Hampden County Property Record Search
Hampden County property records are held at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, which operates from a main office in Springfield and a satellite location in Westfield. The registry serves 23 communities in western Massachusetts and maintains land records going back to 1636. You can search Hampden County property records online for free through the Hampden Deeds search portal or MassLandRecords.com, or visit either office in person to find deeds, mortgages, liens, and other land documents on file.
Hampden County Overview
Hampden County Registry of Deeds
Register Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera, Esq. leads the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. The main office is at 436 Dwight Street, Room B042, Springfield, MA 01103. The phone number is (413) 755-1722 and the email is hcrodsd@sec.state.ma.us. This is the office that handles most recordings and walk-in requests for Hampden County property records. The registry serves all 23 communities in the county, including Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, West Springfield, Agawam, and Westfield.
Hampden County also runs a satellite office in Westfield at 59 Court Street, Room 104, Westfield, MA 01085. The phone is the same: (413) 755-1722. This gives residents in the western part of the county a closer option for basic services. If you live out near Southwick or Granville, the Westfield office can save you a long drive into Springfield.
One thing that sets this registry apart is bilingual customer service. Staff can help you in both English and Spanish. This is useful in a county where a large part of the population speaks Spanish at home.
| Main Office | 436 Dwight Street, Room B042, Springfield, MA 01103 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (413) 755-1722 |
| Westfield Office | 59 Court Street, Room 104, Westfield, MA 01085 |
| hcrodsd@sec.state.ma.us |
Search Hampden County Records Online
Hampden County has its own dedicated search portal at search.hampdendeeds.com. This is one of the easier registry sites to use in Massachusetts. You can search by name, document type, address, or book and page. All searches are free. The portal shows indexed data and scanned images of recorded documents. You can view deeds, mortgages, discharges, and every other document type the registry holds.
You can also use MassLandRecords.com to search Hampden County property records. That statewide portal offers the standard search tools: Name Search (basic and advanced), Document Search, Book Search, Property Search, and Recorded Date Search. Both options are free, so use whichever one you find more comfortable. The Hampden-specific portal tends to load faster for local searches.
The Hampden Registry homepage at massrods.com is another starting point. It links to the search tools, fee schedules, and office information. Copies printed from the website are free, which is a nice perk that not every county offers.
Note: The address search may not include all properties, so a name-based search is the most reliable method.
Hampden County Recording Fees
Recording fees at the Hampden County Registry follow the same state schedule as every other Massachusetts registry. Deeds cost $155. Mortgages are $205. Mortgage discharges run $105. A Declaration of Homestead is just $35. Plans are $105 per sheet, and most other documents cost $105 each. The deed excise tax is $4.56 per $1,000 of consideration. On a $300,000 sale, that comes to $1,368 in excise on top of the recording fee.
Federal tax liens cost $5 to record. UCC financing statements are $75. Municipal lien certificates run $80. These fees are set by state law and do not change from county to county.
Hampden County provides free notary service for homestead declarations. That is an unusual benefit. Most registries do not offer on-site notary work. If you want to file a homestead to protect your home under M.G.L. Chapter 188, you can get the form notarized and recorded in the same visit. The protection covers your primary residence up to $1,000,000 from most creditor claims.
Hampden Property Fraud Protection
The Hampden County Registry of Deeds offers the free Consumer Notification Service. Sign up and you will get an email each time a new document is recorded in your name or against your address. You can register up to three properties at no cost. This is the best early warning system for deed fraud available in the county.
If you had an old CNS account, you need to start over. The system was updated and old enrollments are no longer active. Create a new account to make sure you are covered. If you get a notification about a document you did not file, contact the registry and your local police right away. Under M.G.L. Chapter 66, all recorded land documents are public records. The CNS just makes it easy to keep track of what gets filed against your property.
Hampden County Historical Records
The Hampden County Registry has one of the deeper historical collections in western Massachusetts. Recorded land images go back to 1636. Land Court documents start from 1905. The registry also holds Hampshire County deeds from 1662 to 1812, since Hampden County was part of Hampshire County until 1812 when it split off. If you are tracing a property title in Hampden County that predates 1812, these older Hampshire records are the place to look.
All of these records are governed by M.G.L. Chapter 183, which covers the recording and transfer of real property in Massachusetts. Even documents that are centuries old follow the same basic chain-of-title principles. Every deed must link back to the one before it. A gap in the chain creates what title examiners call a "cloud on title," and that can cause real problems when you try to sell or refinance.
Registered Land documents are handled under M.G.L. Chapter 185. If your Hampden County property is on the Registered Land system, you need pre-approval from the registry before recording most documents. E-recording through Simplifile is available for attorneys and title professionals.
The Hampden County Deeds search portal lets you look up property records by name, address, document type, or book and page reference at no cost.
This search tool covers all 23 communities in Hampden County. Scanned document images are available for viewing and free printing.
Hampden County Property Services
The registry provides several services beyond basic document recording. Staff can help with determining property ownership, researching land titles, and getting copies of recorded documents. The office also runs foreclosure assistance seminars and reverse-mortgage seminars for homeowners who need guidance. Homestead declaration forms are available at both the Springfield and Westfield offices.
The MassGIS Interactive Property Map is another resource for Hampden County property research. It shows parcel boundaries, assessed values, and owner names for every community in the state, including all 23 Hampden County towns and cities. This tool is run by the state and is free to use. It complements the registry records by giving you a visual look at property boundaries and valuations.
Cities in Hampden County
Two major cities in Hampden County have their own property records pages. Both file all land documents at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds in Springfield.
Nearby Counties
Hampden County borders three other Massachusetts counties. For properties near a county line, confirm which registry covers your area before filing or searching.