Bristol County Traffic Ticket Records
Bristol County traffic ticket records are maintained at four district courts that divide the county by geography. New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro each have their own courthouse, clerk's office, and hearing schedule for civil motor vehicle infractions. You have 20 days from the date of your ticket to pay, request a hearing, or otherwise respond before a default is entered against your license.
Bristol County at a Glance
Four District Courts in Bristol County
Bristol County covers the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. It includes two of the state's largest cities, New Bedford and Fall River, along with Taunton (the county seat) and a string of smaller cities and towns. Four district courts divide the county, and each one handles traffic ticket cases only for the towns in its service area. The right court is determined by the location of the infraction, not the driver's home address.
New Bedford District Court is the largest in the county by case volume. It sits at 75 North 6th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. Phone: (508) 999-9700. Fax: 508-990-8094. It handles traffic cases from Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, New Bedford, and Westport. Route 195 and Route 18 run through New Bedford's service area, so the court sees a high volume of highway speed violations. The courthouse is near downtown New Bedford and has parking nearby.
Fall River District Court is at 186 South Main Street, 5th Floor, Fall River, MA 02720. Phone: (508) 491-3200. Civil fax: 508-491-3492. Criminal fax: 508-646-3596. It serves Fall River, Freetown, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport. Note that Freetown and Westport appear in both New Bedford's and Fall River's service areas for different matter types. For traffic tickets specifically, the location where the infraction occurred determines which court handles the case.
Taunton District Court is at 40 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780. Phone: (508) 977-6000. Email: cmtauntondc@jud.state.ma.us. It serves Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Taunton itself. Taunton District Court runs a Court Service Center for self-represented litigants, which is a useful resource if you want help filling out hearing request forms without paying for a lawyer.
Attleboro District Court is at 88 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA 02703. Phone: (508) 222-5900. It covers Attleboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro, and Norton. This is the northern part of Bristol County, near the Rhode Island border and Interstate 95. Attleboro's location along I-95 and Route 1 means it handles a fair share of highway-related traffic citations.
New Bedford District Court
New Bedford District Court handles traffic ticket records from six municipalities in the southwestern part of Bristol County. It is the main court for the city of New Bedford, which is the most populous municipality in the county.
The New Bedford District Court page on mass.gov lists current hours, contact information, and available services.
New Bedford District Court is at 75 North 6th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. Phone: (508) 999-9700. Traffic cases from Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, and surrounding communities are handled here.
Responding to a Bristol County Traffic Ticket
Massachusetts calls traffic violations Civil Motor Vehicle Infractions, or CMVIs. Every citation issued in Bristol County has a court name on it and a 20-day response window. Missing that window puts your license at risk. The state sends a default notice to the RMV and a suspension can follow without any additional hearing.
You have three paths when you receive a ticket. The first is to pay it. Paying closes the case immediately. The fine is typically paid online through the state payment system or by mail to the relevant district court. Paying admits responsibility, and the incident gets logged as surchargeable on your driving record. That record is what your insurer uses when adjusting your auto insurance premium, and a surchargeable incident stays on the record for six years.
The second option is a Clerk-Magistrate Hearing. This costs $25 and is not an admission of anything. You present your side of the story and the clerk magistrate reviews the officer's report alongside your account. If the clerk finds no infraction or dismisses the case for another reason, there is no surcharge. Taunton District Court's Court Service Center can help you understand how to prepare for this kind of hearing if you are not sure what to expect.
The third option is a Hearing Before a Judge, which costs $50. This is more formal. A judge hears both sides and issues a binding decision. If you already went through a Clerk-Magistrate Hearing and were found responsible, you can still appeal to a judge. The appeal process is explained at mass.gov, along with what you need to bring to the hearing. More detail on what actually happens in the room is at mass.gov's hearing guide.
Fall River District Court
Fall River District Court is located on the fifth floor of 186 South Main Street in Fall River. It serves a cluster of communities along the Rhode Island border, including Fall River itself, Somerset, Swansea, and parts of Freetown and Westport.
The Fall River District Court page on mass.gov has current hours and contact details.
Fall River District Court handles civil and criminal matters on different floors. Traffic ticket hearings go through the civil side. Phone: (508) 491-3200. The civil fax is 508-491-3492.
Speeding Fines and Insurance Impact
Speeding fines in Massachusetts follow a set formula. Going 1-10 mph over the limit costs $50. Going 11 or more over costs $50 plus $10 for each mph above the limit. Every speeding ticket also carries a $50 Head Injury surcharge. A ticket for going 25 mph over the limit works out to $50 base, $140 in per-mph charges, and $50 for the head injury surcharge. That is $240 before any hearing fees.
