Maryland Court Records Search

Maryland Court Records & Case Lookup

The Maryland judicial system handles over 1 million cases annually. In the 2023 fiscal year, over 1.2 million cases were filed in the state courts. A breakdown of the cases heard in the district court reveals that more than 400,000 were landlord-tenant matters, over 213,000 civil matters, more than 363,000 motor vehicle matters, and over 98,000 cases were criminal matters.

Court records in the state are public records in accordance with the state's PIA (Public Information Act). However, the statutes governing access to court records are contained in the Maryland Rules on Access to Court Records. While most court records are public, the Rules on Access to Court Records provide for certain limitations for confidentiality purposes.

You may look up Maryland court records via multiple options. The state keeps a single database managed by the Maryland judiciary for court record case information. Also, in-person access is available at the various court clerk offices in the state.

State of Maryland Court System

The Maryland court system comprises four levels: two trial courts and two appellate courts. Evidence presented in cases is present in the trial courts and these courts make judgments from the facts present in cases, prior legal decisions from higher courts, and the law.

The appellate courts in the state comprise the Appellate Court of Maryland and the Supreme Court. These two courts only review the actions and decisions of the trial courts but do not consider new evidence; they neither decide which party lost or won a trial nor conduct new trials. Their review of the trial court's decision and actions is to determine whether the decision of the jury was appropriate, in light of the facts presented and the relevant law.

Maryland Trial Courts

The trial courts in Maryland are two-tiered - circuit courts and district courts. These courts are the first point of contact with Maryland's judicial system for most persons in the Free State. The district court and circuit courts handle most of the caseload of the Maryland court system.

District Courts in Maryland

The district court in Maryland handles the highest number of cases in the state. The cases handled in this court include violations of traffic and boating regulations, small claim cases, civil cases relating to limited dollar amounts, misdemeanors, specific felonies, and recovery of wrongfully detained or taken goods. There are no jury trials in the district court. Each Maryland county and the City of Baltimore has a minimum of one district court location.

In civil matters, the Maryland district court has exclusive jurisdiction in claim matters of up to $5,000. It has concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit court in matters in which the amount in controversy is more than $5,000 but not more than $30,000. In criminal matters, district courts share jurisdiction with the circuit court in matters where the penalty may be confinement for three years or more or a fine of $2,500 or higher and specific felonies.

Circuit Courts in Maryland

More serious criminal cases than those heard in the district courts are handled in Maryland Circuit Courts. The circuit courts also handle domestic violence cases and major civil cases, such as juvenile cases and family law matters about divorce, child support, and child custody, and many of the cases appealed from the district courts, some administrative agencies, and orphans' courts. The cases handled in the circuit court may involve juries or a single judge. The City of Baltimore and each county in the state has a circuit court.

Orphans' Courts in Mayland

The Maryland Orphans' Court is a specialized court dedicated to matters of wills, and presiding over the administration of estates. The court has jurisdiction to direct the conduct of representatives, and the guardianship of the property of minors, and may also appoint guardians for minors and protect the estates of unemancipated minors.

What are the Specialty Courts in Maryland?

Maryland specialty courts provide treatment-based alternatives to eligible offenders rather than allow them to go through the full standard court process. These courts aim to reduce the size of the state's incarcerated population and lower recidivism rates by offering programs and services that prevent or reduce the probability of a re-arrest.

Examples of specialty courts in Maryland include:

• Family recovery court
• Mental health court
• Adult drug court
• Re-entry court
• Truancy court
• Back on track court
• Juvenile drug court
• Veterans treatment court

Maryland State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

Court records are documents of actions filed during legal proceedings in court actions. While state court records and federal court records are similar, the main difference lies in the source of the records. Maryland state records are documents relating to the actions brought before the state courts and handled in the same courts for criminal, civil, traffic, probate, and other court actions.

Federal court records are documents of information for cases brought before and handled in the federal courts in the state, including cases involving federal laws and bankruptcy matters. The only federal court in the state is the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Maryland state courts are maintained by the clerks of the courts where the cases are heard in the state. The state also keeps case information records online for requesters to access. For federal court records, they are available online via the Public Access to Court Records (PACER).

What Are Public and Non-Public Court Records in Maryland?

The majority of Maryland state court records are public and may therefore be accessed by any individual who makes the proper request to the custodian of the record. This is made possible following the Maryland Public Information Act and the Maryland Rules on Access to Court Records.

However, despite the public nature of government records, including court records, some records are redacted if they contain sensitive or confidential information or have been sealed under a court order.

How To Seal or Expunge Maryland Court Records

Maryland offers two methods to obtain court record relief. These two methods are expungement and shielding. Expungement refers to removing information about a record from public inspection and court and law enforcement records. This option is available to an individual if they were not convicted in the criminal case for which expungement is sought. You may also be eligible for expungement if you were convicted of some nuisance crimes or if the action on which the conviction is based is not considered a crime anymore in Maryland.

Shielding a record, per Section 10-301 of the Maryland Code of Criminal Procedure, removes the record from public view, including the Maryland Case Search portal. While the record is not accessible to the public, it remains accessible to law enforcement and other agencies. Shielding a record is available if you were convicted of specific misdemeanors. Shielding allows you to block public access to crimes such as prostitution, driving offenses, trespassing, possession of drug paraphernalia, malicious destruction of property, failure to obey a law enforcement officer, and disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.

