Prince George's County
Named after Prince George of Denmark who lived from 1653-1708, Prince George's County prides itself as the county with the greatest land mass, as well as the county that's the second wealthiest location, and has mostly an African American population. It borders the eastern part of Washington D.C and is more populated than all but one county in Maryland. It was created on April 23, 1696, and currently has a population of more than 900,000 people. Prince George's County is part of the capital region of the state and comprises 499 square miles. The county's seat of government is Upper Marlboro and its largest city is Bowie. It hosts a handful of United States government facilities such as the Joint Base Andrews and the United States Census Bureau headquarters.
A Circuit Court, two District Courts, and one Orphans' Court are at the helms of legal affairs in the county and help shape the legal landscape. The Circuit Court conducts both jury and non-jury trials being a court of general jurisdiction. It handles civil, juvenile, criminal, and equity matters. The District Courts are non-jury trial courts. They preside over replevin actions, eviction cases, certain felonies, and civil cases in which the amount of money involved in the dispute is $30,000 or less.
The judges of the Circuit Court preside over the Orphans' Court. This court attends to cases involving the distribution of wealth and properties of a deceased, appointing guardians for minors, validation and safekeeping of wills, and follows the rules of intestacy for persons who are at least 18 years old and died without wills.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is responsible for processing court records and maintaining them in a way as to prevent them from destruction. The Clerk provides residents and visitors of Prince George's County with excellent, prompt, and efficient service for court record requests. Documents are stored in the Clerk's office, at the County Records Centers; and can be accessed digitally (dating back to 1924). Also at the Maryland Hall of Records for long-term preservation/permanent retention.
In Prince George's County, most court records are available for public viewing, the Clerk of Circuit Court is in the position to provide the following records:
- Civil Records (including citations)
- Traffic Court Records
- Criminal Proceedings
- Landlord-tenant Court Records
The Clerk's office does not conduct searches for court records, but you can visit the courthouse to view records in person. You can also search for court records on the Maryland Judiciary website. If you are a registered user, you can access electronic records on the Maryland Electronic Courts website (MDEC), a single judiciary-wide integrated case management system.
