Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Crime Index

The 39th largest community in Massachusetts, Marlborough is a medium-sized municipality in Middlesex County. The crime rate in Marlborough is significantly lower than the national crime rate across all communities in the United States which was 2,489 for every 100,000 people. However, at 1,712 incidents per 100,000 people, the overall crime rate is considerably higher than 80% of Massachusetts’ cities and towns of all sizes. Residents of the city have a 1 in 59 chance of becoming a victim of a crime.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, there are seven crime categories. Violent crimes include robbery, aggravated assault, rape, and murder. Property crimes include larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.

Violent crimes account for 22% of all the reported crimes in the city, the total number of violent crimes reported in Marlborough was 149 in 2019. This is a crime rate of 376 incidents per 100,000 residents. Aggravated assault accounted for 117 of the reported violent crimes in 2019 which equals 295 incidents per 100,000 residents. This is slightly higher than the nationwide rate of 250 aggravated assaults for every 100,000 people.

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in Marlborough with 15 reported cases of robbery in 2019. 17 cases of rape were reported in the city in 2019. This is 43 rape incidents per 100,000 residents and is a significant decline from the 36 rape cases reported in 2018. Marlborough had no reported incident of murder in 2019, However, the city had 1 manslaughter by negligence incident in 2019, which still counts as a homicide. The city also had only one incident of Arson in 2019.

The vast majority of crimes in the United States are property crimes which account for 85% of all the crimes in the country. However, in Marlborough, property offenses only account for about 78% of the total offenses. In 2019, there were 530 property crimes in Marlborough which is 1,336 incidents per 100,000 residents. This is considerably lower than the national property crime rate which is at 2,110 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Larceny is the most common property crime in Marlborough with 435 incidents occurring in 2019. This is 1,097 larcenies for every 100,000 residents. Second to larceny is burglary with 71 reported break-ins in Marlborough in 2019. The rate of motor vehicle thefts in Marlborough was 220 for every 100,000 residents, with 25 incidents in 2019.

Law enforcement officers made a total of 52 arrests for driving while under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol.

Marlborough District Court House

The Marlborough District Court is a trial court with jurisdiction over most criminal cases, including all misdemeanors and violations of town and city ordinances and by-laws. The Court also has jurisdiction over felonies punishable by a sentence of up to 5 years imprisonment.

For felonies that are outside the jurisdiction of the Court, the Marlborough District Court may conduct probable cause hearings to determine whether to transfer a defendant to the Middlesex Superior Court or not. The Court’s magistrates also have the authority to issue arrest warrants, as well as criminal and administrative search warrants.

For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marlborough District Courthouse conducts most of its business, including court hearings remotely and virtually - by email, telephone, and videoconference. Members of the public may choose to listen to the Court’s events in real-time via a public access telephone line. The courthouse is open to people who

• May be required to appear in-person at the court proceedings
• Meet with a probation officer or staff person
• Conduct in-person business with a clerk's, recorder's or register's, office
• Carry out business at other offices that are located in the courthouse and are open to the public

Note, any individual who must visit the Marlborough District Courthouse in-person must follow its guidelines which include:

• Self-screening before going to the court
• Making an appointment, where possible to facilitate the visit
• Being prepared to answer a short series of health screening questions
• Wearing a mask at all times in the courthouse and observing social distancing
• Submitting to a contactless thermometer temperature check

Additionally, the courthouse only permits a limited number of people within its premises to ensure social distancing. Visitors may be required to wait in a separate area if the office of the clerk has reached capacity. The Marlborough District Courthouse may also provide a drop-box in an accessible and secure location at the courthouse entrance to deliver documents or pleadings for filing. The Court is located at

Marlborough District Court
45 Williams Street,
Marlborough, MA 01752

Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Court Clerk: (508) 485-3700, fax: (508) 485-1575
Email: cmmarlboroughdc@jud.state.ma.us
Probation Department: (508) 485-1356, fax: (508) 481-6857

To opt for a virtual appearance at a scheduled in-person court hearing, the opting party may contact the court by email or telephone. Individuals who are unsure whether to appear at court in-person or who are unable to appear in person due to COVID-related reasons are required to contact the court.

Interested parties may also contact the Court’s Probation Department by phone or fax.

In 2020, the Marlborough District Court presided over 1,204 criminal defendants. This is slightly lower than the 1331 criminal defendants that appeared before the Court in 2019.

Central Housing Court House - Marlborough Session

The Central Housing Court - Marlborough Session handles all cases involving residential housing within Marlborough. The Court has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters that involve the health, welfare, or safety, of the occupants or owners of residential housing. It also has jurisdiction over code enforcement cases and appeals of local zoning board resolutions that affect residential housing. The Central Housing Court also hears criminal matters that are brought to enforce local ordinances or state-building, sanitary, and fire prevention codes that regulate residential housing.

The Central Housing Court - Marlborough Session conducts its business on Tuesdays at 9:00 am at the Marlboro District Court. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Court carries out most of its business remotely - by email, telephone, and videoconference. Only court personnel, parties to the case, attorneys, witnesses, and other persons that the presiding judge considers necessary can be physically present in the courtroom for in-person proceedings.

The Central Housing Court Clerk's Office and Central Housing Specialist Department provide a virtual front counter to ensure that court users get face-to-face assistance from court staff without needing to be physically present at the courthouse. At the virtual front counter, court staff can provide information on available court resources, answer questions, and help court users virtually.

Self-represented litigants and attorneys may also submit documents to the court virtually by eFiling. For more information or inquiries, contact the Clerk's Office at

Marlborough District Court,
45 Williams Street,
Marlborough, MA 01752
Phone: (508) 831-2050
Email: CentralHousingCourt@jud.state.ma.us

In 2020, the Central Housing Court had 41 criminal case entries and completed 44. This is significantly lower than the 113 criminal case entries in 2019.

Middlesex County Superior Courthouse

The Middlesex County Superior Court serves the city of Marlborough and hears cases of felonies that are punishable by incarceration of up to 5 years or more. The Court also has exclusive jurisdiction over first-degree murder trials. The court opens on Mondays to Fridays between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

However, because of COVID-19, the courthouse is only accessible to the court staff and some specific court users. The Middlesex County Superior Court now conducts most of its hearings remotely. Parties or some individuals may participate in the proceedings by telephone or video. The Court may conduct virtual hearings for the following criminal matters:

• Arraignment if the accused is in custody
• Bail determinations after an arrest or surrender following a Superior Court warrant
• Bail reviews
• Dangerousness hearings, if none of the parties informed the court before the proceeding that a party plans to call one or more witnesses
• Conferences
• Proceedings on non-evidentiary motions

The Middlesex County Superior Court also provides an ePay System that enables parties to make any necessary payments online. Interested parties may contact the Court’s Clerk’s Office and Probation Department by email, telephone, or in-person at

Middlesex Superior Court

200 Trade Center, 2nd Floor,

Woburn, MA 01801

Phone: (781) 939-2700

Email: Middlesex.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us

In 2020, there were 888 criminal cases filed at the Court. This is significantly lower than the 1,142 criminal case entries the Court had in 2019.

Assabet Valley Regional Technical School

The Assabet Valley Regional Technical School is a public college located in Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is a non-degree granting school and has a total enrollment of 50 full-time undergraduate students as of 2020. Interested parties can contact the school at

Assabet Valley Regional Technical School,

215 Fitchburg Street,

Marlboro, MA 01752

Phone: (508) 485-9430

The Assabet Valley Regional Technical School has no record of crime committed within its premises. The overall crime rate is 0%.