Search Maryland Criminal Records
Maryland criminal records are public documents held by courts in all 24 jurisdictions across the state, covering Baltimore City and the 23 counties. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search system gives free online access to criminal cases filed in both Circuit Courts and District Courts statewide. You can look up case status, charges, dispositions, and more without leaving home. For full court files, certified copies, or older records not yet in the digital system, visit the clerk's office in the county where the case was filed. This page covers how to find criminal records in Maryland and what to expect at each step.
Maryland Criminal Records Overview
Maryland Judiciary Case Search
The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the free online tool for accessing criminal court records across the state. It covers all 24 Maryland jurisdictions, from Allegany County in the west to Worcester County on the Eastern Shore, plus Baltimore City. The system includes records from both Circuit Courts and District Courts. Circuit Courts handle felonies and serious misdemeanor charges. District Courts cover most misdemeanors, traffic cases, and other lower-level criminal matters. Both court levels feed into the same searchable database. The Maryland Courts portal at mdcourts.gov/courts/courtrecords links to Case Search and other Judiciary databases from one place.
Since December 2021, the system defaults to exact name matching. If you want a partial search, type at least the first letter of the last name followed by a percent sign. Typing "Smi%" will return results for Smith, Smithson, Smitty, and similar names. First names are optional. You can also add a percent sign after a partial first name. This helps when you are unsure of the exact spelling. When you find a case, the result shows the case number, filing date, case status, all charges with CJIS codes and statute references, the full disposition, and sentencing details when the case is closed. Jail or prison terms, suspended time, probation conditions, fines, and special court orders are all part of the closed-case display.
The system times out after two minutes of inactivity. Have the name or case number ready before you start. The Case Search FAQ at courts.state.md.us/casesearch2/faq has tips for better results and explains what the system does not cover. Case Search is not appropriate for official criminal history checks; that requires going through CJIS, which is covered below.
The Access to Court Records page on the Maryland Courts website explains what is public and what is restricted. It covers expungements, sealed records, and the case types that are not open without a court order. Reading this before you search can save time if you need a specific type of criminal record in Maryland.
The Case Search portal at casesearch.courts.state.md.us displays criminal case summaries for all 24 Maryland jurisdictions, including charges, dispositions, and sentencing details.
What Maryland Criminal Records Show
Criminal records in Maryland span multiple case types and court levels. Circuit Court criminal records include felony charges, grand jury indictments, jury trial results, serious misdemeanor cases heard by a judge, and appeals from District Court decisions. District Court records include most misdemeanor cases, traffic offenses that require a court appearance, peace order cases, and protective orders. Both court levels feed into the Case Search database. When you pull up a case, you see the defendant's name and date of birth, the case number, all charges filed along with the statute codes cited, how the case resolved, and the date of resolution. For closed criminal cases, sentencing details are shown: prison or jail terms, suspended time, supervised or unsupervised probation, fines, and any conditions ordered by the court. The attorney of record is listed when one is on file. Bond information may appear as well. The full case file, including charging documents, motions, plea agreements, and court orders, is available only at the courthouse in the county where the case was heard.
Not all Maryland criminal records are publicly visible. Records that have been expunged or sealed by court order do not appear in Case Search. Juvenile records, adoption proceedings, and mental health evaluation records are closed to the public. Custody evaluations, income tax documents filed in cases, and records sealed by a judge are also restricted. Since 2024, charges that ended in nolle prosequi, dismissal, or acquittal are no longer visible on Case Search either. The Access to Court Records page on the Maryland Courts website details every restricted category under Maryland Rules on Access to Court Records, Rules 16-901 through 16-912.
The Maryland Courts legal help page outlines which criminal records are open to the public and which categories are shielded from public view by law or court order.
How to Get Criminal Records in Maryland
There are three main ways to get criminal records in Maryland. The fastest is the free online Case Search at casesearch.courts.state.md.us. It is available any time and covers all 24 jurisdictions without requiring an account. This works well for checking case status, viewing charges, or confirming a disposition date. If you need a certified copy for a legal purpose, you will need to go through the courthouse directly.
For in-person requests, visit the Circuit Court Clerk's office or District Court in the county that handled the case. Staff can locate case files and make copies. You will need the defendant's full name, date of birth if available, and either a case number or an approximate date range. The record search fee at Circuit Courts is $7.00 per name. Standard copies are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 per document plus $0.50 per page. Audio CDs of hearings recorded after July 31, 2014, cost $25.00 per CD per hearing. Most clerk offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Washington County runs from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call ahead to confirm hours and payment methods. Some offices take only cash, check, or money order at the counter.
Mail requests are accepted at most clerk offices in Maryland. Include the defendant's name, date of birth, case number if known, the specific documents needed, and a check or money order for the fees. Allow 10 to 15 business days for processing.
Note: Dispositions cannot be disclosed over the phone at most Maryland Circuit Courts. You must request them in writing or in person.
