How Sheriff Offices Work Across Massachusetts
Massachusetts has fourteen counties, and each one elects its own sheriff to a six-year term. That is the first thing to understand before you look for a sheriff in Massachusetts, because the job differs from what many newcomers expect. Most Massachusetts sheriffs do not patrol roads or answer 911 calls. Your city or town police department and the Massachusetts State Police handle that work.
Instead, sheriffs run the county jails and houses of correction. They hold people awaiting trial and supervise people serving sentences of up to two and a half years. Anyone sentenced to longer terms goes to the state prison system run by the Department of Correction. Sheriff's offices also transport prisoners to court, serve civil legal papers, and run education, treatment and reentry programs for people leaving custody.
The legal basis sits mainly in General Laws Chapter 37, which covers county officers, together with the chapters that govern jails and houses of correction. You do not need to read statutes to use an office. It helps to know, though, that the sheriff is an elected official and not an appointee, so each office reflects the priorities of the person voters chose.
Our directory lists 27 sheriff-related entries for the state. Many of them describe the same building under different names, such as a sheriff's office and the jail and house of correction at the same address. That overlap is normal, and it is explained further below.
Who Pays for and Oversees Sheriffs in Massachusetts
Massachusetts changed how it funds sheriffs over the past few decades. Beginning with Middlesex County in 1997, the Commonwealth abolished county government in a number of counties and moved the sheriffs onto the state payroll. Several more counties followed over the next years. In those counties, the Legislature sets the sheriff's budget through the annual state budget, not through a county tax levy.
A few counties kept some form of county or regional government. Barnstable County on Cape Cod still has its own county structure. Dukes County and Nantucket County, made up of the islands, also operate differently from the mainland. Nantucket is unusual enough that its listing reads "Town And County Of Nantucket Sheriffs Office," because town and county functions overlap on the island.
For residents, the funding model rarely changes what you do. You still call the sheriff's office directly. It matters in three situations:
- When you want to complain about conditions or a decision. Start with the office itself, then contact your state representative or senator for budget-related concerns.
- When you want a public record. Sheriff's offices generally respond to requests under the state Public Records Law through a designated records access officer.
- When you vote. Sheriff is a countywide race, so every voter in the county has a say.
If a sheriff leaves office before the term ends, the governor can typically fill the vacancy until the next election. The new sheriff then runs the same facilities and the same civil process operation.
Metro Boston, Gateway Cities, Western Hills and the Islands
Sheriff services look different depending on where you live. The state is small, but the offices vary a great deal in size and in the way they are organised.
Greater Boston and the inner suburbs
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is based at 20 Bradston Street in Boston and can be reached at 617-635-1000. Our database lists the Suffolk County House of Correction at the same address and number. Suffolk is the smallest county by area, but it is dense and busy. Middlesex County is the largest in population and has the most listings in our database, five in all. The main office is at 400 Mystic Avenue in Somerville (781-960-2800). Separate Middlesex entries appear for Cambridge (271 Cambridge Street), Framingham (188 Concord Street) and Lowell (321 Central Street). Residents with civil papers or office business should pick the one closest to them, and call first to confirm what each location handles.
Gateway Cities and the south coast
North of Boston, Essex County lists its correctional facility and sheriff's headquarters at 20 Manning Avenue in Middleton. It also lists a Secure Alternative Lockup Program at 165 Marston Street in Lawrence. Both use 978-750-1900. South of Boston, Bristol County runs its jail and house of correction from 400 Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth (508-995-6400 for the jail listing, 508-995-1311 for the sheriff's office listing). Plymouth County has two Long Pond Road addresses in Plymouth, and Norfolk County operates from West Street in Dedham.
