Rich in the tradition and history
of Maryland, the Office of the Circuit Court is one of the oldest public
institutions in the State. The Clerk of Court is a locally-elected State
official with responsibilities established
and regulated by the laws of Maryland
and Rules of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Since 1658, the Office of
the Clerk of Court has provided the citizens of Maryland with a variety
of essential services.
The revenue collected by the clerks
for these services is distributed to city, county, and state governments.
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
- Adoption and Paternity Matters
- Guardianships
- Name changes
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
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
Court of Appeals. Jury trials are
available only in the Circuit Courts
of Maryland.
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
Plat Records
- Subdivision
- Condominium
- Highway
PLATS.NET (Maryland
Archives Plat Imaging Application - access can be granted with the username:
plato and the password: plato#)
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. |
