Missed Court in Massachusetts: What Happens Next

What Massachusetts law says can follow a missed court date: whether it is a separate crime, the driver’s license rule for traffic cases, what happens to bail, and the court’s own next steps. It runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

What kind of case was the court date for?
How was the person released before the date?

Pick the state, the kind of case and how the person was released to see what that state’s law says.

Massachusetts failure to appear law

In Massachusetts, missing a required court date after release can be charged as its own crime. The statute grades it by the kind of case:

  • Released on a felony charge: up to 5 years state prison (or 2.5 years house of correction), $50,000 fine, or both. Failing without sufficient excuse to appear after release on bail or recognizance in a felony case is punished by up to 5 years in state prison and a fine of up to $50,000. (M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A)
    A person who is released by court order or other lawful authority on bail or recognizance on condition that he will appear personally at a specified time and place and who fails without sufficient excuse to so appear shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both, in the case of a misdemeanor, and by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars and imprisonment in a state prison for not more than five years, or a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or by fine and imprisonment, in the case of a felony.
  • Released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 1 year house of correction, $10,000 fine, or both. In a misdemeanor case the same failure is punished by up to 1 year in a house of correction, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. (M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A)
    A person who is released by court order or other lawful authority on bail or recognizance on condition that he will appear personally at a specified time and place and who fails without sufficient excuse to so appear shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or both, in the case of a misdemeanor, and by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars and imprisonment in a state prison for not more than five years, or a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or by fine and imprisonment, in the case of a felony.

The statute’s mental-state words are “without sufficient excuse”, so the reason the date was missed can matter.

When a date is missed, the court’s order is called a default warrant (M.G.L. c. 276, § 30).

Driver’s license after a missed traffic date in Massachusetts

The Registry may not issue, renew or reinstate a license while a default or arrest warrant from any Massachusetts court is outstanding. (M.G.L. c. 90, § 22(h))

The registrar shall not issue, renew or reinstate a license to operate of any person against whom a default or arrest warrant issued by any court in the commonwealth is outstanding. Evidence of the outstanding warrant appearing in the warrant management system, established by section twenty-three A of chapter two hundred and seventy-six, shall be sufficient grounds for such action by the registrar.

Bail and bonds after a missed date in Massachusetts

After a default the court may order cash bail forfeited; at any time after the defendant is surrendered or recaptured, the court may order all or part of it returned. (M.G.L. c. 276, § 81)

To compare what posting bail costs in Massachusetts, see the Massachusetts bail bond calculator.

How to deal with a missed date in Massachusetts

Only the court that set the date can recall a warrant or give a new date. Contact that court’s clerk, or the lawyer or public defender on the case, who can ask the court to recall or quash the warrant.

What this page does not do

  • It does not check whether a warrant was issued in any case or whether anyone will be arrested.
  • Whether a separate failure-to-appear charge is filed is the prosecutor’s decision; what happens to bail is the court’s.
  • It collects nothing; your choices stay in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is failure to appear a crime in Massachusetts?

Yes. Released on a felony charge: up to 5 years state prison (or 2.5 years house of correction), $50,000 fine, or both under M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A; Released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 1 year house of correction, $10,000 fine, or both under M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A.

Is missing court a felony in Massachusetts?

In some cases. released on a felony charge: up to 5 years state prison (or 2.5 years house of correction), $50,000 fine, or both under M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A. Otherwise: released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 1 year house of correction, $10,000 fine, or both under M.G.L. c. 276, § 82A.

Will Massachusetts suspend my license for missing a traffic court date?

The Registry may not issue, renew or reinstate a license while a default or arrest warrant from any Massachusetts court is outstanding. The rule is in M.G.L. c. 90, § 22(h).

Sources

Checked against the sources above on October 20, 2026.

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