Vitals (Birth, Death, Marriage)

Each death record is kept on file in three places: the community where the person died, the community where the person lived on the date of death and the Massachusetts Bureau of Vital Records in Boston. If the death occurred in Massachusetts, you may contact the Bureau of Vital Records or the appropriate city or town to obtain a copy of a death record. If the death occurred outside Massachusetts, you must contact the Bureau of Vital Records in the state where the death occurred to determine from whom and how a death record may be obtained.

If you were born in Chelsea or, with a few exceptions, if your parents lived in Chelsea on the day of your birth, you may obtain a certified birth certificate at the Chelsea City Clerk’s Office, either in person or by mail with a completed Request for Birth Certificate.  You may also apply online. Please note that requests for birth records cannot be made via telephone or fax, nor can certified copies be faxed to you. The fee is $10.00.

Usually identification is not necessary; however, in certain circumstances, it is required, for example, if your parents were not married at the time of your birth.

Unless your parents were not married at the time of your birth, birth certificates are available to any member of the public.

Each death record is kept on file in three places: the community where the person died, the community where the person lived on the date of death and the Massachusetts Bureau of Vital Records in Boston. If the death occurred in Massachusetts, you may contact the Bureau of Vital Records or the appropriate city or town to obtain a copy of a death record. If the death occurred outside Massachusetts, you must contact the Bureau of Vital Records in the state where the death occurred to determine from whom and how a death record may be obtained.

If a death occurred in Chelsea or if the decedent lived in Chelsea at the time of death, you may obtain a certified death certificate at the Chelsea City Clerk’s Office, either in person or by mail with a completed Request for Death Certificate. You may also apply online. Please note that requests for death records cannot be made via telephone or fax, nor can certified copies be faxed to you. The fee per record is $10.

A burial permit can be obtained at the Office of the Health Department, City Hall, 500 Broadway, Room 100, Chelsea, MA  02150.

If you are 18 years old (or have a court order waiving the age requirement) and you plan to be married in Massachusetts, you can get your marriage license in Chelsea. Effective Jan 28, 2005, Massachusetts eliminated the requirement for Pre-marital blood tests.

You must apply for your marriage license no more than 60 days before and no less than 3 days before the date on which you will be married.

You may obtain a marriage license from the City Clerk’s Office at the following address:

Office of the City Clerk
Chelsea City Hall
500 Broadway, Rm. 209
Chelsea, MA 02150
617-466-4050

The City Clerk’s Office accepts marriage license applications Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Tuesday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The application process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

The marriage application fee is $25. We accept cash, check or money order payable to the City of Chelsea.  We also accept credit cards: Visa/Mastercard/American Express/Discover.  A service charge of 2.95% or $1.00 minimum will be assessed per credit card charge. 

To apply for a marriage license, both applicants must appear together at the City Clerk’s Office and bring the following:

• A photo ID for each applicant.
• The Social Security number for each applicant who has been issued one. Federal statutes require the collection of Social Security numbers at the time of application. You do not need to bring your Social Security Card; just have the numbers available.
• For each applicant under 18 years old, a Court Marriage of Minor Order must be obtained from the probate court or district court where the minor resides. The applicant must appear in court with his or her partner and his or her parent, and obtain a judge’s permission to marry before applying for the marriage license. For each such applicant, bring a certified birth record and the court order showing the judge’s permission to marry.

If you have been divorced, you do not have to bring any divorce papers when you apply, but your divorce must be final at the time of the application.

Once your application for a marriage license is complete, the license will be issued three (3) days later (licenses applied for Monday can be picked up Thursday; licenses applied for Tuesday can be picked up Friday; licenses applied for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday can be picked up the following Monday). Anyone can pick up the license and there is no charge. Note that city hall closes at 12:00 noon on Friday.

If you want to waive the three (3) day waiting period, you must bring an approved Court Petition for a Marriage Without Delay showing a judge’s permission to waive the waiting period.

The marriage must be solemnized within 60 days of the day you originally apply or the license will expire. The marriage must be solemnized in Massachusetts or it will be not valid.

If you were married in Massachusetts, you may obtain a copy of your marriage certificate in either of two places: the city or town clerk in the city where you obtained your license (not the city where the marriage occurred) or the Bureau of Vital Records in Boston. If you were married outside Massachusetts, you should contact the Bureau of Vital Records in the state where you were married to determine from whom and how a marriage record may be obtained.

If you applied for your marriage license in Chelsea, you may obtain a certified marriage certificate at the Chelsea City Clerk’s Office, either in person or by mail with a completed a request. You may also apply online. Please note that request for marriage records cannot be made via telephone or fax, or can certified copies be faxed to you. The fee is $10.00.