Find Traffic Ticket Records in Brookline

Brookline traffic ticket records are civil motor vehicle infractions processed exclusively through Brookline District Court, which serves only Brookline. Despite being fully surrounded by Boston, Brookline is a separate town in Norfolk County, not part of the city. That distinction affects which court handles your ticket, how hearings work, and where you need to go. This page covers all of it.

Brookline District Court

Brookline District Court sits at 360 Washington Street in Brookline, MA 02445. Phone: (617) 232-4660. Email: cmbrooklinedc@jud.state.ma.us. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The court serves Brookline only. It does not cover any other town or city, which means it handles a relatively small but dense geographic area.

Getting there without a car is easy. The MBTA Green Line D train (Riverside branch) stops at Brookline Village, right near the courthouse on Washington Street. Street parking is available but metered. There is also a metered lot on School Street nearby. If you are coming by Green Line, take any D train toward Riverside and exit at Brookline Village.

Brookline's geographic situation confuses many people. The town is completely surrounded by Boston on most sides, and by Newton and Cambridge on others. But Brookline never became part of Boston despite that geography. It is its own municipality and sits in Norfolk County, not Suffolk County. This matters because Suffolk County has the Boston Municipal Court system. Brookline does not use that system. A ticket issued in Brookline goes to Brookline District Court, period.

The Brookline District Court listing at mass.gov is shown below.

The courthouse at 360 Washington Street in Brookline Village is accessible by MBTA Green Line and handles all traffic citation hearings for Brookline.

Responding to a Brookline Traffic Ticket

You have 20 days from the citation date to respond. That date is printed on the ticket. The state does not send reminders or extensions. If you miss the window, the RMV can default the citation and suspend your license. Act as soon as you can after getting the ticket.

Paying the fine is the most direct path. Go to mass.gov to pay your traffic ticket, or mail the payment using the slip on your citation, or visit an RMV service center. Paying is an admission. The violation goes on your record as a surchargeable event and your insurance company sees it at renewal. Some people pay small fines outright rather than spend time on a hearing.

If you want to contest the ticket, request a Clerk-Magistrate Hearing. The fee is $25. The hearing is informal. A court clerk listens to both sides and can reduce or dismiss the charge. The officer who wrote the ticket often does not appear at this stage. When they do not show, the ticket is typically dismissed. This step gives most people a real shot at getting out of a ticket without going in front of a judge.

A judge appeal costs $50 and is more formal. You can request it directly or use it as a follow-up if you lose at the clerk level. Full guidance is at mass.gov. The hearing overview page explains what happens at both stages and what to bring.

Brookline Police Department is at 350 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445. Their non-emergency number is (617) 730-2222. Call there with questions about a specific citation or to get the name of the officer who issued your ticket.

Massachusetts Traffic Fine Amounts

Brookline does not set its own fine schedule. State law controls the amounts, and they are the same everywhere in Massachusetts.

Speeding 1 to 10 mph over the posted limit costs $50. Going 11 or more over costs $50 plus $10 for each additional mph. Every speeding ticket also includes a $50 Head Injury Trust Fund surcharge by state law. That is a mandatory add-on. A ticket for going 16 mph over, for example, runs $160 before any court fees: $50 base plus $60 excess plus $50 surcharge.

The hands-free law bans holding a phone or device while driving. First offense: $100. Second offense: $250. Third and subsequent offenses: $500 each. All hands-free violations are surchargeable and go on your driving record. The full list of what counts as surchargeable is at mass.gov.

Three speeding tickets in a 12-month period triggers a 30-day license suspension under MGL c. 90, section 20. Habitual offenders under MGL c. 90, section 22F face a four-year suspension. These are state rules. Suspension triggers apply wherever in Massachusetts the tickets were issued, not just Brookline. Review the suspensions from multiple offenses page at mass.gov for more detail.

Looking Up Brookline Traffic Records

MassCourts is free and public. You can search by name or case number to pull up any case in the Massachusetts court system, including Brookline District Court. The tool shows the assigned court, current status, and docket entries. It is the fastest way to confirm whether a citation is still open, paid, dismissed, or in some other status.

Your driving record is a separate document maintained by the RMV. Use the RMV driving record request page to get your own record. An unattested copy is $8 through the myRMV online portal. An attested copy for legal or insurance use costs $20. The driving record reflects all violations on file with the RMV across the state, not just Brookline tickets.

For documents not available online, or if you need certified copies of court records, call Brookline District Court at (617) 232-4660 or email cmbrooklinedc@jud.state.ma.us. The civil clerk's office handles those requests. Bring or include the citation number and the date of the stop to speed things up.

The traffic tickets page at mass.gov is a useful overview of how the Massachusetts CMVI process works for anyone who wants background before their hearing or before deciding whether to contest a ticket.

Brookline and Norfolk County

Brookline is in Norfolk County even though it sits inside the geographic area most people associate with Boston and Suffolk County. The county line runs right around Brookline. This placement in Norfolk County means Brookline's court system connects to Dedham, where the Norfolk County Superior Court sits, rather than to the Boston court system.

For standard traffic citations, this county distinction mainly means you go to Brookline District Court on Washington Street rather than to any BMC division across the town line in Boston. The procedures once you are in the courtroom are the same. Massachusetts uses one set of rules for civil motor vehicle infractions statewide. The 20-day deadline, the hearing fees, the fine structure, all of it is the same regardless of which county you are in.

If your stop happened right near the Brookline-Boston border, confirm the court assignment on your ticket before going anywhere. The issuing officer marks the jurisdiction on the citation. When in doubt, check MassCourts online before making a trip to the wrong courthouse.

Norfolk County Traffic Ticket Records

Brookline is one of several communities in Norfolk County with its own district court. For a broader look at traffic citation records across Norfolk County, including courts serving Dedham, Quincy, Stoughton, and other communities, visit the Norfolk County page.

View Norfolk County Traffic Ticket Records