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Find the Right Middlesex Probate and Family Court Location, Record or Filing Path
Middlesex County has two Probate and Family Court locations: North in Lowell and South in Woburn. This guide helps you choose the correct location, search a docket, use the Virtual Registry, file an estate, use eFileMA, request court copies and avoid common routing mistakes.
The most important first step is not simply finding “Middlesex Probate Court.” It is identifying the town connected to the case and the exact task you need to complete.
What Is Middlesex Probate Court in Massachusetts?
The official court is Middlesex Probate and Family Court. Middlesex County does not use one single probate courthouse for every town. The court operates through a South location in Woburn and a North location in Lowell.
Both location pages currently list regular court hours of Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The correct location depends on the city or town connected to the case and current court routing.
Woburn
10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801.
Lowell
370 Jackson Street, 5th floor, Lowell, MA 01852.
Virtual Registry
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Middlesex = MI
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court case numbers use the site code MI for Middlesex.
Burlington changed routing. The official Middlesex location pages state that Burlington became part of the Woburn/South catchment area effective March 1, 2023.
Which Middlesex Probate and Family Court Location Serves My Town?
Select the Massachusetts city or town connected to your Middlesex case. This tool uses the current North and South catchment lists published on the official court location pages.
Choose your town above
The result will show the current Middlesex North or South catchment and the court address.
North Lowell or South Woburn
View Both LocationsRouting tip: the catchment area helps identify the expected court location, but always check your notice, docket or current court instructions before a hearing or time-sensitive filing.
Middlesex Probate and Family Court South vs North
Woburn
10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801
South catchment
Lowell
370 Jackson Street, 5th floor, Lowell, MA 01852
North catchment
Choose the Middlesex Court Task You Need to Complete
Select the closest task. The tool points you toward the appropriate official Massachusetts court resource rather than trying to search live court data inside this website.
Search a probate or family court case
Estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship or family case information.
Use Massachusetts Trial Court docket and case information.
An online docket is not automatically an official certified court record.
How to Search Middlesex Probate and Family Court Records
Massachusetts provides public Trial Court case information through its docket-search system. A docket number is the strongest search detail.
Choose Probate and Family Court
Middlesex probate matters are not searched through Superior Court, District Court or a private background-check site.
Use the docket number when available
Massachusetts says case-number search is generally the easiest route when you know the exact docket number.
Otherwise search with full legal names
For an estate, try the decedent’s name. For guardianship or family matters, use the appropriate party names and confirm the case type.
Confirm Middlesex and the case type
Similar names can return unrelated cases. Verify the site code, filing year, case group and case type.
Request an official copy when required
A docket result can help locate the case, but banks, agencies, title companies and other courts may require a court-issued certified or attested document.
How a Middlesex Probate and Family Court Docket Number Is Structured
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court docket numbers identify the court site, filing year, case group, sequence number and case type. Middlesex uses the site code MI.
Example only: the sequence above illustrates how the pieces fit together; it is not an actual case number. Massachusetts lists P for Probate, EA for Estates and Administration and GD for Guardianship.
Middlesex Probate and Family Court Virtual Registry
The Middlesex Virtual Registry provides remote face-to-face registry assistance through Zoom. It is useful when you need procedural help but do not need to travel to Woburn or Lowell.
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Mass.gov currently lists operation Monday through Friday.
Virtual waiting room
After joining, you wait until registry personnel are available to assist you.
646-828-7666
Meeting ID: 16137270176.
Prepare before joining: have the docket number if available, full legal names, city or town, case type, document name and a clear procedural question.
Registry personnel can explain procedures and routing, but they cannot choose your legal strategy or provide legal advice.
Voluntary Administration vs Informal Probate vs Formal Probate
Massachusetts provides several estate procedures. The correct option depends on the estate, available documents, interested persons, disputes and whether a judge must make a formal determination.
Voluntary Administration
$115 total filing feeA simplified procedure may be available for a qualifying Massachusetts resident’s estate consisting entirely of personal property valued at $25,000 or less, excluding the value of one car.
- At least 30 days must have passed after death.
- No real estate in the probate estate.
- Original will is required if one exists.
- Certified death certificate is required.
Informal Probate
$390 listed filing totalInformal probate can be used when the case is uncontested and the statutory informal-probate requirements are satisfied.
- $375 petition fee.
- $15 docket-number surcharge.