CJIS Criminal History Records in Maryland
The Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Central Repository, run by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, is the official state database for comprehensive criminal history information. CJIS maintains the RAP sheet, short for Report of Arrests and Prosecutions. This is a full chronological record of every person with a criminal history in Maryland, built from data submitted by all law enforcement agencies statewide. Unlike Case Search, which shows only court case summaries, a CJIS record captures the full arrest and prosecution history from every law enforcement agency across Maryland. CJIS also connects to FBI national databases through the National Crime Information Center and the Interstate Identification Index, giving it a broader reach than court records alone.
To check your own criminal history through CJIS, go to your local sheriff's office or police station to be fingerprinted. Your prints are sent to the CJIS Central Repository at P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, MD 21282-2708. The state criminal history check costs $18.00. Adding an FBI national check brings the total to around $38.00 to $45.00 depending on the processing location. Results are mailed back and take about 2 to 4 weeks. CJIS can be reached at 410-764-4501 or toll-free at 1-888-795-0011, or by email at cjis.customerservice@maryland.gov. The full process is described at dpscs.state.md.us/publicservs/bgchecks.shtml.
The Maryland Department of Public Safety also runs the Maryland Sex Offender Registry, a separate searchable public database. You can search by name, zip code, or county to find registered sex offenders in Maryland.
Recent Changes to Maryland Criminal Record Access
Maryland changed how criminal records are shared publicly in recent years. The most significant shift affects charges that did not end in a conviction. Criminal charges that resulted in nolle prosequi, dismissal, or acquittal are no longer visible on Case Search. These removals happen automatically across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. You do not need to file a petition for this. Dismissed charges are simply no longer part of the public search results. The goal was to stop cases without any conviction from appearing in public criminal record searches.
Stet dispositions are also affected by recent changes. A stet places a case on the inactive court docket without a final verdict. Under the updated rules, stet charges are hidden from public view after three years pass. Cannabis possession charges that were the sole charge in a case and disposed before July 1, 2023, have also been removed from public view. Cannabis possession convictions later pardoned by the governor have been removed as well. These records still exist in the court system but are shielded from public access. The Maryland Electronic Courts portal carries updates on records access policy as they are implemented.
Note: A new Case Search and Record Portal launched in March 2026. Check mdcourts.gov/courts/courtrecords for current access details and any updates to the search interface.
Expungement and Shielding Criminal Records in Maryland
Maryland law gives residents two ways to limit public access to criminal records: expungement and shielding. Expungement removes a criminal record from the court system and from law enforcement files entirely. It applies to cases that ended in acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi, and to certain convictions of eligible offenses after a waiting period. Filing an expungement petition costs $30.00. That fee is waived when the original case ended in acquittal. Once expunged, the record no longer appears in Case Search or in CJIS results. The Maryland State Archives Criminal Records Guide covers what records are eligible and how the process works for each type of case.
Shielding is different. It hides a conviction from public view without removing it from the court system. Judges and authorized agencies can still see shielded records. Shielding is available for convictions from a specific list of eligible offenses. To apply, you file a petition with the court that handled the original case. A judge reviews it and decides whether to grant the request. Not all petitions are approved. The shielding process is entirely separate from the automatic 2024 privacy changes that removed dismissed and acquitted charges from public view without any petition being required. Both expungement and shielding affect what shows up when someone searches Maryland criminal records.
The Maryland State Archives holds historical criminal records from every county in the state, with some collections going back to the 1800s, well before the digital Case Search database begins.
Historical Criminal Records at the Maryland State Archives
For criminal records that predate the Maryland Judiciary Case Search database, the Maryland State Archives is the right place to look. The Archives holds historical criminal records from every county in the state. Some collections go back far. Frederick County has criminal dockets dating to 1900. Talbot County holds criminal judgment records from as early as 1842. Somerset County has criminal dockets starting in 1947. Allegany County maintains Papervision records of criminal dockets from 1949 to 1998, which predate Case Search coverage. Queen Anne's County has criminal dockets going back to 1945. Each county's historical holdings are described in the Archives' Criminal Records Guide at guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/viewer.aspx?page=criminal. The Archives can be reached at 410-260-6487 or by email at msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov.
A basic search at the Maryland State Archives costs $25.00. Copy fees apply for documents ordered from the collection. When a case is too old to appear on Case Search and no longer held at the county courthouse, the Archives is often the only place to retrieve it. The Maryland Judiciary also maintains a separate Land Records database at mdlandrec.net, which covers property ownership, deeds, and related filings going back centuries. Land records can be relevant in fraud cases, property crimes, and civil matters connected to criminal proceedings.
Maryland Land Records at mdlandrec.net is a separate Maryland Judiciary database covering property filings, which can intersect with criminal cases involving fraud, property offenses, or civil actions tied to criminal proceedings.
Browse Maryland Criminal Records by County
Each of Maryland's 23 counties has its own Circuit Court Clerk maintaining criminal court records. Select a county below to find local contact information, search resources, and details specific to that area.
Criminal Records in Major Maryland Cities
Residents of Maryland's major communities access criminal records through their county court system. Select a city below to find local resources and contact information for criminal records in that area.