Maryland's Public Information Act (PIA) provides a broad right of access to public records while protecting legitimate governmental interests and the privacy rights of individual citizens. The PIA also allows a custodian to deny inspection of public records if access would be contrary to the rules enacted by the Supreme Court of Maryland in Title 16, Chapter 900 of the Maryland Rules (Rules).
Most court records are in the custody of a local Clerk’s office. To request those records, please contact the appropriate Clerk’s office, which is generally where the case was filed or the hearing or trial was conducted. To request a public record from the Garrett County Circuit Court, contact the Clerk's judicial records representative:
William L. Bittinger, Clerk
Garrett County Circuit Court
203 S. 4th St., P. O. Box 447, Oakland, MD 21550
Phone: 301-334-1937 or email: [email protected]
Under the current Rules, many records and documents are frequently available immediately upon request. Please note that there are occasions, including but not limited to when there are technical problems, when requests are made for multiple or bulk records, or when files are in active use or archived storage, that specific documents may not be immediately available.