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Massachusetts · Martha's Vineyard · Atlantic · #295 Most Populous County in the US
Dukes County, Massachusetts
Martha's Vineyard - Edgartown's captain's houses, Oak Bluffs' gingerbread cottages and African American resort tradition, the Gay Head cliffs, and a summer population ten times the year-round. One of America's most exclusive island addresses, reached by ferry from Woods Hole. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Dukes County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Dukes County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Dukes County Emergency Management – headed by the Dukes County Manager; coordinates between the six island towns during hurricanes, winter storms, and other disasters. In 2026, the county completed a five-year (2027-2031) Martha’s Vineyard Island-Wide Emergency Management and Response Coordination Strategic Plan, recommending a full-time Martha’s Vineyard Emergency Management Coordinator and a new Multi-Agency Coordination System (MAC-S) to address the island’s unique challenges as a geographically isolated community reliant on shared ferry/airport infrastructure and facing large seasonal population surges.
Sheriff: Dukes County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff Robert W. Ogden; documented Sheriffs date back to the 1600s, when Dukes County was incorporated in 1683 as a province of the Colony of New York; operates the Dukes County Jail & House of Correction, Regional Lock-Up, Regional Emergency Communications Center, and Civil Process Department; the Sheriff is an active member of the Martha’s Vineyard Law Enforcement Council.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Reached via ferry (Steamship Authority) and Martha’s Vineyard Airport; Edgartown is the county seat, Oak Bluffs the largest town; Dukes County was founded in 1695, named for James, Duke of York. The county is roughly 79% water.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dukes County Registry of Deeds – Edgartown, MA.
Notes: Martha’s Vineyard is genuinely the primary filming location for Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster Jaws – the fictional town of Amity was portrayed largely by real-life Edgartown, and many of the film’s iconic buildings still stand today. Filming, based at Menemsha and Oak Bluffs, notoriously ran 159 days (versus a planned 55-65), and the movie went on to become the highest-grossing film in history up to that point, later credited with inventing the modern summer blockbuster.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Dukes County Veteran Services – confirm current contact via dukescounty.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Martha’s Vineyard public library addresses/phone via dukescounty.gov (regional Libraries department).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Edgartown’s historic downtown (“Jaws” filming locations), the Martha’s Vineyard Museum (founded 1922, originally the Dukes County Historical Society), and the island’s beaches and lighthouses are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Jaws filming legacy is one of the most nationally recognized local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Martha’s Vineyard GIS (regional, Dukes County) – confirm current contact via dukescounty.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard – 1 Pennywise Path, P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539 | (508) 627-8662; a no-kill shelter serving all six Vineyard towns; accepts animals island-wide for surrender (no fee) and adoption (fee varies); all animals spayed/neutered and vaccinated before adoption; dog assessments typically done Wednesdays, call ahead for intake.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Dukes County – Trash & Recycling, Water Testing, and the MV Tick Program are regional services; confirm current contact via dukescounty.gov.
NOTES: Dukes County is the fourth county in the first batch of the Massachusetts v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Jaws filming legacy on Martha’s Vineyard is one of the most nationally recognized local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Dukes County
Dukes County is Martha’s Vineyard – one of the most famous and coveted island addresses in the United States, a community of extraordinary summer population swells, extraordinary real estate values, and a complex year-round community whose character is shaped by the tension between its island identity and its global celebrity.
Edgartown – the county seat – is Martha’s Vineyard’s most architecturally distinguished community, with a Main Street of white Federal-era sea captains’ houses that reflects the wealth of the 19th-century whaling era. The Edgartown Harbor and Chappaquiddick Island (scene of the 1969 incident involving Senator Edward Kennedy) are Edgartown’s most notorious landmarks.
Oak Bluffs has a unique character rooted in two distinct traditions: the Victorian-era Methodist camp meeting tradition (the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association Tabernacle, surrounded by hundreds of tiny gingerbread cottages on a few acres – one of the most distinctive architectural landscapes in America) and one of the most important African American resort traditions in the United States. Since the late 19th century, Oak Bluffs (formerly Cottage City) and the broader Vineyard have been a destination for African American families excluded from other resort communities – the tradition built by families including the Brouns and the Rampersads has made the Vineyard a gathering place for African American professional and intellectual culture. Barack and Michelle Obama have vacationed on the Vineyard, as have countless prominent African American artists, writers, and public figures.
Aquinnah (Gay Head) – at the island’s western tip – is home to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), a federally recognized tribe with sovereign territory including the famous Gay Head Cliffs (multicolored clay cliffs designated a National Natural Landmark). The Gay Head Lighthouse stands atop these cliffs.
The movie “Jaws” (1975) – Steven Spielberg’s film that invented the modern summer blockbuster and terrified a generation of swimmers – was filmed in Edgartown and other Vineyard locations. The filming crew’s notorious disruption of the 1974 island community is lore; the film’s impact on shark-phobia and on the American summer movie season is incalculable.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Massachusetts requires municipal assessment at 100% of full and fair cash value. Each of Dukes County’s 6 municipalities has its own assessors.
