Search Maryland Court Cases

This page helps users handle a case search need in Maryland by explaining how to use Maryland Judiciary Case Search, what the online results include, and when to contact the court that created the record.

Case Search provides public access to Maryland Judiciary case records, but some records are confidential, shielded, sealed, expunged, or otherwise unavailable online.

Maryland Judiciary Case Search

Use search Maryland Judiciary case records to look up public case information from Maryland courts. The system requires users to accept the access agreement before continuing.

Useful search details may include:

• Party name
• Case number
• Filing date range
• Court
• Case type

Name searches default to exact names. For a partial last-name search, enter at least the first character of the last name followed by the % symbol. The first name is not required.

• Open Case Search and review the public access disclaimer.
• Select the search option that matches the information you have.
• Enter the name, case number, filing date range, court, or case type details available to you.
• Narrow broad searches if the system returns the 500-record limit message.
• Review the case detail page for available public information.

Do not use Case Search for background checks. Maryland directs background checks through the Criminal Justice Information System of the Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services.

Case records available online

Case Search includes Maryland District Court traffic, criminal, and civil case records, plus Maryland Circuit Court criminal and civil case records. It also includes certain Supreme Court of Maryland and Appellate Court of Maryland matters, including appeals, petitions, applications for leave to appeal, attorney grievance cases, judicial disability cases, and miscellaneous cases.

The online information may include party names, city and state, case number, date of birth, trial date, charge, and case disposition. Case information is entered by the clerk’s office and appears on Case Search almost immediately after entry, although entry timing varies by jurisdiction.

For more general court-record guidance, use the Maryland Courts page on court records and Case Search.

Records that may not appear

Some records are not available for public inspection. Confidential records and information are not returned in online search results. Common examples include juvenile case records, cases involving trade secrets, and records shielded by a judge.

Records that have been expunged, shielded, or sealed by court order are not available to the public. Other records may require a court order or a specific legal provision before public access is allowed, including adoption records, certain juvenile matters, certain marriage license information, emergency mental health evaluations, income tax returns, and certain financial or medical reports filed in court cases.

Maryland also notes that some criminal case information is no longer available on Case Search but may still be viewed by the public at the courthouse.

Official case files and copies

Case Search is a summary of information from the official case file. It is useful for finding general details such as case numbers, case dates, and case types, but it is not an authoritative public record or a legal document.

For the complete record, view the case file at the clerk’s office where the case was heard. Requests for additional case information must be made in person or in writing, and clerk’s offices do not accept telephone requests for those records.

Use the Maryland courts directory to find court locations and clerk’s office contact information.

Older case coverage and retention

The amount of historical data on Case Search varies by court and jurisdiction. Supreme Court of Maryland cases are available from term year 2015 to the present, and Appellate Court of Maryland cases are available from term year 2016 to the present.

District Court criminal records go back to late 1991, and District Court civil records go back to 1989, although some older cases are in a history database and are unavailable. Traffic records include active and closed moving-violation records, plus serious offenses where the defendant must appear for trial.

Records can remain on Case Search indefinitely unless removed for a court-ordered reason such as expungement. Closed District Court traffic records for minor infractions are moved to a history database after 36 months and do not appear in Case Search unless pulled back by the clerk’s office.

Judgments, liens, estates, and new public cases

Maryland provides separate tools and pages for related record needs. The Judgment and Liens Search allows searches by person or company for indexed judgment and lien information from circuit courts.

EstateSearch provides public internet access to estate records maintained by the Maryland Registers of Wills. Estate records are available from 1998 to the present for all estates filed with the Register of Wills’ office, and the data is updated daily at the end of the business day.

For recently created public MDEC cases, Maryland Courts provides public case reports from the previous 5 days. Those reports point users back to Case Search for additional case details.

Help with court records

For questions about a specific case or court appearance, contact the court where the case is filed. For free legal help in civil cases, the Maryland Court Help Center provides phone and chat assistance during posted hours.

• Maryland Court Help Center
  Phone: (410) 260-1392
  Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Monday - Friday