Berkshire County Marriage Records Search
Marriage records in Berkshire County are stored at the city and town clerk offices across all 32 communities, not at the county level. This page covers where to find records, how to get certified copies, and what historical resources are available for this westernmost Massachusetts county.
Berkshire County Overview
Where to Find Berkshire County Marriage Records
Berkshire County was established in 1761 and is the westernmost county in Massachusetts. It borders New York to the west and Vermont to the north. The county seat is Pittsfield. With 32 cities and towns spread across the Berkshire Hills, records vary by community. No central county agency holds marriage licenses. Each city and town clerk maintains the records for their community.
The clerk in the town where the couple filed their marriage intentions holds the original record. That is the right place to start. For older records from 1841 to 1930, the Massachusetts State Archives in Boston has a centralized copy. For records from 1931 to present, the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester has the state copy. Both options let you request certified copies without visiting the original town.
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat. Great Barrington is the largest town in the southern part of the county. Adams and North Adams are in the northern section. Stockbridge, Lee, Lenox, and Williamstown are well-known communities in the Berkshires. All have their own town clerks.
No cities in Berkshire County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Pittsfield and Great Barrington are referenced here as text only.
Pittsfield City Clerk - Marriage Records
Pittsfield is the county seat and the most populous city in Berkshire County. The Pittsfield City Clerk is in City Hall at 70 Allen Street, Room 103, Pittsfield, MA 01201. The phone is 413-499-9361. You can email the clerk at cityclerk@cityofpittsfield.org.
The Pittsfield Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates page on the city website explains the request process, accepted payment methods, and current fees. To apply for a marriage license in Pittsfield, both parties appear in person with valid photo ID. Under M.G.L. c. 207, Section 28, a three-day waiting period applies after you file your intentions. The license is then valid for 60 days.
Pittsfield records going back well into the 1800s may be searchable through the State Archives database. The clerk can also confirm whether a specific older record is still held locally or has been transferred. For recent records, the clerk is typically the fastest source for a certified copy.
Historical records from Pittsfield and surrounding communities have been well preserved. The Berkshire Athenaeum, the main public library in Pittsfield at 1 Wendell Avenue, has a local history and genealogy room with extensive holdings on Berkshire County families. It is worth contacting them if the clerk's office does not have what you need for older records.
Other Town Clerks in Berkshire County
Great Barrington is a major town in the southern Berkshires. The Great Barrington Town Clerk is at Town Hall, Great Barrington, MA 01230. The town's website at townofgbma.gov has specific information on their marriage records process and the local fees.
Other towns in Berkshire County include Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Windsor, and Williamstown. Each has a clerk's office. Smaller towns may have part-time hours, so call first.
For any town clerk in Berkshire County, the process for requesting a marriage record is the same: contact the clerk's office with the names of both parties and the approximate year of the marriage. They can search by name or by year. Fees for certified copies vary slightly by community but are generally in the range of $10 to $20 per copy.
Berkshire County Registries of Deeds
Berkshire County is unusual in Massachusetts because it has three separate Registry of Deeds districts. These cover land records only, not marriage records, but knowing which one covers your area is useful for property research that might accompany a marriage inquiry.
| District | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Berkshire Middle | 44 Bank Row, Pittsfield MA 01201 | 413-443-7438 |
| Berkshire South | 205 South Street, Great Barrington MA 01230 | 413-528-0146 |
| Berkshire North | 7 North Street, Adams MA 01220 | 413-743-0210 |
These offices handle deeds, mortgages, and other land instruments. The Registry websites for Berkshire Middle and South are at massrods.com/berkshiremiddle and massrods.com/berkshiresouth. The Berkshire County Superior Court is at 76 East Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201, phone 413-499-7487, and handles major civil and criminal cases but not vital records.
Getting State Copies
For any Berkshire County marriage record, you can go through the state instead of the local clerk. The split depends on the year. For 1841 through 1930, contact the Massachusetts State Archives. For 1931 to the present, contact the RVRS.
The State Archives is at 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125. Phone: 617-727-2816. Their free online search at sec.state.ma.us covers Massachusetts vital records including Berkshire County marriages from 1841 to 1930. Certified copies cost $3. This is often a good option for Berkshire County research because the county is geographically isolated and the online database lets you search remotely.
The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics is at 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125. Phone: 617-740-2600. In-person copies are $20. Mail orders are $32. The ordering page at mass.gov has the current form and instructions.
The RVRS homepage lists all ways to order a certified copy of a Massachusetts marriage record, including for Berkshire County records from 1931 onward.
The Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics handles Berkshire County marriage records from 1931 to present, available by mail or in person.
The RVRS website is the best starting point for ordering a certified copy of a recent Berkshire County marriage record by mail.
Massachusetts Marriage Law in Berkshire County
All 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County follow the same state marriage laws. The core rules are in M.G.L. Chapter 207. There are no local exceptions. The minimum age is 18 under Section 7. The three-day waiting period is required by Section 28. The license is valid for 60 days from the date of issue.
Both parties must appear in person at the town clerk's office. No Massachusetts residency is required. Any couple can marry in any Massachusetts town, including any of the 32 Berkshire County communities. You just need to file intentions in the town you choose and wait out the three days.
The Getting Married in Massachusetts guide on mass.gov walks through each step. The Massachusetts law about marriage page explains the statutory framework in plain language. Both are good resources for couples planning to marry in the Berkshires.
The state's guide to marriage law is particularly helpful for couples from out of state who want to marry in Berkshire County but are unfamiliar with Massachusetts procedures.
Genealogy Resources for Berkshire County
Berkshire County has been settled since the early 1700s, and records for many families go back to the colonial period. Several organizations have resources for researchers tracing Berkshire County lineages.
FamilySearch has a Berkshire County Massachusetts Genealogy page with research guides and links to digitized collections. FamilySearch has indexed many Massachusetts vital records including marriage records from Berkshire County towns, and some original images are viewable online for free.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society at AmericanAncestors.org holds Massachusetts vital records including many from Berkshire County. Their database includes transcriptions of early town records and church registers from across the county. This is one of the deepest resources for pre-1841 marriage records in Massachusetts, when official state registration had not yet begun.
The Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield has one of the best local history collections in western Massachusetts. Their genealogy room holds microfilm of Berkshire County vital records, town histories, newspapers, and family files. It is a strong resource for anyone doing in-depth Berkshire County family research.
The Berkshire County Historical Society at Arrowhead in Pittsfield (the former home of Herman Melville) also holds some historical materials relevant to local families and community history.
The state's Archives vital records search remains the best free online tool for Berkshire County marriages from 1841 to 1930.
The Archives search database lets you look up Berkshire County marriages from 1841 to 1930 by name before ordering a certified copy for $3.
Cities and Towns in Berkshire County
No cities in Berkshire County meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. The largest communities are Pittsfield (county seat) and Great Barrington. Other notable towns include Adams, North Adams, Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Williamstown, and Dalton. Each has its own town clerk for marriage records.
Nearby Counties
Berkshire County shares borders with Hampshire and Franklin counties in Massachusetts. It also borders New York and Vermont, but those states have separate marriage record systems.