Vineyard price context: Martha’s Vineyard real estate is among the most expensive in Massachusetts – oceanfront and Edgartown Harbor properties routinely transact above $5-10 million; even modest year-round single-family homes in Vineyard Haven start above $1 million. Assessment accuracy at these price levels is a meaningful financial matter.
The abatement process: File an abatement application with your local board of assessors by February 1 of the fiscal year. If denied, appeal to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board (ATB) within 3 months.
Senior exemptions: Massachusetts Clauses 41, 41B, 41C, and 17D provide various senior exemptions – apply through your local assessor.
Massachusetts estate tax: Above $2 million (2025) at rates up to 16%. For Vineyard property owners, a home worth $2 million plus any retirement or investment assets essentially guarantees estate tax exposure. No Massachusetts inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Dukes County February 1 abatement deadline. At Martha’s Vineyard prices, assessment accuracy is especially critical. Massachusetts estate tax at $2M affects virtually every Vineyard homeowner. Ownwell manages the abatement with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Dukes County February 1 abatement deadline. At Martha's Vineyard prices, assessment accuracy is especially critical. Massachusetts estate tax at $2M affects virtually every Vineyard homeowner. Ownwell manages the abatement with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Dukes County Superior Court at 81 Main Street, Edgartown (508-627-3751) handles major civil and criminal matters. The Dukes County Probate and Family Court at 81 Main Street (508-627-4703) handles all estate administration. The Dukes County Registry of Deeds (508-627-4025) at 81 Main Street maintains all land records.
Massachusetts estate tax is the dominant planning issue for Vineyard property owners. Massachusetts does not recognize Transfer on Death deeds.
Wampanoag tribal land: The Gay Head Wampanoag’s sovereign territory (the Gay Head Cliffs area and tribal housing) is not subject to Massachusetts municipal property taxation. Estate planning for tribal members involves both tribal governance and Massachusetts law depending on the nature of the property.
Second-home estate planning: The vast majority of Vineyard homes are second or vacation homes owned by non-resident Dukes County residents. These owners need Massachusetts estate plans specifically addressing the Vineyard property, and should review Massachusetts estate tax exposure given the low $2 million threshold.
Jaws and film legacy: The Vineyard’s film connection – Jaws has been celebrated with an annual Jaws Fest at various points – has made it a destination for film tourism. No specific estate planning implication, but the Vineyard’s celebrity status has attracted significant entertainment industry property ownership.
Senior Services: The Dukes County Elderly Services / Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (508-693-7900) at 111 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs coordinates senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, SHINE Medicare counseling, and connections to Massachusetts Medicaid programs.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Court Records)
81 Main St., Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4668
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dukes County Probate and Family Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Edgartown holds significant local historical and genealogical materials for the island’s families.
Local societies
No dedicated Dukes County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories, though the Martha’s Vineyard Museum serves as a strong local resource.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Dukes County Probate and Family Court 81 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539 (508) 627-4703 Dukes County comprises Martha’s Vineyard and nearby islands, seated in Edgartown.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Massachusetts adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code (the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code, or MUPC), codified largely at Mass. Gen. Laws c. 190B.
Voluntary Administration – the simplest path, for estates consisting entirely of personal property valued at $25,000 or less (not counting one motor vehicle). The decedent must have been a Massachusetts resident with no real estate solely in their name, at least 30 days must have passed since death, and no formal or informal probate petition can be pending. Filed using the Voluntary Administration Statement (Form MPC 170) – the filer becomes the Voluntary Personal Representative with no court hearing required. Filing fee is $115.
Informal Probate – the standard track for most straightforward estates, whether the estate has a will or not. A Magistrate reviews the petition administratively; an informal probate order can issue within about 7 days of filing, though the full case (including the required waiting and notice periods) typically closes in roughly 9 to 14 months.
Formal Probate – required when the will is contested, there’s uncertainty about who should serve as personal representative, or other disputes require a judge’s decision after a hearing.
Summary Administration – under c. 190B §3-1203, available when the estate’s value doesn’t exceed the family allowance, exempt property, funeral expenses, and expenses of the last illness – allows the personal representative to distribute the estate immediately without notifying creditors.
Step 2: filing for probate
Determine which track fits: gather the death certificate, will (if any), and a rough inventory of assets to see whether Voluntary Administration, Informal, or Formal Probate applies.
File the appropriate petition with the Probate and Family Court in the county where the decedent resided.
For informal proceedings, the Magistrate reviews and, if in order, appoints the personal representative and issues Letters without a hearing.
The personal representative gathers assets, provides required notices, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes what remains to the heirs or beneficiaries – Massachusetts generally requires estates be probated within 3 years of death.
What it costs
Voluntary Administration filing fee: $115.
Informal and formal probate filing fees vary by estate type and are set by the Trial Court’s fee schedule.
Massachusetts does not require an attorney for probate, though many families use one for anything beyond a small, simple estate.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
9 Airport Rd., Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-6500
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MA Dept of Transitional Assistance
(877) 382-2363
MassHealth
(800) 841-2900
Martha's Vineyard Hospital
mvhospital.com (Oak Bluffs — quality community hospital; critical access)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dukes County Health & Human Services / Health Care Access – confirm current contact via dukescounty.gov.
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