| Rich in the tradition and history of Maryland, the Office 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 and 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. The revenue
collected by the clerks for these services is distributed to city,
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:
Civil
- With certain exceptions, matters which involve a claim for damages in excess of $30,000 are filed with the Circuit Court. In general, concurrent jurisdiction is shared with the District Court in matters which involve a claim for an amount between $5,000 and $30,000.
- Judicial Review of Administrative Agency
Decisions
- Appeals from the District Court
- Matters which involve domestic relations,
titles to property, foreclosures, mechanics liens and injunctions
- Adoption and Paternity Matters
- Guardianships
- Name changes
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 United 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 Records
- Financing Statements
- Military Discharges
Miscellaneous Services
- Marriage Licenses
- Civil Marriages
- Business Licenses
- Public Official Commissions-The Oaths
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 Clerk.
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.
Please note that the Office of the
Clerk is prohibited by Law from rendering any legal advice. |
