Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Gloucester is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, with about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings and deeds are county or state records. This guide names the Gloucester offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Gloucester, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Gloucester records are kept
- Kept by the City of Gloucester: police reports; council and board meeting records; ordinances; the city's own licenses and permits; birth, death and marriage records; and property assessments.
- Kept by Essex County or the state: court cases, jail bookings and deeds. These are not city records; they are in the Essex County public records guide under court records, jail lookups and property records.
Gloucester City Clerk: council records and vital records
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. In Massachusetts, the city clerk also keeps birth, death and marriage records for events in the city. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Gloucester.
- Website: gloucester-ma.gov/16/City-Clerk (page title: City Clerk | Gloucester, MA)
- Phone: (978) 325-5120
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Gloucester police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Gloucester police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Gloucester police records.
- Website: gloucester-ma.gov/1606/Police-Department (page title: Police Department | Gloucester, MA)
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Essex County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Gloucester City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: gloucester-ma.gov (page title: Gloucester, MA)
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Gloucester
Massachusetts public records law applies to the city government of Gloucester. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Essex County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Essex County. The Essex County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Gloucester website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Gloucester offices listed above, and the city's own website is gloucester-ma.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Gloucester?
Request it from the Gloucester police records unit at gloucester-ma.gov/1606/Police-Department. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find Gloucester city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at gloucester-ma.gov/16/City-Clerk, phone (978) 325-5120. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and birth, death and marriage records for events in the city.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Gloucester?
Gloucester cases are heard by the courts that serve Essex County, and people arrested in Gloucester are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Essex County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Gloucester?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Massachusetts public records law applies to city governments.