- Initial Letters of Authority are included.
- Publication costs are separate.
Formal Probate
$375 + $15 + $15Formal probate is used when a judicial order or adjudication is required, including circumstances that cannot proceed through the informal process.
- $375 petition fee.
- $15 surcharge.
- $15 citation fee.
- Other costs can apply.
Do not choose an estate procedure only from the fee or asset amount. Missing heirs, a lost will, priority disputes, protected persons, supervised administration or the need for a judge’s order can change the appropriate procedure.
Documents to Identify Before Starting a Middlesex Estate Filing
Death certificate
Probate procedures commonly require a certified death certificate.
Original will
If the decedent left a will, determine where the original is located before filing.
Heirs and devisees
Prepare full names and current addresses of people whose notice or interest matters.
Asset information
Identify probate property, approximate values and whether real estate is involved.
Personal representative
Determine who is asking to serve and whether priority or nomination issues exist.
Correct location
Use the Middlesex town router and court instructions before mailing or appearing in person.
How Middlesex Probate and Family Court eFiling Works
eFileMA is available for eligible Probate and Family Court case types. Massachusetts currently states that the eFiling system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
eFiling is not mandatory
Massachusetts currently allows other filing methods where applicable.
$22 eFiling fee
A new case without an existing docket number has a one-time $22 eFiling fee, plus payment-processing charges.
One document per filing code
Do not combine multiple separately coded court documents into one uploaded PDF.
Submitted is not docketed
An e-filed pleading enters the docket only after court review and approval.
All documents come back
If a new-case envelope is returned, the documents are returned so the filing can be corrected and resubmitted.
Emergency filings in person
Mass.gov says a filing requesting immediate emergency consideration must be filed in person.
Middlesex 72-hour hearing rule: Massachusetts lists Middlesex among the divisions using a 72-hour, or three-business-day, policy for additional filings intended for an upcoming hearing. A late submission may not be reviewed before the hearing.
Original Will After a Massachusetts Probate eFiling
A probate action involving an original will can be started through eFiling by uploading a copy, but Massachusetts still requires the physical original.
Upload a legible copy with the eFiling
The electronic filing can include a copy of the will as part of the probate submission.
Send or deliver the original promptly
The original will must reach the court no more than five calendar days from the date of eFiling.
Confirm the correct Middlesex court location
Use the current location and routing instructions before mailing an original legal document.
Track the court response
If the original will is not in the court’s possession within the five-day period, Letters of Authority will not issue and the filing may be denied.
Do not assume the uploaded copy replaces the original will. Massachusetts specifically identifies an original will as a document that must still be provided in original form.
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Fees Relevant to Middlesex Cases
These are common statewide Probate and Family Court fees. Check the current fee page before filing because surcharges, citations, publication, service, eFiling and case-specific costs can be separate.
Fee planning: publication, citation, service, copy, certification and payment-processing costs may be separate from the base petition fee.
How to Get Certified Middlesex Probate and Family Court Records
If you need a court record for legal, financial, title, benefits, immigration or other official use, first determine the exact document and whether the receiving organization needs a certified, attested or ordinary copy.
Find the docket number
Mass.gov says a docket number is needed when requesting a certified court record.
Use Request for Copies
Complete the appropriate Probate and Family Court request form when applicable.
Send it to the correct court
Mail or bring the request and payment to the Probate and Family Court where the case is docketed.
Middlesex Guardianship and Conservatorship Filings
Probate and Family Court handles guardianship and conservatorship matters involving minors, incapacitated persons and protected persons.
Personal and care decisions
A guardian may receive court authority to make certain personal or care decisions for another person.
Money and property
A conservator is appointed to manage property or financial affairs of a protected person.
Reports and accounts
Guardians and conservators can have continuing court-reporting obligations after appointment.
Not every later filing can be e-filed. For example, Massachusetts guidance states that a conservator’s account and petition for allowance of that account cannot currently be e-filed.
Middlesex Probate Court Also Handles Family-Law Matters
In Massachusetts, Probate and Family Court combines probate and family jurisdiction in the same court department. That is why Middlesex searches can return estate, guardianship and family-law resources together.
Divorce
Divorce complaints, joint petitions and related judgments.
Custody & support
Child custody, support and parenting-time matters.
Parentage
Parentage and related family proceedings.
Name change
Adult and minor name-change petitions are also handled by Probate and Family Court.
