Massachusetts
Divorce, lawyers, and free legal help in Massachusetts — verified against official sources.
How divorce filing works in Massachusetts
Massachusetts courts publish a step-by-step guide to getting a no-fault divorce: eligibility, forms, fees, service, the required co-parenting course, and your hearing. Start there before anything else.
Massachusetts Courts — Get a No-Fault Divorce
The official starting point: eligibility, forms, fees, service, and what happens at your hearing.
mass.gov — no-fault divorce →Find a divorce lawyer
MA Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service
Running since 1974, with online referrals 24/7. Call (617) 654-0400 or (866) 627-7577.
masslawhelp.com — lawyer referral →New to hiring a lawyer? Read Start Here first — it covers what to ask and what to bring.
Free or low-cost legal help
Massachusetts Legal Help
Statewide free legal information from the state's legal aid programs.
masslegalhelp.org →Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Call the Child Abuse Emergency Line at 1-800-792-5200 (evenings, weekends, holidays). During business hours, contact your local DCF area office.
mass.gov — report child abuse →MassHousing — Foreclosure Prevention
The state housing finance agency: account relief, job-loss mortgage payment protection, and escalation help. Call 888-843-6432.
masshousing.com — foreclosure prevention →Call 211
Free, confidential referrals to local help. Dial 211 from any phone.
211.org →Unpaid wages in Massachusetts
Your boss owes you pay and won't hand it over? Here's where to file and how long you have in Massachusetts.
Where to go
Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (Fair Labor Division)
Time limit to file
3 years
What the floor is
$15.00 (2023)
Changing your name in Massachusetts
Whether it's marriage, divorce, or just time for a fresh start — here's the process in Massachusetts.
How it works
petition the Probate and Family Court in your county
Typical court fee
varies by county — check your local court
Newspaper notice required?
yes — waivable for good cause
Small claims court in Massachusetts
Suing someone without a lawyer, for smaller amounts, in a simpler court. Here's how it works in Massachusetts.
Maximum claim
$7,000
Filing fee
$40–$150 depending on claim size
Can you bring one?
yes
Clearing your criminal record in Massachusetts
Expungement or sealing can hide eligible arrests and convictions from background checks. Here's where Massachusetts stands.
Can records be cleared?
yes — narrow expungement; broader sealing (CORI)
What qualifies
under-21 offenses (expungement); many nonviolent offenses (sealing)
Waiting period
3 years (misdemeanors) / 7 years (felonies)
Learn more about clearing your criminal record in Massachusetts →
Child support in Massachusetts
How child support gets calculated — and when it ends — in Massachusetts.
How it's figured
income shares (both parents' gross incomes combined) Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines; worksheet and calculator on mass.gov courts site
When it ends
age 18, up to 23 if a dependent full-time undergraduate student
Lemon law in Massachusetts
Bought a new car that's constantly in the shop? Massachusetts's lemon law may get you a refund or a replacement.
Which vehicles qualify
new vehicles; used vehicles covered under separate Lemon Aid law (G.L. c. 90 § 7N)
When it's legally a lemon
3+ repair attempts or 15+ business days out of service within first year/15,000 miles
What you get
refund or replacement vehicle
Tenant rights in Massachusetts
Renting comes with rights most people never hear about until something goes wrong. Here are the key ones in Massachusetts.
Notice before eviction
30 days to end a month-to-month (tenancy at will); 14-day notice to pay or vacate for nonpayment
Deposit limits & return
1 month's rent maximum; returned within 30 days with an itemized list of deductions
When the landlord won't fix things
may repair and deduct after written notice and reasonable time
DUI / DWI in Massachusetts
Driving under the influence carries some of the stiffest penalties in everyday law. Here's how Massachusetts handles it.
Blood alcohol (BAC) limit
0.08; enhanced penalties at 0.20
Typical penalties
up to 2.5 years in jail, $500-$5,000 fine, 1-year license suspension
How far back DUIs count
lifetime
Gun laws in Massachusetts
Gun laws vary a lot from state to state — what's perfectly legal in one state can be a crime in another. Here's the big picture for this state. Laws change often, so double-check anything before you act.
Carrying a concealed handgun
Permit required (License to Carry); may-issue with suitability discretion, age 21
Carrying openly
Generally allowed with a License to Carry
Background checks & waiting periods
Private sales: Required for all private transfers (purchaser's license verified via state Gun Transaction Portal) No waiting period.
Extreme risk protection
Yes. Courts can temporarily order firearms removed from someone found to be a danger.
Reciprocity
No reciprocity; does not recognize any out-of-state permits.
Filming the police: your rights in Massachusetts
Federal appeals courts across the country have recognized a First Amendment right to photograph and record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on it directly. The right does not protect interfering with officers, trespassing, or breaking other laws while you record.
All-party consent
State law generally requires everyone recorded to consent — but on-duty officers in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy, so courts have held that recording them is protected. (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 272, § 99)
No buffer-zone law
Massachusetts has no law setting a minimum distance for filming police. You still must not interfere with officers doing their jobs.
Secret audio recording of anyone (including police) is a crime, but merely making the recording obvious — e.g., holding a phone up — satisfies the law since only actual knowledge, not formal consent, is required. Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3d 78 (1st Cir. 2011), held openly filming police in public is protected by the First Amendment. Secretly recording officers during a traffic stop was upheld as a crime in Commonwealth v. Hyde, 434 Mass. 594 (2001).
Drug & alcohol addiction help in Massachusetts
Addiction is a health issue, and help is out there — including court programs that can send people to treatment instead of jail. No insurance needed to call.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential referrals to treatment — call 1-800-662-4357 (English & Spanish).
Human trafficking victims in Massachusetts
If you or someone you know is being forced to work or forced into sex against their will, you are a victim of a crime and help is available — immigration status does not matter.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 — free, confidential, for victims and anyone who suspects trafficking.
Bullying in Massachusetts
Every state has an anti-bullying law, and every school must have a plan. If your child is being bullied, document what happens and report it in writing to the school — and know what your state’s law requires.
Massachusetts anti-bullying law
Homelessness help in Massachusetts
If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, help is close by. Shelters, food, health care, and long-term housing programs exist in every community.
211 homeless services
Dial 211 and press 6 for homeless services in your area.
VA homeless veterans
Homeless veterans: call the VA National Call Center at 1-877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), 24/7.
Deed fraud & squatters in Massachusetts
Thieves can forge a deed to steal your home’s title — many counties offer free recording alerts that notify you if anything is filed against your property. And if someone is living in your property without permission, your state has specific rules for removing them: you generally cannot just change the locks.
FBI: protect your property from deed fraud
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center alert on parcel-owner impersonation →