Maryland Court Records
How Maryland's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Maryland is one of the easiest states for finding court records. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search covers the District Court and all 24 circuit courts statewide, for free, and has for years.
Maryland renamed its two appellate courts in December 2022. The former Court of Appeals is now the Supreme Court of Maryland, and the former Court of Special Appeals is the Appellate Court of Maryland, so older documents use the old names.
How Maryland's courts are organized
Maryland's judiciary has two appellate courts and two trial courts, plus orphans' courts for estates.
Supreme Court of Maryland
Seven justices hear cases they choose to review on certiorari and oversee the state's courts and lawyers.
Appellate Court of Maryland
Hears most appeals from the circuit courts.
Circuit courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts, one in each county and Baltimore City. They hear felonies, larger civil cases, jury trials, family law and juvenile cases.
District Court of Maryland
A single statewide court with locations in every county. It hears misdemeanors, traffic, landlord-tenant, small claims, smaller civil cases and protective orders.
Orphans' courts
County courts that supervise estates, working with each county's Register of Wills.
Searching Maryland court records online
Start with Case Search for any Maryland trial court case.
- Maryland Judiciary Case SearchFree statewide search of District Court and circuit court cases by name or case number.
- MDEC public accessMaryland Electronic Courts, the e-filing system that is replacing paper files. Public documents in MDEC cases can be viewed at courthouse terminals.
- Appellate court case informationInformation about cases and opinions in the Supreme Court and Appellate Court.
Getting records from the clerk's office
The clerk of the circuit court in each county keeps the circuit court's case files and also records land records. District Court records come from the District Court clerk's office. Both provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Estates are handled by the Register of Wills in each county, whose office also offers an online estate search.
- Maryland court directoryFind circuit court clerks and District Court locations.
- Register of Wills estate searchSearch Maryland estate records.
What is public, and what is not
Maryland Rules 16-901 through 16-934 govern access to judicial records. Most are open, but juvenile, adoption, guardianship of minors, and mental health records are restricted, and some records are shielded.
Maryland allows expungement of many records, including dismissals, acquittals and many convictions after a waiting period. Expunged cases are removed from Case Search. Some denied or dismissed protective order cases are also removed from Case Search.
- Maryland Courts: ExpungementHow expungement and shielding work in Maryland.
Older and archived records
The Maryland State Archives in Annapolis holds an exceptional collection of historical court records, from colonial times onward, including many circuit court case files, land records and wills. Many are indexed or digitized.
- Maryland State ArchivesHistorical court, land and probate records, with online indexes and guides.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
Maryland's Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Central Repository keeps statewide criminal history records. They are not generally open to the public, so most people use Case Search to see public court cases.
- CJIS Central RepositoryHow criminal background checks work in Maryland.
- Maryland sex offender registryPublic search of registered sex offenders.
- Maryland inmate locatorFind people in Maryland state correctional facilities.
Federal court records in Maryland
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Maryland's state courts. Maryland is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Maryland's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Search Case Search by name with a date of birth or a date range to narrow common names.
- If a case has disappeared from Case Search, it may have been expunged or shielded.
- Older citations to the Court of Appeals of Maryland refer to what is now the Supreme Court of Maryland.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law LibraryThe judiciary's public law library in Annapolis, with help by phone, chat and email.
- Maryland Court Help CentersFree legal help by phone, chat and in person.
- People's Law Library of MarylandPlain-language legal information.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.