Adult Legal Name Change Requirements in Massachusetts

At a glance

Requirements one by one

File in the county Probate and Family Court

Under § 12 and Uniform Practice XXXV(a), a Massachusetts resident files in the Probate and Family Court division for the county where the petitioner currently lives. The law and current form state no minimum period of residence. Form CJP 27 is for an adult age 18 or older.

Use the notarized official form and certified records

Current CJP 27 asks for the petitioner's current legal name, birth place and date, residence and contact details, prior legal name changes, aliases, proposed name, and reason. It also authorizes CARI and warrant checks and requires a certification about out-of-state convictions, probation, or parole.

The petitioner signs before a notary. Under § 13(a), a certified birth record must be filed before decree, along with the applicable prior decree, amended birth record, or marriage record. The judge may excuse an unobtainable record.

Probation performs the background review

Uniform Practice XXXV(f) requires the Probation Department to run a Court Activity Record Information, or CARI, check and a Warrant Management System check for every name-change subject age 12 or older. The adult signs CJP 27 and submits release form CJP 34. There is no petitioner fingerprint card or separate FBI report.

Publication is exceptional, not routine

Since November 25, 2025, § 13(a) allows the court to require public notice only “for good cause shown.” After administrative review, the court may decree the change with no citation or hearing. If the court issues an order of notice, the citation controls public and interested-party service; ordered newspaper publication must occur at least seven days before the return date, and proof of notice must be filed before allowance.

Incarceration, probation, parole, sexually-dangerous-person commitment, and DYS custody are examples of good cause for notice. The court may direct certified- mail notice to corrections, parole, DYS, the Sex Offender Registry Board, prosecutors, or sheriffs.

New petitions receive general confidentiality

Current § 13(b) makes the petition, connected papers, and permanent docket entries unavailable for inspection unless the petitioner requests access or the court orders otherwise for good cause. Practice XXXV says the materials are segregated, but the case caption and docket number are not impounded.

This is a general rule for petitions filed on or after November 25, 2025, not a safety-only or gender-identity-only track.

The court may decide without a hearing

The statewide rule is administrative review first. The court may issue the decree without a citation or hearing. Even when notice was ordered, no objection plus proper proof of service can lead to a decision without a hearing.

The grant standard in § 12 is direct: the change “shall be granted unless” it is inconsistent with public interests. Criminal history is reviewed through CARI/WMS, but the statute contains no categorical felony bar.

The filing fee is $165, with waiver available

The current total is $165: a $150 filing fee plus $15 surcharge. If the court orders a citation, another $15 is charged. A qualifying petitioner may file an Affidavit of Indigency for waiver under chapter 261. Optional e-filing has a separate platform fee.

If granted, § 13(a) makes the decreed name the petitioner's legal name. A certified decree issues; the register may also issue a sealed certificate. The register reports granted changes to Vital Records and the Commissioner of Probation.

What trips people up

• Old Massachusetts instructions are stale. Routine publication ended November 25, 2025; publication now requires a good-cause order.
• Impoundment is broad but not total. Filed materials and docket entries are protected, while the caption and docket number remain visible.
• The background check is court-run. The applicant authorizes CARI/WMS; no fingerprint package is submitted.
• A hearing is not automatic. Administrative decree without appearance is expressly available.

Common questions

Must I publish in a newspaper?

Usually no. The court may order publication for good cause; if it does, follow the citation's newspaper and timing instructions.

Are the records public?

The petition, connected documents, and permanent docket entries are generally unavailable for inspection. The caption and docket number are not impounded.

Do I need fingerprints?

No. The Probation Department performs CARI and warrant checks after the adult authorizes them on the required forms.

Will I have to attend a hearing?

Not necessarily. The court may grant the petition administratively without a hearing, including after ordered notice when no objection is filed and service is proved.

Statutes and sources

• G.L. c. 210, § 12 — county residence jurisdiction and grant-unless- inconsistent-with-public-interests standard. Official Massachusetts Courts law summary (accessed 2026-07-26).
• G.L. c. 210, § 13(a)-(b) — probation report, exceptional good-cause notice, legal effect, record prerequisites, and general confidentiality. Official current section (accessed 2026-07-26).
• Uniform Probate and Family Court Practice XXXV — current CARI/WMS, administrative review, notice, impoundment, hearing, decree, and agency- reporting procedure. Official practice effective January 6, 2026 (accessed 2026-07-26).
• CJP 27 and adult filing guidance — current notarized form fields, records, $165 fee, possible $15 citation charge, indigency waiver, and filing options. Official CJP 27 and adult procedure (accessed 2026-07-26).