Search Traffic Ticket Records in Cambridge
Cambridge traffic ticket records for civil motor vehicle infractions are processed through the Cambridge District Court, which is located in Medford and serves Cambridge along with Arlington and Belmont. Cambridge is a dense city with heavy traffic on Massachusetts Avenue, Memorial Drive, and Cambridge Street, and traffic enforcement is active across all neighborhoods. This page covers the court that handles your case, how to respond within the required window, what fines apply, and how parking tickets differ from traffic citations.
Cambridge Quick Facts
Cambridge District Court
The Cambridge District Court is located at 4040 Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford, MA 02155. The phone number is (781) 306-2710, and the clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Despite the Medford address, this court handles civil motor vehicle infractions issued in Cambridge. It also serves Arlington and Belmont. The court was relocated to this facility and retained its Cambridge name.
Getting to 4040 Mystic Valley Parkway requires a car or taxi for most people. There is no direct MBTA rail stop at this location, though the Route 101 bus provides service in the area. Parking is available at the courthouse. If you were issued a ticket in Cambridge and need to attend a hearing, note that you will be traveling to Medford, not to a Cambridge address. Plan the trip accordingly, especially if you are going during business hours when traffic on Route 16 or the Fellsway can slow things down.
You can check whether a case has been filed and review docket entries online through MassCourts before making the drive. The search is free. Enter your name or the citation number to find your case in the Cambridge District Court records. Hearing dates and case status are updated as the case moves through the system.
| Court | Cambridge District Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 4040 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA 02155 |
| Phone | (781) 306-2710 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Serves | Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge |
| Court Info | mass.gov - Cambridge District Court |
The Cambridge District Court location is shown below.
Traffic citations issued in Cambridge are heard at this court facility in Medford, which handles cases for Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge.
Parking Tickets vs. Traffic Tickets in Cambridge
Cambridge issues a lot of parking tickets. These are handled by the City of Cambridge, not the state court system. Parking tickets do not appear on your RMV driving record and do not affect your insurance. You pay them to the city, not to the court.
Traffic tickets, formally called Civil Motor Vehicle Infractions or CMVIs, are a completely different matter. A CMVI is issued under state law for a moving violation: speeding, running a red light, failure to yield, hands-free law violations, and similar offenses. These go through the Massachusetts court system and are tracked by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. They can affect your driving record and raise your insurance premiums if they become surchargeable events.
So if you were ticketed for parking in a no-parking zone or an expired meter, that is a Cambridge city matter. If you were stopped for speeding on Massachusetts Avenue or running a light at a Cambridge intersection, that is a state civil infraction handled through the Cambridge District Court. The two systems are separate, and the process for each is different. This page covers the state traffic citation side. For Cambridge parking ticket information, contact the City of Cambridge directly.
How to Respond to a Cambridge Traffic Ticket
You have 20 days from the date the citation was issued to respond. Do not miss this deadline. If you let it pass without taking action, the RMV can record a default and suspend your license. The response deadline is printed on the front of your ticket.
Your first option is to pay the fine. This is the quickest path but admits the violation. It will appear on your driving record as a surchargeable event. Depending on what else is on your record, it could affect your insurance rate. You can pay online, by mail, or at an RMV Service Center. The payment page at mass.gov explains each method.
If you want to contest the citation, you can request a Clerk-Magistrate Hearing. The fee is $25. This is an informal hearing. The officer who issued the ticket usually does not attend. You get the chance to tell your side to a clerk-magistrate who can reduce or dismiss the ticket. If you are not satisfied, you can request a judge appeal for $50. The officer must attend the judge's hearing. If the officer does not show, the case is typically dismissed. The appeal instructions at mass.gov explain both steps clearly. The hearing overview page is also worth reading before you go.
Cambridge Police Department is located at 125 Sixth Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, and can be reached at (617) 349-3300. They handle most traffic enforcement within the city. MIT and Harvard University campus police also issue traffic citations on their respective campuses, which are processed through the same court system.
Traffic Fines and Driving Record Impact
Fine amounts are the same statewide. The base speeding fine is $50 for going 1 to 10 mph over. If you go 11 or more over, add $10 per extra mph on top of the $50. A $50 Head Injury Trust Fund surcharge is added to every speeding ticket. A ticket for 20 mph over the limit adds up to $50 + $50 + $90 = $190 before any hearing fees.
The hands-free law, in effect since February 23, 2020, carries a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or later offense. Cambridge drivers who use their phone while driving on busy stretches like Route 2, the Fresh Pond Rotary, or Memorial Drive should be aware that enforcement is active. All these violations are surchargeable. See the full list at mass.gov.
Three speeding tickets in 12 months leads to a 30-day suspension under MGL c. 90, section 20. Habitual offenders under MGL c. 90, section 22F face a four-year suspension. If you are unsure what is on your record, check it through the myRMV online portal for $8 (unattested) or $20 for an attested copy through the RMV driving record request page. For suspension-related questions, the suspensions page at mass.gov has specifics on how points and violations trigger different actions.
Search Cambridge Traffic Records Online
The best tool for finding Cambridge traffic ticket records is MassCourts. Search by name or citation number. You will see the court assigned to the case, all docket entries, and whether any hearings are scheduled or have occurred. This covers all cases in the Cambridge District Court going back several years. The service is free and available to anyone.
The traffic tickets overview at mass.gov is the central state resource. It covers how citations work from issuance to resolution and links to payment, appeals, and record requests. For your own driving history, the myRMV portal is the authoritative source. The RMV record reflects all surchargeable events, active suspensions, and your current license status. An unattested record costs $8 online. A certified attested copy runs $20 through the RMV.
To access case files in person, visit the Cambridge District Court clerk's office at 4040 Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford. Bring a photo ID and your citation number or case number. Staff can locate records and help you request copies. Call (781) 306-2710 in advance to confirm what documents you need to bring.
Middlesex County Traffic Ticket Records
Cambridge is in Middlesex County, the most populous county in Massachusetts. Traffic citations issued in Cambridge are heard at the Cambridge District Court, which is part of the Middlesex County court network. For details on all courts serving Middlesex County, including courts in Lowell, Woburn, Malden, and other communities, visit the county page.