Chapter 29A

Section 1. All costs of maintenance and operation of the judicial branch shall be paid by the commonwealth. The operation of a registry of deeds and office of an assistant recorder of the land court in connection therewith shall not constitute a court operation. As used in this c…

Section 2. All books, papers, equipment, furnishings, uniforms, supplies, records and documents purchased by the counties and in the custody of or maintained primarily for the use of the judicial branch are hereby declared to be the property of the commonwealth, and shall be unde…

Section 3. All fees, fines, forfeitures, penalties and any other receipts or income of any kind paid to or received by any of the courts, clerks, registers, recorders or other officers or employees of the judicial branch shall be paid into the general fund of the commonwealth exc…

Section 3A. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in section three or any other general or special law, the trial court and the appeals court are hereby authorized to establish a fee-based system and a schedule of fees for electronic access and retrieval of information by…

Section 4. The judicial branch may lease buildings and land owned by a county, city, or town to provide suitable quarters and space for court facilities and necessary related activities such as parking. The judicial branch may, in the alternative, lease such buildings and land fr…

Section 5. If all or substantially all of any building owned by a county, city or town is occupied by the judicial branch, then the chief justice of the supreme judicial court, upon the recommendation of the court administrator of the trial court, if applicable, may recommend to …

Section 6. There is hereby established a court facilities council. The membership of the council shall consist of the following persons: the court administrator for the trial court or his designee, who shall serve as chairman of the council; the administrative justices of the sup…