Woburn has separate published phone lines: Divorce 781-865-4004, Paternity 781-865-4007, Adoption/SIJS 781-865-4002 and Probate/Estates/Guardianships 781-865-4008.
Why a Middlesex Probate Case or eFiling May Not Work as Expected
Wrong Middlesex location
The town may route to Woburn rather than Lowell, or vice versa.
Wrong court department
Superior Court, District Court and Probate and Family Court use different case systems.
Name mismatch
Try the docket number or exact legal name instead of a shortened name.
Restricted case
Impounded, sealed, adoption, minor or other sensitive information may have public-access limits.
eFiling returned
Read the return explanation, correct the filing and resubmit the required envelope.
Too close to hearing
A filing submitted inside the Middlesex three-business-day hearing window may not be reviewed in time.
Middlesex Probate and Family Court Contact Details
Woburn
Lowell
Woburn South and Lowell North Locations
Confirm the assigned court location, hearing notice and current hours before traveling.
South · Woburn
10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801
North · Lowell
370 Jackson Street, 5th floor, Lowell, MA 01852
Official Middlesex Probate and Family Court Resources
How This Middlesex Guide Was Verified
Woburn and Lowell addresses, hours, contact information and catchment lists were checked against Mass.gov.
Estate, eFiling, original-will, fee, copy and case-number guidance was checked against Massachusetts Trial Court resources.
This page links to related Massachusetts guides without intentionally linking to the site’s overlapping Middlesex duplicate pages.
Last reviewed: August 22, 2026. Court schedules, eFiling codes, forms, fees and procedures can change, so use the official action links above when completing a filing.
Middlesex Probate Terms to Know
Personal Representative
The person authorized to administer a Massachusetts decedent’s estate.
Letters of Authority
Court-issued evidence of a personal representative’s authority.
Informal Probate
A probate route available when statutory informal requirements are satisfied.
Formal Probate
A court proceeding that produces a judicial determination or order.
Voluntary Administration
A simplified procedure for qualifying small Massachusetts estates.
Attested Copy
A court copy authenticated by the Register’s Office for the applicable use.
Middlesex Probate Court FAQs
Where is Middlesex Probate Court in Massachusetts?
Middlesex Probate and Family Court has two locations: South at 10-U Commerce Way, Woburn, MA 01801, and North at 370 Jackson Street, 5th floor, Lowell, MA 01852.
What are Middlesex Probate and Family Court hours?
Both official Middlesex location pages currently list Monday through Friday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
How do I know whether to use Woburn or Lowell?
Use the current city/town catchment area. Woburn serves the South catchment and Lowell serves the North catchment. Check your court notice and official location information before a hearing or time-sensitive filing.
Does Burlington use Middlesex North or South?
Burlington is currently listed in the Woburn/South catchment. Mass.gov says the change became effective March 1, 2023.
How do I search a Middlesex Probate and Family Court case?
Use the Massachusetts Trial Court docket and case-information system. A docket number is the strongest search detail; otherwise search with the appropriate full legal names and case type.
What is the Middlesex Probate and Family Court site code?
Massachusetts lists MI as the Probate and Family Court site code for Middlesex.
What hours does the Middlesex Virtual Registry operate?
Mass.gov currently lists the Middlesex Probate and Family Court Virtual Registry as operating Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Can I eFile a Middlesex probate case?
Eligible Probate and Family Court case types can be e-filed through eFileMA. eFiling is not mandatory for every filing, and only listed case types and filing codes can currently be submitted electronically.
How quickly must I send the original will after eFiling?
Massachusetts says an original will connected to an e-filed probate action must be mailed or delivered to the court no more than five calendar days from the date of eFiling.
What is the Massachusetts small-estate limit for voluntary administration?
Current Massachusetts guidance says a qualifying voluntary administration estate must consist entirely of personal property valued at $25,000 or less, excluding the value of one car, and at least 30 days must have passed after death.
Independent Guide Disclaimer
ProbateCourtUSA.org is an independent informational website. It is not Middlesex Probate and Family Court, the Massachusetts Trial Court, Mass.gov, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a government agency, law firm or official filing service.
Probate, guardianship and family proceedings can affect legal rights, property, deadlines and family interests. Verify current forms, fees, filing methods, court assignments, hearing instructions and case-specific requirements through the official Massachusetts court system or a qualified Massachusetts attorney before taking legal action.