[ Text of section effective until November 25, 2025. For text effective November 25, 2025, see below.] Section 7. Every town clerk shall have the custody of all records of proprietors of towns, townships, plantations or common lands, if the towns, townships, plantations or common lands to which such records relate, or the larger part thereof, are within his town and the proprietors have ceased to be a body politic. The state secretary, clerks of the county commissioners and city or town clerks shall respectively have the custody of all other public records of the commonwealth or of their respective counties, cities or towns, if no other disposition of such records is made by law or ordinance, and shall certify copies thereof. [ Text of section as amended by 2025, 73, Sec. 24 effective November 25, 2025. For text effective until November 25, 2025, see above.] Section 7. Every town clerk shall have the custody of all records of proprietors of towns, townships, plantations or common lands, if the towns, townships, plantations or common lands to which such records relate, or the larger part thereof, are within his town and the proprietors have ceased to be a body politic. The state secretary, clerks of the county commissioners and city or town clerks shall respectively have the custody of all other public records of the commonwealth or of their respective counties, cities or towns, if no other disposition of such records is made by law or ordinance, and shall certify copies thereof. Subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, 42 U.S.C. 290dd-2 and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160, 162 and 164, all records from state institutions for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or mental health conditions in the commonwealth shall be open to public inspection and available for copying after the expiration of 75 years from creation of the record.
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