Rich in tradition and history of Maryland, the Office of the Clerk 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 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. Every resident of the State is a potential recipient of the services. The revenue collected by the clerks for these services is distributed to 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:

PLEASE NOTE: the Office of the Clerk is prohibited by Law from rendering any legal advice.

Civil

• Judicial Review of Administrative Agency Decisions
• Appeals from District Court
• Matters which involve domestic relations including divorce, child support, and custody
• Matters which involve non-domestic issues including foreclosures, mechanics liens and injunctions
• Adoptions and Paternity Matters
• Guardianships
• Name changes
• Motor torts and other torts

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 Unites 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 Services

• Marriage Licenses
• Civil Marriages
• Business Licenses
• Public Official Commissions - The Oath 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 Secretary of State (www.sos.state.md.us) in Annapolis. Upon approval of this application, notary public commissions are issued by the Clerk.

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.