Where to Find Help
UPDATED October 22, 2008
In Massachusetts, during regular business hours, you can get a 209A protective order by going to the District Court nearest to where you live or to the Probate and Family Court in the county in which you live. (You may also go to the Superior Court in the county in which you live, or to the Boston Municipal Court if you live in Boston, but most 209A protective orders are taken out of the District Courts or Probate and Family Courts.) Find the civil court clerk and ask for the forms for a 209A protective order.
At the courthouse, the clerk will provide you with the forms that you need to file. If you need assistance filling out the form, ask the clerk for help. You will also find a list of the forms you will need on our Download Court Forms page. You may also get help with the court system through one of the domestic violence organizations listed on our MA State and Local Programs page.
If you need a 209A protective order at night, on the weekend, or on a holiday, call the police. They will help you get a 209A protective order from a judge on call through the "Emergency Judicial Response System." This order is good until the court is open on the next business day.
Listed below, by county, are telephone numbers and addresses for the Massachusetts District Courts. For more information on the Massachusetts Court system, go to: www.akedge.com/courts.htm.
Nantucket
16 Broad Street, Town and Country Building – 2nd Floor
PO BOX 1800
Nantucket, MA 025554
Phone: (508)228-0460
Town's in this court's jurisdiction: Nantucket County
Natick
117 E. Central Stret
Natick, MA 01760
Phone: (508) 653-8100 x712
Town's in this court's jurisdiction: Middlesex County, Natick, Sherborn, Wayland, Sudbury,
New Bedford
75 N. Sixth Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-9700 x329
Phone: Victim Witness Advocate: (508) 997-0784
Town's in this court's jurisdiction: Bristol County, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, New Bedford, Westport
Newburyport
188 State Street
Route 1 Traffic Circle
Newburyport, MA 01950-6637
Phone: (978) 462-2652
Note: Ipswich has the same address and phone number as the Newburyport District Court. Choose the option for Ipswich, and then choose the clerk’s office. Town's in this court's jurisdiction: Essex County, Hamilton, Ipswich, Topsfield, Wenham
North Adams
111 Holden Street
North Adams, MA 01247
Phone: (413) 663-5339 x209
Towns in this court's jurisdiction: Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, New Ashford, North Adams, Savoy, Williamsburg, Windsor
Northampton
15 Gothic Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Phone: (413) 584-7400 x229
Town's in this court's jurisdiction: Hampshire County, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Northampton, Plainfield, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Worthington