Central and western Massachusetts
Worcester County's jail and house of correction is on Paul X Tivnan Drive in West Boylston. Further west, Hampden County is based at 627 Randall Road in Ludlow, Hampshire County in Northampton, Franklin County at 160 Elm Street in Greenfield, and Berkshire County on Cheshire Road. The Berkshire listings appear under both Lanesborough and Pittsfield, but they share one address and phone number. Rural counties cover long distances, so a phone call before you drive can save a wasted trip.
Cape Cod and the islands
Barnstable County's sheriff operates from 6000 Sheriff's Place in Bourne (508-563-4300). Dukes County is on Main Street in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket's office is at 16 Broad Street. Island residents often depend on ferry or flight schedules to reach mainland courts, which is one reason local sheriff transport and civil service matter more there.
Practical Steps for Dealing With a Sheriff's Office in Massachusetts
Most contacts with a sheriff's office fall into a few categories. Here is how to handle each one.
- Visiting or writing to someone in custody. Call the facility listed for the county where the person is held. Visiting rules, approved visitor lists, hours and ID requirements differ between facilities, and they change. Bring a valid government photo ID and expect to be searched.
- Finding out if someone is in custody. Start with the county sheriff's main number. If the person was sentenced to more than two and a half years, the state Department of Correction, not the sheriff, will hold them.
- Serving or receiving civil papers. Sheriffs and their deputies serve summonses, subpoenas and similar documents, and constables can do some of this work as well. Ask the office what copies it needs, what it charges and how long service usually takes. Fees are set by statute and vary by type of service.
- Evictions. A court order alone does not remove a tenant. An authorised officer, often a sheriff's deputy or a constable, carries out the execution after the proper notice. Contact the civil process office in the county where the property sits.
- Reporting a crime or getting a gun license. Neither goes through the sheriff. Call your local police department, and apply for a license to carry through your local police chief.
Check the address before you travel. Some offices take mail only at a PO box, and Hampshire County's main listing is a PO Box in Northampton, with a separate street address for the jail on Rocky Hill Road. Using the right one avoids lost documents and wasted drives.
Sheriff offices in Massachusetts are independently elected county agencies responsible for law enforcement, jail operations, and civil process service. Each county in Massachusetts elects its own sheriff, who serves as the chief law enforcement officer for that county's unincorporated areas.
Sheriff locations are available in 21 cities across Massachusetts. They are spread across 14 counties.
Cities with the highest concentration of sheriff office listings include Somerville, Plymouth, Boston, reflecting the population centers where multiple sub-offices or specialty divisions may be located.
Massachusetts residents should note that sheriff offices handle civil law enforcement functions — such as serving eviction notices and foreclosure papers — in addition to criminal law enforcement, so the sheriff office is often the correct point of contact for civil legal matters at the county level.
If you are a Massachusetts resident looking to obtain a concealed carry permit, request a background check clearance letter, or serve legal documents through official channels, your county sheriff office is the starting point — contact them directly to confirm required documentation and current processing times.
Browse Sheriff by county across Massachusetts to find the nearest location.
Reading the Massachusetts Sheriff Listings by County
When you browse sheriff listings in Massachusetts, you will notice that some counties show two or three entries while others show one. The reason is usually practical. A county may list its sheriff's office, its jail and house of correction, and a special program separately, even when they share a campus. Bristol, Essex, Hampshire, Plymouth, Barnstable and Berkshire all show this pattern in our data.
Use the listing that matches your purpose. For a visit, a custody question or a complaint about conditions, choose the jail or correctional center entry. For civil papers, general information or media questions, start with the sheriff's office entry. If a phone number is identical across entries, the same switchboard will route you either way.
Counties with several offices work differently. In Berkshire County, a single facility on Cheshire Road in the hills serves the whole western end of the state. On Nantucket County, the office is a short walk from the harbor and serves one island community. Middlesex, by contrast, spreads its services across Somerville, Cambridge, Framingham and Lowell because of its population.
Two practical habits help in every county. First, call before you go, because office hours, security rules and drop-off procedures change. Second, keep a written record of what you sent or served, including names, dates and any receipt number you are given.