The Hands-Free Law adds a separate layer of fines for phone use while driving. First offense: $100. Second offense: $250. Third and beyond: $500 each. These fines are in addition to any speeding fine if both violations occurred at the same time.
Three speeding tickets within 12 months triggers a 30-day license suspension under MGL c. 90, section 20. A pattern of violations over a longer period can result in a habitual offender designation under MGL c. 90, section 22F, which carries a four-year suspension. The multiple offense rules at mass.gov explain how the RMV tracks and acts on accumulating violations.
Not every traffic citation results in a surcharge. The surchargeable incidents list on mass.gov is the definitive reference. Some equipment violations do not trigger a rate increase. Knowing which category your ticket falls into can help you decide whether a $25 clerk hearing is worth it given the potential six-year insurance cost.
Taunton District Court
Taunton District Court serves Bristol County's central municipalities. As the county seat, Taunton is also the location of the Bristol County Superior Court, which handles criminal matters and civil appeals.
The Taunton District Court page lists services, hours, and the availability of the Court Service Center for self-represented litigants.
Taunton District Court is at 40 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780. Phone: (508) 977-6000. Email: cmtauntondc@jud.state.ma.us. The Court Service Center on-site helps people who are representing themselves navigate the CMVI process without an attorney.
Bristol County Superior Court
Bristol County Superior Court does not handle routine traffic tickets, but it does sit at the top of the county's court hierarchy for civil and criminal appeals. There are two Superior Court locations in Bristol County. The Taunton location is at 9 Court Street, Room 13, Taunton, MA 02780, phone (508) 823-6588. This is the main courthouse. The Fall River location is at 186 S. Main Street, Fall River, MA 02721, phone (508) 491-3300. The clerk's office email is Bristol.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us.
The Bristol County Sheriff's Office is at 400 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA 02747, phone (508) 995-6400. The sheriff handles court processing and related law enforcement duties for the county.
For most people dealing with a traffic ticket, the district court level is where the case starts and ends. Appeals beyond district court are uncommon for civil infractions. The Bristol County Superior Court page at mass.gov has contact details and jurisdiction information for cases that do move up.
Attleboro District Court
Attleboro District Court covers the northern part of Bristol County. Interstate 95 and Route 1 pass directly through its service area, and the court sees significant traffic enforcement activity from state police and local departments working those corridors.
The Attleboro District Court page on mass.gov provides current court hours and services.
Attleboro District Court is at 88 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA 02703. Phone: (508) 222-5900. It serves Attleboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro, and Norton. If you were stopped on I-95 in Bristol County, check whether the stop was in Attleboro, Mansfield, or Norton to confirm this is the right court for your case.
Searching Bristol County Traffic Records Online
All four Bristol County district courts are covered by the MassCourts case search system. The search is free and does not require an account. You can look up a case by the defendant's full name or by the case number printed on the citation. Results show the court where the case was filed, the docket entries, scheduled hearing dates, and the current status of the matter.
To use MassCourts for a Bristol County traffic case, go to masscourts.org and select the appropriate court from the dropdown. If you are not sure which court handled the case, try searching by name across multiple courts. The system covers the full state, so you can check New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro in four separate searches.
If you need official copies of a traffic case record, you must contact the clerk's office at the specific district court that handled the case. Copies are available in person or by mail request. Certified copies carry a higher fee than plain copies. There is no central Bristol County records office for traffic cases. Each district court clerk manages its own files and copy requests independently.
Your driving record, which shows all surchargeable incidents and license actions, is maintained by the Massachusetts RMV. Instructions for requesting your own driving record are at mass.gov. The record is what insurers pull when calculating your rate, so the outcome of any Bristol County hearing matters beyond just the fine itself. The full overview of how traffic tickets work in Massachusetts is at mass.gov/traffic-tickets.
Cities in Bristol County
Three cities in Bristol County have dedicated traffic ticket records pages with more detail on local courthouse access, nearby legal resources, and enforcement patterns.
Other communities in Bristol County including Attleboro, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Dartmouth, and Seekonk are served by the district courts listed above but do not have individual city pages on this site.
Nearby Counties
Bristol County borders three Massachusetts counties. Use these pages if you need to find a traffic case from a neighboring jurisdiction or confirm where a town near the county line files its cases.