Chelsea Residents Directory
The Chelsea residents directory draws from public records kept by the City Clerk at 500 Broadway and from Suffolk County offices that serve this compact city just north of Boston. With more than 40,000 people in just over two square miles, Chelsea is one of the most densely settled places in Massachusetts. The City Clerk handles vital records, the annual census, and voter rolls while also serving as the Parking Clerk. If you want to find a resident, check an address, or pull a birth or marriage record, this office is the place to start. Suffolk County adds property and court records to round out your search options.
Chelsea Overview
Chelsea City Clerk Office
The Chelsea City Clerk is located at City Hall, 500 Broadway, Room 11, Chelsea, MA 02150. You can reach the office at 617-466-4050. Jeannette White serves as the Records Access Officer. The clerk handles birth, death, and marriage records for Chelsea residents, along with the annual census, voter registration, and business certificates. This office is the core of the Chelsea residents directory because it holds the records that tie names to addresses and dates across the city. The Chelsea City Clerk page lists all services and contact details.
Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Friday hours are 8:30 AM to noon. Tuesday has extended hours for vital records, though you should call ahead to confirm the exact schedule since it can shift. The shorter Friday window catches some people off guard, so plan your visit early in the week if you can. The extended Tuesday hours are helpful if you work a standard schedule and can not get there during normal business hours.
| Office | Chelsea City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | City Hall, 500 Broadway, Room 11 Chelsea, MA 02150 |
| Phone | 617-466-4050 |
| Hours | Mon-Thu 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Tue extended (call to confirm) Fri 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
| RAO | Jeannette White |
Note: The Chelsea City Clerk also serves as the Parking Clerk, so the office can be busy during peak hours.
Searching the Chelsea Directory
The annual street listing is a key piece of the Chelsea residents directory. Under M.G.L. c.51 §4, Chelsea must conduct a census of all residents as of January 1 each year. The city uses this data to build a street list that shows names and addresses sorted by location. Under M.G.L. c.51 §6, this list is a public record for anyone age 17 and older. Given how dense Chelsea is, the street list packs a lot of names into a small geographic area, which makes it one of the more useful tools for finding someone in the city.
Vital records are the other main search path. The clerk keeps birth, death, and marriage records on file. You can request copies in person at Room 11 during business hours. Bring a valid photo ID. Certified copies carry the city seal and can be used for legal filings. Plain copies work if you just need the information for reference. The standard Massachusetts fee applies for certified vital record copies.
Mail requests are accepted too. Send your written request to the City Clerk at 500 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150 with a check for the fee amount and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The office will mail back your copies once the request is processed.
Chelsea Public Records Requests
Beyond vital records, Chelsea maintains many other types of public documents that can help with a residents directory search. Under M.G.L. c.66 §10, the city must respond to a public records request within 10 business days. This covers permits, licenses, city correspondence, inspection reports, meeting minutes, and a range of other records that city departments create and keep.
You can file a public records request with the Records Access Officer at the City Clerk office. Put your request in writing and be as specific as you can about what you need. Include dates, names, or addresses if you have them. The more detail you give, the faster the staff can find what you are looking for. Fees follow state rules. Copies cost $0.05 per page for black and white. The first two hours of staff search time are free. After that, the city can charge up to $25 per hour.
The Chelsea city website has contact information for all departments if you need to reach a specific office about a records request.
Chelsea Clerk Resources
The Chelsea City Clerk page on the city website provides details on all available services, office hours, and how to submit requests for vital records and other documents.
This page is the best starting point for any Chelsea residents directory search. It lists the full range of records the clerk maintains and explains the steps for getting copies. Whether you need a birth certificate, a marriage record, or just want to check the annual street list, the clerk page walks you through each option and the fees that apply.
More Chelsea Directory Sources
Suffolk County holds property records, court filings, and probate documents that add depth to the Chelsea residents directory. The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds online portal lets you search deeds, mortgages, and liens for Chelsea addresses. Property records link names to specific locations and show ownership changes over time. These records go back decades and in many cases much further, which is useful if you are tracing a family or checking the history of a particular address in the city.
Prospective juror lists are another public source worth knowing about. Under M.G.L. c.234A §15, these lists are compiled from resident data and are open to the public. They can help confirm that someone was counted as a Chelsea resident in a given year. The lists come from the annual census and voter rolls, so they tend to reflect fairly current information about who lives in the city.
Chelsea sits right next to Boston, Revere, and Everett. People move between these cities often. If your search does not turn up results in Chelsea, it may be worth checking the neighboring city records as well. The Suffolk County records cover Boston and Chelsea together, which can save time when searching across city lines.
Suffolk County Residents Directory
Chelsea is part of Suffolk County, which also includes Boston, Revere, and Winthrop. The county handles property records, court filings, and other documents that feed into the broader residents directory for the area. Suffolk County offices maintain deed records, probate files, and court case indexes that can help you find information about Chelsea residents through county-level sources.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Chelsea maintain their own residents directory records. If you are searching for someone who may have moved within the area, these pages cover the same types of records and search tools.