which court has it.

The image below is from the Nantucket Probate and Family Court page on mass.gov, which is the most current source for office hours, contact details, and any notices about the court's schedule or procedures.

One detail that sets Nantucket apart from most other Massachusetts counties is how probation services work. Probation for Nantucket cases is not handled on the island. Those services run through Barnstable County on the mainland. If your case involves probation supervision or related services, you will deal with Barnstable County's probation department, not a local office in Nantucket town.

The court closes at 4:00 PM, not the 4:30 PM that applies to many other Probate and Family Court locations in Massachusetts. That 30-minute difference matters if you are trying to file documents or reach someone at the clerk's office late in the day. Plan for an earlier cutoff than you might expect.

Getting Around Nantucket to Reach the Courthouse

The Nantucket Regional Transit Authority, known as The Wave, provides bus service across the island. The system operates 9 routes with year-round service to all areas of Nantucket. As of 2025, rides are fare-free. That means anyone on the island can reach the courthouse on Broad Street without paying bus fare, which removes at least one barrier for residents who need to get to court without a car.

The image below comes from The Wave's website, where you can find current route maps, stop locations, and any seasonal schedule changes for getting to the Nantucket courthouse from other parts of the island.

The NRTA can be reached by phone at (508) 228-7025. Route 3 and several others pass through or near the town center, putting the courthouse within easy reach from most parts of the island. For specific stops and timing, check the website or call the transit authority directly before your court date.

If you are coming from the mainland, the Steamship Authority runs ferry service to Nantucket from Hyannis. Travel time is roughly two to two and a half hours by traditional ferry. A high-speed passenger ferry cuts the trip shorter but does not carry vehicles. Give yourself plenty of buffer time if you have a scheduled court appearance. Weather on the water can delay departures and arrivals without warning.

How to Search Nantucket County Family Court Records

The state's free case lookup tool is MassCourts.org. It covers all Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts, including Nantucket. You can search by party name or by case number. The results show the case type, the date it was filed, the names of the parties, and a log of docket events. This is a good starting point for finding out whether a case exists and what has happened in it. Keep in mind that not every document inside the case file shows up in the online search. Some records are restricted, and any filings related to minor children may be sealed in whole or in part.

To request physical copies of specific documents, use the Request for Copies form (PFC-18) from mass.gov. The form asks for the case name, docket number if you have it, and a list of the specific documents you need. You can bring it to the clerk's window at 16 Broad Street, or mail it to P.O. Box 1116, Nantucket, MA 02554. Current fees for copies and certified documents are posted in the court fee schedule on mass.gov. Certified copies cost more than plain copies, and you will want certified versions if you need the document for a legal transaction, like changing your name at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or for mortgage purposes.

Nantucket County Historic Probate Records

Nantucket County holds historic probate records dating back to 1706. That makes this one of the earliest court record collections in Massachusetts, reflecting over three centuries of island legal history. These records predate modern family court law and cover the full range of probate matters that existed in colonial and early American legal practice, including wills, estate inventories, guardianship appointments, and settlement of debts. For researchers tracing Nantucket ancestry, the depth of this archive is hard to overstate.

The state has put some of these older records online. The historic probate records page on mass.gov explains what is available digitally and how to access it. Records that have not been digitized would need to be requested directly from the court or reviewed in person at the Broad Street office. Given the age and uniqueness of some of this material, it is worth calling the court first to understand what they have and in what format.

Genealogical researchers, historians, and people tracing Quaker and whaling-era families on Nantucket have found these records especially valuable. Wills and estate documents from the 1700s and 1800s often name multiple family members, describe property in detail, and shed light on social and economic conditions that other records don't capture. If you are doing this kind of research, the Nantucket court's historic collection is a meaningful resource.

Massachusetts Law and Nantucket Family Court Cases

Nantucket County family court cases follow Massachusetts state law, the same body of law that governs every other Probate and Family Court in the state. Divorce cases are filed under General Laws Chapter 208, which sets out grounds for divorce, residency requirements, how marital property is divided, alimony rules, and the waiting period that applies after a judgment nisi. A joint petition carries a 120-day wait before the divorce is final. A contested case has a 90-day wait. Nantucket County follows these same timelines as every other Massachusetts court.

For cases involving children born to unmarried parents, paternity, custody, and support matters are governed by General Laws Chapter 209C. When married parents divorce, custody and support come out of the divorce case itself. The state's child support guidelines determine how payment amounts are calculated. If either parent files to modify a support or custody order down the line, that complaint returns to Nantucket County and gets added to the original docket. This keeps the full record of a case together in one file.

Access to Nantucket family court records follows the same rules as everywhere in Massachusetts. Most case documents are public records. However, filings that involve minor children, sealed proceedings, or sensitive financial disclosures may have restricted access. Parties to a case have broader access to their own file than members of the general public do. If you are not sure what you can see in a particular file, ask the clerk's office directly. They can tell you what is open to you and what requires a judge's permission to view.

What Nantucket County Family Court Records Include

A Nantucket family court file contains the original complaint or petition that opened the case, affidavits from the parties, financial statements and disclosures, court orders at each stage of the proceeding, and the final judgment. In a divorce case, you will also find any separation agreement the parties signed, child support worksheets, and parenting plans if children are involved. In a contested case that went to trial, the file includes the judge's written findings and rulings.

Probate files from the same court hold the will if one existed, a petition to open the estate, an inventory of assets, notices to creditors, and the final accounting approved by the court. Guardianship files contain the petition to appoint a guardian, medical or evaluative reports in some cases, and the court's orders appointing and overseeing the guardian. Each case type has its own set of documents, but all are filed and kept through the same clerk's office at 16 Broad Street.

When you request copies, be specific about what you need. Asking for the full file is rarely necessary and can slow down the process. If you need the divorce judgment, ask for that. If you need a certified copy of a will, ask for that specifically. Knowing what you need before you contact the court saves time for both you and the staff.

Legal Help for Nantucket Family Court Cases

Legal resources on Nantucket are more limited than on the mainland, but some options exist. The statewide resource MassLegalHelp.org provides plain-language information on divorce, custody, support, guardianship, and other family law topics that come before the Nantucket court. The site explains how the law works, what forms to use, and what to expect at each stage of a case. For many people, it is the first place to go before spending money on legal advice.

Remote consultations are a practical option for island residents. Legal aid organizations that serve Barnstable and surrounding counties may provide phone or video consultations to Nantucket residents. Given that probation services for Nantucket already run through Barnstable County, there is an established relationship between island courts and mainland legal resources. Ask any legal aid provider whether they serve Nantucket before assuming they don't.

The court at masscourts.org also has self-help materials and links to official forms. If you are handling your own case without an attorney, understanding which form you need and how to fill it out is the first real task. The court's self-help resources and MassLegalHelp both address this. For emergency situations involving domestic violence or safety concerns, do not wait for a scheduled appointment. The court can issue emergency protective orders, and island law enforcement can help initiate the process outside of court hours.

Town Served by Nantucket County Court

Nantucket County is a single-town county. The court at 16 Broad Street serves the town of Nantucket, which is the only municipality in the county. All family court cases originating from anywhere on the island are filed at this one location. The town does not meet the population threshold for a separate city records page, but all island residents use the same courthouse for family and probate matters.

Nearby Counties

Nantucket County is one of two island counties in Massachusetts. It has no land borders with any other county. The main mainland connection is through Barnstable County on Cape Cod, which is the departure point for the Hyannis ferry. Dukes County, which covers Martha's Vineyard, is Massachusetts's other island county and the closest geographic neighbor.