You may be eligible for an expungement in Maryland if you have been charged with a crime, including a traffic violation for which an imprisonment term may be imposed if:

• You were found not guilty
• The charge resulted in PBJ (probation before judgment)
• The case was compromised
• The charge was dismissed
• The Attorney of the State of Maryland did not prosecute your charge (Nolle Prosequi)
• Juvenile waived
• You were convicted of only one non-violent criminal act and you were granted a full and unconditional pardon by the Governor
• The court indefinitely postponed your case (Stet)

Expungement is not available for:

• Civil cases
• Civil domestic violence cases
• Minor traffic
• DUI/DWI PBJ
• Any guilty finding except for a few nuisance crimes
• If you have received a nolle prosequi, PBJ, stet, or pardon and have been convicted of another crime or have a pending charge

To apply for the expungement of a Maryland court record, you must wait until the expiration of the statute of limitation for the offense. For instance, the state requires a three-year waiting period for nuisance crimes and five years for misdemeanors, such as burglary, trespassing, some motor vehicle crimes, possession of drug paraphernalia, and disorderly conduct with intoxication. Seven years are required for assault and battery crimes, 10 years for first- and second-degree burglary and general theft crimes, and 15 years for DWI/DUI charges.

How To Seal Court Records in Maryland

Follow these steps to file a sealing motion in Maryland:

• Submit a completed Form CC-DC-053 to the court where the case was concluded
• Serve a copy of the completed form to all parties in the case and each person who is the subject of the case record

Upon submitting the sealing petition or motion, the court will seal the records for up to five business days. After this period, the court may issue a temporary order to seal the record before a hearing or final determination on the matter. Otherwise, the records will become accessible publicly until the court rules on the sealing motion

Be aware that in the district court, a party to the case is allowed to object to your motion within 10 days, while in the circuit court, the period is extended to 15 days. If an objection is raised, the court will hold a hearing and the court has 30 days after the hearing to decide. In determining your sealing motion, the court may deny the motion, order the sealing of the whole record (the record cannot be opened without the permission of the judge), or limit inspection (the court will clearly state what record may not be viewed by the public and for how long).

Petition for Shielding under the Maryland Second Chance Act: The Maryland Second Chance Act allows a one-time request to remove court records for 12 eligible convictions. To submit a petition under this Act, you must have been convicted of one of the 12 specific convictions. Such a petition may only be filed in one Maryland county and once in a lifetime. The petition may be filed in either district or circuit court.

The filing process for shielding a record is similar to submitting a sealing motion. However, the required form is the CCDCCR148 form. Also, for MDEC counties, the MDJ-008 form (Notice Regarding Restricted Information) will be required. MDEC counties are Maryland counties participating in the state's electronic courts program.

How To Expunge Court Records in Maryland

Court records may be expunged in the following ways in Maryland:

• Petitioning for Expungement: Follow these steps to complete an expungement petition:
  • Complete the appropriate form. The following forms may be appropriate:
    • CCDCCR072A - for acquittals, dismissal, probation before judgment, nolle prosequi, stet, not criminally responsible, or transfer to juvenile disposition
    • CCDCCR072B - for guilty dispositions
    • CCDCCR072C - for cases where all charges have a disposition of acquittal, not guilty, dismissal, or nolle prosequi, entered on October 1, 2021, or later. This form may be used to request expungement earlier than the statute of limitation - three years.
    • CCDCCR072D - for eligible guilty dispositions for cannabis-related offenses
    • General waiver and release form (DC/CR 78) are available at a district or circuit court location. Alternatively, you may download the forms from the Maryland judiciary website.
• Submit the completed forms to the clerk of the court in the court where the case was concluded. Pay the non-refundable expungement petition filing fee. The filing fee for an expungement is $30 for eligible guilty dispositions. This fee is non-refundable, even if the application or petition is denied.
• Upon filing the required forms and paying the appropriate fee, the State of Maryland is afforded 30 days to file an objection. If the state files an objection, the judge will call an expungement hearing. If no objection is filed by the state, the judge may still deny the expungement petition; in such a case, you may file an appeal within 30 days.

The expungement process in Maryland takes up to 3 months. Upon the signing of the expungement order by the judge, you will get a copy of the expungement order in the mail and a certificate of compliance from each agency required to expunge your record with them.

How Do You Access State of Maryland Court Records?

Court records in the state are accessible online via a state-managed database or by contacting the clerk of the courts in the courthouses where cases were concluded.

Online Access to Maryland Court Records

• Maryland Judiciary Case Search: The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the primary means of searching for records of Maryland court cases. The Case Search database contains a summary of the information contained in the official case files. To search the database, visit the Maryland Case Search website and provide a case number or party information.
• Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC): This system allows users to view documents in a court case to which they are a party, online. Note that the public is not required to use MDEC. Attorneys are required to use MDEC. However, some courts may have an MDEC kiosk that may be used by the public to view court records.

In-Person Access to State of Maryland Court Records

While the state provides online access to court case information, actual court records may be obtained by contacting the court where cases were heard. To access Maryland court records, visit the courthouse in person to submit a request to the office of the clerk of the court. Note that a fee may be charged to obtain court records from the clerk's office.

Also, access to electronic case records is typically available through a terminal or kiosk located in many courthouses in the state.

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

Maryland Rules 16-901 et seq. govern access to the state's judicial records. According to these rules, you may request access to judicial records by submitting a written request to the custodian of records or appearing in person at the office of the custodian of the records during normal business hours.

Note that most judicial records are in the custody of the local clerk's office. Hence, you may contact the appropriate clerk's office to obtain a judicial record. Per the district court's record retention and disposal schedule, some case records may not be physically available at the court location.

If the record you want is from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), contact the AOC's representative at:

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Maryland

Archived or old Maryland court records not available online may be available at the office of the court clerk where the case was filed or concluded. If you cannot find the record in these locations, consider contacting the Maryland State Archives. You may perform an online search of the State Archives database or visit its location to conduct an in-person search.