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How to get a copy of a deed in Maryland

Who holds it: Department of Land Records in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of each of the 23 counties and Baltimore City (24 offices)1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Fees
  3. Older records and indexes
  4. More details
  5. Related records in Maryland
  6. How Maryland handles it
  7. Deeds in Maryland counties with a full guide
  8. Official warnings
  9. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  10. Sources

Copy fee

$0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per larger page)2

Statewide search

MDLANDREC (landrec.msa.maryland.gov), run by the Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives; free, but you must create an account. Plats: Plats.net (plats.msa.maryland.gov).1

Free search

How to search and order

How to search
Search MDLANDREC online (free account) or use public terminals at the courthouse; find the book (liber) and page reference on SDAT Real Property Search; a land records clerk can help locate a deed.1

Fees

Certified copy fee
$5 per certification plus $0.50 per page; exemplification/triple seal $102
Recording fee
Statutory base: $10 release ≤9 pp; $20 other instrument ≤9 pp or any principal-residence instrument; $75 for any other instrument of 10 or more pages — plus a $40 surcharge (clerk chart shows totals $60 / $115 / $50 for instruments executed on or after 7/1/2011). Some fees and taxes are paid to the county or city finance office instead.2

Older records and indexes

Years online
Colonial period to present (per Maryland State Archives)3

More details

Electronic recording
Some counties accept e-recording (e.g., via Simplifile); the Judiciary posts a list of participating Land Records offices1
Liens: judgment liens
A money judgment indexed and recorded per the Maryland Rules is a lien on the debtor's land in that county (and other counties where recorded); judgments are found via Case Search, not land records4
Liens: federal tax liens
Federal liens are recorded with the Circuit Court clerk (chart: $3, billed monthly)2
Maps: state GIS portal
MD iMAP (imap.maryland.gov), Maryland's enterprise GIS; data catalog at data.imap.maryland.gov5

How Maryland handles it

  • Baltimore City is a county-equivalent with its own Circuit Court/Clerk (land records, marriage), Register of Wills, SDAT office and Board of Elections; Baltimore City and Baltimore County are separate jurisdictions6
  • Probate is handled by the elected Register of Wills and the Orphans' Court, separate from the Circuit Court; in Harford and Montgomery counties Circuit Court judges sit as the Orphans' Court7
  • Court records are under Maryland Rules 16-901 to 16-941, not the PIA8
  • Vital records are split by year: MDH issues births, deaths (2012+), marriages (2007+) and divorce verifications; births over 100 years old, older deaths and older marriages are at the Maryland State Archives9

Deeds in Maryland counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Anne Arundel CountyClerk of the Circuit Court: Land Records Department11Search10$.50 per page10
Baltimore CityCircuit Court for Baltimore City, Clerk's Office, Land Records & Licenses Division13Search12Free search$0.50 per page13
Baltimore CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Land Records15Search14Free search50 cents per page16
Calvert CountyClerk of the Circuit Court, Land Records18Search17$0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per larger page)19
Carroll CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Carroll County - Land Records, Recording & Licensing Office21Search20$0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per page other than 11x17)22
Cecil CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Cecil County - Land Records Department24Search23Free search$0.50 per page25
Charles CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Charles County - Department of Land Records27Search26$0.50 per page28
Frederick CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Frederick County - Land Records30Search29$0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per larger page)31
Harford CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County - Land Records Department33Search32Free search$0.50 per page; plat copies $1.00 ($0.50 for 11x17)33
Howard CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Howard County - Land Records Department35Search34Free search$0.50 per page (Maryland circuit court clerks)36
Montgomery CountyClerk of the Circuit Court, Land Records Department37Search37Free searchRegular and self-service copies 50 cents per page (cash or check, not credit cards)37
Prince George's CountyClerk of the Circuit Court, Land Records Division38Search38Certified copy fee: Certified copy of deed of trust or mortgage $10; certified copy, all other instruments $7; certified plat $5 ($7 by mail)39
St. Mary's CountyClerk of the Circuit Court - Land Records Department41Search40Free search$0.50 per page40
Washington CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Washington County - Land Records43Search42Free search$0.50 per page (plats $0.50 per 11x17 page, $1 per larger page)44
Wicomico CountyClerk of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County - Land Records Department46Search45Free search$0.50 per page47

For any other county, see the county list on the Maryland guide.

Official warnings

  • Maryland Judiciary: phone and text messages saying you must report to District Court or owe money are scams48
  • DPSCS Sex Offender Registry: law enforcement never asks registrants for money or gift cards49

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Maryland office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: deeds and land records in every state. Everything else in Maryland: Maryland public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  2. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  3. Frequently Asked QuestionsMaryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  4. Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 11-402 (judgment liens)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  5. MD iMAP - Maryland GISMaryland Department of Information Technology (MD iMAP)checked November 4, 2026
  6. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Directory of CourtsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  8. District Court - Access to Judicial RecordsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  9. Division of Vital RecordsMaryland Department of Health, Vital Statistics Administrationchecked November 4, 2026
  10. Land Records DepartmentCircuit Court for Anne Arundel Countychecked November 4, 2026
  11. Issues & Records RequestsAnne Arundel County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  13. Land Records & Licenses DivisionCircuit Court for Baltimore City, Clerk's Officechecked November 4, 2026
  14. Circuit Court for Baltimore CountyBaltimore County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  15. Circuit Court for Baltimore County - Clerk's OfficeMaryland Judiciary (Clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County)checked November 4, 2026
  16. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  17. Calvert Land RecordsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 7, 2026
  18. Clerk of the Circuit Court for Calvert CountyMaryland Judiciarychecked November 7, 2026
  19. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 7, 2026
  20. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  21. Carroll County Circuit CourtCircuit Court for Carroll Countychecked November 4, 2026
  22. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  23. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  24. Maryland Manual On-Line: Cecil County, Maryland - GovernmentMaryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  25. Circuit Court for Cecil County - RecordsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  26. Court Records (Case Search)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 7, 2026
  27. Charles County, MD home pageCharles County Governmentchecked November 7, 2026
  28. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 7, 2026
  29. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  30. Circuit Court General InformationFrederick County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  31. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  32. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  33. Land RecordsClerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County (Maryland Judiciary)archived copychecked November 4, 2026
  34. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  35. Circuit Court for Howard County - Land RecordsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  36. Circuit Court fee summary scheduleMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  37. Land Records - Circuit CourtCircuit Court for Montgomery County, Clerk's Land Records Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
  38. Land RecordsCircuit Court for Prince George's County (Clerk of the Circuit Court)checked November 4, 2026
  39. Land Records FeesCircuit Court for Prince George's County (Clerk of the Circuit Court)checked November 4, 2026
  40. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  41. St. Mary's County Judicial Branch (Maryland Manual On-Line)Maryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  42. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 6, 2026
  43. Circuit Court for Washington County, MD - Clerk's OfficeMaryland Judiciarychecked November 6, 2026
  44. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 6, 2026
  45. Land Records (Court Help)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  46. Maryland Manual On-Line: Wicomico County, Maryland - GovernmentMaryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  47. Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit CourtMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  48. District Court of MarylandMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  49. Maryland Sex Offender RegistryMaryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS)archived copychecked November 4, 2026