Suffolk County DUI and OUI Records

Suffolk County DUI records are handled primarily by Boston Municipal Court, which covers all first and second offense OUI charges for the city of Boston, and by Chelsea District Court for arrests in Chelsea and Revere. This guide explains where OUI records are filed, how to search them online or in person, and what fees to expect at each step.

Courts That Handle Suffolk County DUI Records

Suffolk County OUI cases move through two main court systems based on the offense level and where the arrest happened. Boston Municipal Court, known as BMC, handles first and second offense OUI charges for all of Boston. Chelsea District Court covers arrests made in Chelsea and Revere. Third-offense and higher OUI charges are felonies under Massachusetts law and go to Suffolk Superior Court at 3 Pemberton Square in downtown Boston.

BMC is a court system unique to Boston. It runs seven neighborhood division courthouses across the city, from Brighton to East Boston to Roxbury. Each division serves a defined area of the city. An OUI arrest in a given neighborhood lands at the BMC division covering that area. The main BMC courthouse on New Chardon Street handles administrative work and some cases, but the divisions do most of the day-to-day OUI docket. This means a Suffolk County DUI record could be held at any one of several BMC locations depending on the district where the stop occurred. Call 617-660-9200 if you are not sure which division to contact.

Suffolk Superior Court handles all felony OUI cases from the county. Under MGL c.90 § 24, a third-offense OUI is a felony and can result in up to five years in state prison. The criminal clerk at Suffolk Superior Court can be reached at 617-788-8160. The civil clerk is at 617-788-8175.

BMC runs seven neighborhood divisions. Brighton is at 52 Academy Hill Road. Charlestown sits at 3 City Square. Dorchester is at 510 Washington Street. East Boston is at 37 Meridian Street. Roxbury is at 85 Warren Street. South Boston is at 535 East Broadway. West Roxbury is at 445 Arborway. OUI cases from each part of the city run through the division that covers that neighborhood.

Chelsea District Court serves the communities of Chelsea and Revere and is one of two district court locations outside Boston proper that handles Suffolk County OUI matters. The Chelsea District Court sees a steady volume of DUI cases tied to Route 1 and the Sumner Tunnel corridor.

Chelsea District Court OUI records are part of the statewide MassCourts system and can be searched online any time using a name or case number.

How to Search Suffolk County OUI Records Online

The main tool for searching Suffolk County DUI records is MassCourts, the state's official public docket portal. You can search by name, case number, or ticket number. The system pulls results from all courts in the county, including every BMC division, Chelsea District Court, and Suffolk Superior Court. One search often turns up cases across several locations at once.

The state also has a step-by-step guide on how to search court dockets. It explains how to filter by court, date, and case type. That is helpful when you are looking for a specific OUI filing from a known time period. The guide is short. Read it before your first search to avoid common errors.

For in-person access, go to the clerk's office at the court that handled the case. Bring a photo ID. The clerk can look up the case by name or case number and make copies while you wait, or ask you to come back. BMC's main location handles records requests for cases processed centrally. For cases from a specific BMC neighborhood division, you may need to visit that location directly. Call ahead to confirm which courthouse holds the file.

Mail requests work for Suffolk County OUI records too. Write to the clerk at the specific court. Include the case number, the defendant's name, a list of the documents you need, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment. Non-certified copies cost $0.05 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 per page. A certificate of orders is $20. Mail requests can take several weeks when courts are busy.

Suffolk County OUI Enforcement and Charges

Suffolk County recorded 612 OUI charges in fiscal year 2022. That number reflects the dense urban setting where enforcement is concentrated along specific corridors rather than spread across long stretches of highway. The county is one of the more active enforcement areas in Massachusetts despite a smaller geographic footprint than other counties.

Two agencies do most of the OUI work in Suffolk County. The Boston Police Department's OUI Unit focuses on city streets, entertainment districts, and major roads like Commonwealth Avenue, Storrow Drive, and Route 1A in East Boston. Massachusetts State Police Troop H covers the metro Boston area and works I-93, the Southeast Expressway, and the tunnels. Both agencies make arrests year-round, with peak activity on weekends and during summer and holiday periods.

Sobriety checkpoints are a regular part of enforcement in Boston. The city holds checkpoints more often than most other Massachusetts municipalities. Checkpoint locations are announced in advance as required by law. They tend to run near late-night entertainment areas and on roads heading out of the city on weekend nights.

Under MGL c.90 § 24, a first offense OUI in Massachusetts brings a fine of $500 to $5,000, up to 2.5 years in jail, and a one-year license suspension. Many first-time defendants in BMC resolve their case under MGL c.90 § 24D, which gives a probationary outcome with a 45- to 90-day suspension and an alcohol education program. Second offense OUI means fines of $600 to $10,000 and a two-year suspension. Third offense and above are felony charges prosecuted at Suffolk Superior Court and carry an eight-year suspension. For a plain-language overview of the law, see the state's resource at mass.gov.

The Suffolk District Attorney's office is at 1 Bulfinch Place in Boston. Their main number is 617-619-4000. The DA handles prosecution for all OUI cases in the county, from first-offense BMC matters through felony Superior Court cases.

Requesting Copies of Suffolk County DUI Records

Copy fees in Suffolk County follow the statewide schedule. Non-certified copies cost $0.05 per page. Certified copies are $2.50 per page. A certificate of orders is $20. Most courthouses take check or money order. Call the specific BMC division or superior court before your visit to confirm accepted payment methods, since some locations may handle payments differently.

People requesting certified OUI record copies in Suffolk County most often do so for license reinstatement, immigration proceedings, or a background check dispute. For license reinstatement, the process is at mass.gov. The Registry of Motor Vehicles keeps a separate record of OUI suspensions and reinstatements. You can request your driving record from the RMV for $8 (unattested) or $20 (attested). The RMV record and the court file are two different things. You may need both depending on your situation.

CORI reports are another way to search OUI records. A CORI check through the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services costs $25 and shows criminal court activity across all Massachusetts courts. This is useful if you are not certain which county handled a case. A 24D disposition that has been sealed will not appear in CORI results, but the court file at the BMC division or superior court remains accessible to the public.

Suffolk County Sheriff and Additional Resources

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department is at 20 Bradson Street in Boston and can be reached at 617-635-1000. The Sheriff's Department manages the county jail and handles processing for defendants held after an OUI arrest. For court records, contact the clerk at BMC or Suffolk Superior Court directly. The Sheriff's Department does not maintain court case files.

The Suffolk County Sheriff's website has information on county detention facilities, which hold defendants who are not released on bail following an OUI arrest. If you need to confirm whether someone is in custody, start there before contacting the courts.

For questions about the OUI law itself, the state publishes a full overview at mass.gov. It covers penalties by offense level, how the refusal law works, license suspension timelines, and the basic court process from arrest to final disposition. That page covers both first-time and repeat offense scenarios and is written in plain language without legal jargon.

Cities in Suffolk County

These cities in Suffolk County have individual DUI records pages covering local courts, search methods, and courthouse details.

Chelsea and Winthrop are also part of Suffolk County. Both are served by Chelsea District Court for OUI matters but do not have separate city pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

If an OUI case was filed in a county bordering Suffolk, use the links below to find the right court and records information.