Massachusetts § 13 - Notice and certificate; decree; entry; conditions precedent

§ 13. Notice and certificate; decree; entry; conditions precedent

[ Text of section effective until November 25, 2025. For text effective November 25, 2025, see below.]

  Section 13. The court shall, before decreeing a change of name, request a report from the commissioner of probation on the person filing the petition and, except for good cause shown, require public notice of the petition to be given and any person may be heard thereon, and, upon entry of a decree, the name as established thereby shall be the legal name of the petitioner, and the register may issue a certificate, under the seal of the court, of the name as so established.

  No decree shall be entered, however, until there has been filed in the court a copy of the birth record of the person whose name is sought to be changed and, in case such person's name has previously been changed by decree of court or at marriage pursuant to section one D of chapter forty-six, either a copy of the record of his birth amended to conform to the previous decree changing his name, a copy of such decree, or a copy of the record of marriage; provided, that the filing of any such copy may be dispensed with if the judge is satisfied that it cannot be obtained.

Chapter 210: Section 13. Notice and certificate; decree; entry; conditions precedent

[ Text of section as amended by 2025, 73, Sec. 53 effective November 25, 2025. For text effective until November 25, 2025, see above.]

  Section 13. (a) The court shall, before decreeing a change of name, request a report from the commissioner of probation on the person filing the petition, and, upon entry of a decree, the name as established thereby shall be the legal name of the petitioner. The register may issue a certificate, under the seal of the court, of the name as so established. The court may, for good cause shown, require public notice of the petition to be given and any person to be heard thereon.

  No decree shall be entered, however, until there has been filed in the court a copy of the birth record of the person whose name is sought to be changed, and, in case such person's name has previously been changed by decree of court or at marriage pursuant to section 1D of chapter 46, either a copy of: (i) the record of such person's birth amended to conform to the previous decree changing the person's name; (ii) such decree; or (iii) the record of marriage; provided, however, that the filing of any such copy may be dispensed with if the judge is satisfied that it cannot be obtained.

  (b) The petition for name change, all pleadings, papers or documents filed in connection therewith and docket entries in the permanent docket and record books, online and otherwise, shall not be available for inspection unless the court, for good cause shown, otherwise orders or unless requested by the petitioner. The petition, reports, pleadings, papers, documents and permanent docket and record books shall be segregated.