Records

The records maintained by the Office of the Clerk of Court are available to the public for review. However, access to some records may be restricted. For more information, see Access to Court Records. Court records can be searched on the Maryland Judiciary Web site.

Unfortunately, our office no longer accepts personal checks. Please provide cash or money orders for requested copies.

A clerk shall collect a fee of 50 cents per page for each copy that the clerk or any customer makes. No additional fee shall be charged for a true test copy. A clerk shall collect a fee of $10 for a copy debit device for customer use in making self-service copies. The clerk shall collect an additional fee of $2 for each copy request handled by mail.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF A DEED SOLICITATION MAILING: A letter is being mailed to those who have recently recorded a Deed in the Clerk’s Office. Different companies are offering to provide a copy of the Deed as well as a complete property profile for a ‘Service Fee’ around $100.00. Since documents recorded in Land Records are available for public viewing online, they can easily be obtained by anyone who then proceeds to charge a ‘Service Fee’ for the copies. Copies of Deeds can be obtained through the Clerk’s Office for .50 cents/page (most Deeds are less than 9 pages). If you have any questions regarding these solicitation mailings, we encourage you to contact the Clerk’s Office at (301) 777-5924.

The following is a partial list of the types of cases filed and processed by the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court:

Civil
  • With certain exceptions, matters which involve a claim for damages in excess of $30,000 are filed with the Circuit Court. In general, concurrent jurisdiction is shared with the District Court in matters which involve a claim for an amount between $5,000 and $30,000.
  • Judicial Review of Administrative Agency Decisions
  • Appeals from the District Court
  • Matters which involve domestic relations, titles to property, foreclosures, mechanics liens and injunctions 
Criminal
  • Felony and certain misdemeanor charges filed by the Grand Jury or the State's Attorney
  • Appeals from the District Court and requests for jury trials
Family
  • Adoption and Paternity Matters
  • Child Support
  • Custody
  • Divorce
  • Gender changes
  • Name changes
Guardianship
  • Guardianship of the Person – Adult
  • Guardianship of the Person – Minor
  • Guardianship of the Property – Adult
  • Guardianship of the Property – Minor
  • Guardianship of the Person & Property – Minor
  • Guardianship of the Person & Property – Adult
Juvenile
  • Juvenile cases may include any matter brought before the Court which involve persons under the age of eighteen years.
Liens and Judgments
  • Liens and judgments including encumbrances, Federal tax liens, hospital liens, Maryland tax liens, District Court liens, civil judgments, and United States District Court judgments are recorded in the Office of the Clerk.
Juries
  • Citizens are selected randomly for service on grand and petit juries in the manner prescribed by the Supreme Court of Maryland. Jury trials are available only in the Circuit Courts of Maryland.
Public Official Commissions
  • The Oaths of Office for elected and appointed local officials, as well as officials appointed by the Governor for certain boards and commissions, are administered by the Clerk.

The following is a partial list of documents recorded with the Clerk for permanent retention:

Land Records
  • Deeds
  • Mortgages and Deeds of Trust
  • Leases
  • Releases of Mortgages and Deeds of Trust
  • Land Contracts

MDLandRec.Net (A joint e-government service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives)

Plat Records
  • Subdivision
  • Condominium
  • Highway

PLATS.NET (Maryland Archives Plat Imaging Application - access can be granted with the username: plato and the password: plato#)

A clerk shall collect a fee of 50 cents per 11" x 17" or smaller page, and $1 per page larger than 11" x 17" for each copy of a plat that the clerk or a customer makes.

Miscellaneous Records
  • Financing Statements (prior to July 1, 1995)
  • Military Discharges
Miscellaneous Services
  • Marriage Licenses
  • Civil Marriages
  • Business Licenses
  • Public Official Commissions-The Oaths of Office for elected and appointed local officials, as well as officials appointed by the Governor for certain boards and commissions, are administered by the Clerk.
  • Notary Public Commissions-An application for a notary public commission can be obtained by contacting the Clerk. Upon approval of this application, notary public commissions are issued by the Clerk.
  • Passports-The Clerk is authorized to process passport applications.

The records maintained by the Office of the Clerk of Court are available to the public for review. However, the records of juvenile or adoption cases can be accessed only through an order of the Court.

Please note that the Office of the Clerk is prohibited by Law from rendering any legal advice.