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Finding a will or probate case in Maryland

Who holds it: Register of Wills (elected, 4-year term) in each county and Baltimore City; clerk to the Orphans' Court1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. More details
  3. Related records in Maryland
  4. How Maryland handles it
  5. Probate and wills in Maryland counties with a full guide
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Copy fee

Statutory: photocopies $0.50/page; copies incl. plain certification and seal $2/page; certified copy with seal $1; exemplified copy $22

Statewide case search

Register of Wills Estate Search (registers.maryland.gov/main/search.html): free; decedent, case number, personal representative, docket; 1998 to present for all jurisdictions (some older); copies can be ordered3

Free search

Fees

Probate fee
Based on probate estate value: $0 under $50,000; $100 ($50k-$100k); $200 ($100k-$500k); $1,000 ($500k-$1M); up to $10,000 + 0.02% over $10M2

More details

Will deposit
A living testator may deposit a will with the Register for $52
Courts: court system
Unified state Judiciary: Supreme Court of Maryland and Appellate Court of Maryland (Annapolis); Circuit Courts in each of the 23 counties and Baltimore City (8 judicial circuits; jury trials, serious criminal, major civil, divorce/family); District Court of Maryland (34 locations in 12 districts; landlord-tenant, traffic, misdemeanors, exclusive jurisdiction in civil claims of $5,000 or less; concurrent with the circuit courts above $5,000 but less than $30,000).4
Courts: statewide case search
Maryland Judiciary Case Search (casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch) - District and Circuit Court cases; summary of the case file only, not for background checks5
Courts: fees
Circuit Court: copies $0.50/page; certification $5 + $0.50/page. District Court: photocopies $0.50/page; certification $5 per request plus photocopy fee.6
Death certificates: who holds it
MDH Division of Vital Records for deaths in 2012 or later; earlier deaths at the Maryland State Archives7
Death certificates: fee
$10 first certified copy, $12 each additional copy in the same transaction (MDH); VitalChek adds $13; local health departments set their own fees8

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 jurisdictions3
  • 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' Court4

Probate and wills 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 CountyRegister of Wills for Anne Arundel County10Search9—
Baltimore CityRegister of Wills for Baltimore City11—Plain copies $0.50 per page; certified $0.50 per page plus $2.00 (statewide Register of Wills fees)12
Baltimore CountyRegister of Wills for Baltimore County13—Plain copies $0.50 per page; certified $0.50 per page plus $2.00; exemplified $0.50 per page plus $6.00; filing a will for safekeeping $5.0014
Calvert CountyRegister of Wills for Calvert County16Search15Statutory: photocopies $0.50/page; copies incl. plain certification and seal $2/page; certified copy with seal $1; exemplified copy $217
Carroll CountyRegister of Wills for Carroll County18—Statutory: photocopies $0.50/page; copies incl. plain certification and seal $2/page; certified copy with seal $1; exemplified copy $219
Cecil CountyRegister of Wills for Cecil County21Search20Free search, fee for copiesStatutory: photocopies $0.50 per page22
Charles CountyRegister of Wills for Charles County24Search23Statutory: photocopies $0.50 per page25
Frederick CountyRegister of Wills for Frederick County26—Statutory: photocopies $0.50/page; copies incl. plain certification and seal $2/page; certified copy with seal $1; exemplified copy $227
Harford CountyRegister of Wills for Harford County29Search28—
Howard CountyRegister of Wills for Howard County31Search30—
Montgomery CountyRegister of Wills for Montgomery County32——
Prince George's CountyRegister of Wills for Prince George's County34Search33—
St. Mary's CountyRegister of Wills for St. Mary's County36Search35—
Washington CountyRegister of Wills for Washington County38Search37Free searchStatutory: photocopies $0.50/page; copies incl. plain certification and seal $2/page; certified copy with seal $1; exemplified copy $239
Wicomico CountyRegister of Wills for Wicomico County40—Statutory: photocopies $0.50 per page41

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

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: probate records and wills 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. Maryland Register of Wills homeMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  2. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  3. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  4. Directory of CourtsMaryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  5. Court Records (Case Search)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  6. District Court of Maryland Cost Schedule (DCA-109)Maryland Judiciarychecked November 4, 2026
  7. Request Death and Fetal Death CertificatesMaryland Department of Health, Vital Statistics Administrationchecked November 4, 2026
  8. Md. Code, Health-General § 4-217 (copies of vital records; fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  9. Estate Search FAQMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  10. Anne Arundel County, Maryland Manual On-LineMaryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  11. Register of Wills for Baltimore CityMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  12. FeesMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  13. Register of Wills for Baltimore CountyMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  14. FeesMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  15. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 7, 2026
  16. Register of Wills for Calvert CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 7, 2026
  17. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 7, 2026
  18. Register of Wills for Carroll CountyMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  19. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  20. Register of Wills FAQMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  21. Register of Wills for Cecil CountyMaryland Register of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  22. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  23. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 7, 2026
  24. Maryland Manual On-Line: Charles County, Maryland - GovernmentMaryland State Archiveschecked November 7, 2026
  25. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  26. Register of Wills for Frederick CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  27. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 4, 2026
  28. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  29. Register of Wills for Harford CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  30. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  31. Register of Wills for Howard Countychecked November 4, 2026
  32. Register of Wills for Montgomery CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  33. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  34. Register of Wills for Prince George's CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  35. Register of Wills for St. Mary's CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 4, 2026
  36. St. Mary's County Government home pageSt. Mary's County, Marylandchecked November 4, 2026
  37. Estate Search FAQMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 6, 2026
  38. Register of Wills for Washington CountyMaryland Registers of Willschecked November 6, 2026
  39. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assembly (Department of Legislative Services)checked November 6, 2026
  40. Maryland Manual On-Line: Wicomico County, Maryland - GovernmentMaryland State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  41. Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 2-206 (Register of Wills fees)Maryland General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026