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Public Records & Genealogical Research
Public Records
In July of 2016, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill, Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2016, "An Act to Improve Public Records". This Bill takes takes effect on January 1, 2017. View a list of Record Access Officers for the Town of Dennis, also known as RAO:
- Town Clerk: Theresa Bunce
- Police Department: Lt. Thomas Murray
- Fire Department: Anthony Kent, Deputy Chief
Requests
- Public Records Request Form (PDF)
- Make Public Record Request online
- Make a Request to the Police Department
To expedite your request, please be as clear and specific as possible.
Commonly Requested Records
Quick Links
- Appeal a Denial of Access to Public Records
- Electronic Records Management Guidelines (PDF)
- A Guide to Massachusetts Public Records Law (PDF)
- Making a Request for Public Records
- Public Record Appeal Status
- Public Records Access, 950 CMR 32 (PDF)
- Town of Dennis Public Records Access Guidelines (PDF)
- Updated Public Records Law
Genealogical Research
The Town of Dennis was established in 1793. Our records only date back to 1793 though we do occasionally have older family records. For earlier records, you would need to contact the town of Yarmouth as Dennis was part of Yarmouth before 1793. Some of our older records are not full records. In some instances, we may only have family records where names of family members were recorded with a date of birth/marriage/death. These records are usually sufficient for genealogical research.
Certified copies of Birth, Death, and Marriages are available through the Town Clerk's office or through the offices of the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
Genealogy Requests
Genealogical Requests can be made in person, by phone, or by mail. Please note that we can only accept cash, checks, and money orders as payment or online using UniPay. Checks should be made payable to the Town of Dennis.
Please provide the name of the person whose record you are requesting, the date of the record, and specify which type of record you are looking for (Birth, Marriage, Death). If you have more information such as the names of parents please include that information. If you are not sure of a specific date for the record please provide an estimated date or year.