Maryland Public Records: How to Perform a Maryland Public Records Search

Have you ever found yourself in need of access to certain public records in Maryland? 

Perhaps you're looking to put pen to paper on a critical deal and you want to be sure that your business partner has a clean slate in law enforcement books. 

In some other scenarios, you may be trying to re-establish contact with a long-lost friend or colleague, or you simply need the public record for legal purposes. 

Whichever is the case for you, you can read through this article and learn how to go about finding a number of these Maryland Public Records.  

Public Records Maryland: Criminal Records

As the chief criminal record custodian in Maryland, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (MDPSCS) offers statewide criminal history checks to the general public. 

This agency demands that requesters present a fingerprint card along with their application form, the applicable payment, and certain informational details about the subject of their application.

These include the subject's full name, date of birth, security number, and a letter of consent from them. 

This means that this option can not conveniently be taken by random members of the public, in which case such people can resort to third-party providers.

Public Records Maryland: Court records

To find court records in Maryland, revert to the court where the case of interest to you was filed, and meet with the clerk of the court—the official record custodian. 

However, the Case Search tool provided by the  Maryland Judiciary allows you remote access information from certain Civil, criminal, and traffic cases from several courts in Maryland.

It is a platform that caters to most case-related inquiries lodged with the clerks of courts in Maryland, provided that they're not sealed as per the Maryland Rules on Access to Court Records. 

Some of the case-related information you can access with this platform include the case number and case charge and case disposition, city, and state of parties, date of trial, etc.

Case documents can also be obtained from the  Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC)—a Case Management System whose access is exclusive to attorneys and conditions to the general public. 

Public Records Maryland: Vital Records

Vital records in the state are Maryland public records, and they include birth, death, marriage, military, and divorce records, all containing information relating to the identity of the registrant and their official/legal status. 

The division of Vital Records in Maryland's Department of Health, the State Archives, and a few designated courts are some of the places where you can find these Vital Records. 

They are also available on third-party websites where you can run a search against the registrant's name and the state or county where the record was filed. 

Public Records Maryland: Marriage Records

The Maryland State Archives is known to accept in-person, online, and mailed requests for the copying of marriage records in its possession. 

People who request certified copies of these Maryland public records are made to complete an application form, with records of this sort only available from January 1, 2007.

Consequently, the Circuit Clerk in the county of the marriage is the go-to for the collection of marriage records filed before this date. 

Requesters are expected to attach the money order or cheque equivalent to the $12 processing fee (per name) and their government-issued ID to their application packet. 

They can now submit the packet along with the completed application form to:

Division of Vital Records
Department of Health
PO Box 68760
Baltimore, MD 21215-0036
Phone: (410) 764-3038

Public Records Maryland: Divorce Records

The collection of divorce records proceeds through the same route as previously described with regard to that marriage records. 

While certified copies of these Maryland public records are sourced from the circuit clerk in the county of marriage, informational copies are kept with the Maryland State Archives.

It is important to note that only those verifications of, and annulments for divorces recorded after January 1, 1992, are domiciled at the VSA. 

The related request applications, along with the identification requirements and the payment must be put in a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and then mailed to the address of the Division of Vital Records.

Public Records Maryland: Birth Records

Public birth records, just like death records, can be obtained from the Maryland State Archives. 

Similarly, certified copies of the death records can be picked up by eligible persons once they've gone through the appropriate documentation and submitted their application. 

The documentation includes those pertaining to the identification of the requester and a cheque or cash order covering the applicable fee. The application and its contents can now be mailed to:

Division of Vital Records,
Department of Health,
PO Box 68760,
Baltimore, MD 21215-0036,
Phone: (410) 764-3038

Public Records Maryland: Death Records

The Maryland State Archives has in its possession, a vast array of public death records that are filed 10 years after the death of the record owner. 

This is because the VSA is known to provide certified death records to those who are eligible to view them. While a name-based record search goes for $10, it'll cost $12 more to get extra copies ordered simultaneously. 

The death certificate application form can be submitted, online, in person, or by mail to the following address:

Division of Vital Records,
Department of Health,
PO Box 68760,
Baltimore, MD 21215-0036,
Phone: (410) 764-3038