Find Criminal Records in Harford County

Harford County criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Bel Air and can be searched through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search for cases going back to June 21, 1999. This guide explains how to access Harford County criminal records online, through the Sheriff's Office, by mail, or in person at the courthouse, along with fees, what the records contain, and how expungement works.

Circuit Court Clerk for Harford County

The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County is located at 20 W. Courtland Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. The main phone number is 410-638-3426. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Circuit Court handles felony criminal cases, serious misdemeanors, and appeals from the District Court. All criminal case files for matters heard in Circuit Court are maintained by the clerk's office there.

To request records in person, go to the clerk's office and ask staff to pull the file by defendant name or case number. Bring a photo ID. For mail requests, write to: Clerk of the Circuit Court, Harford County, 20 W. Courtland Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. Include the full name of the defendant, their date of birth if you know it, the approximate offense date, a list of the specific documents you need, your return address, and payment for copying fees. Without enough identifying information, the clerk may not be able to locate the right file.

The clerk's office does not give dispositions by phone. They also do not run criminal background checks. For a formal background check on a Harford County case, you contact the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS). The courthouse in Bel Air is the right place for copies of court documents, but not for the broader criminal history reports that background check agencies provide.

The Harford County Clerk's office page on the Maryland Courts site has current contact information and a list of available services.

The Harford County Clerk page lists hours, phone numbers, and what you can request at the counter or by mail.

Maryland Judiciary Case Search for Harford County Criminal Records

The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is a free, 24-hour online tool covering all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. For Harford County, online records go back to June 21, 1999. You can search by name, case number, or date. No account or login is needed.

Since December 2021, the system defaults to exact name matching. Use a percent sign as a wildcard if you are not sure of the exact spelling. Typing "Smi%" will return all names that start with those letters. This is useful when the name could be spelled more than one way or when you are working with an incomplete record.

The 2024 access changes matter here. Dismissed charges, acquittals, and nolle prosequi dispositions are no longer visible to the public in Case Search. Stet entries disappear after three years. Cannabis possession cases have also been removed. What remains visible are convictions, active cases, and pending matters that Maryland law still classifies as public. If a case you are looking for does not appear, it may have been removed under these rules rather than missing from the system altogether.

What Harford County Criminal Records Contain

A Harford County criminal case file typically includes the charging document, the full case docket with every event logged, attorney information, bond conditions, and the final disposition. Sentencing documents are in the file if the case reached that stage. If a probation violation was filed, that is in the record too. Appeals are noted in the docket as well.

Certified copies of case documents carry the court seal and a clerk's certification. You need these for legal matters, like showing proof of a prior case outcome to another court or agency. Standard copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 each. Audio recordings of hearings from after July 31, 2014, are available on CD for $25.00 per hearing. Transcripts are ordered separately through the eScribers portal.

District Court Criminal Cases in Harford County

The District Court for Harford County is at 2 S. Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. The phone number is 410-836-4545. District Court handles misdemeanors, minor traffic matters, and preliminary hearings for felony charges. When a District Court case is appealed or a jury trial is requested, it transfers to the Circuit Court in Bel Air.

District Court criminal records are also searchable through Maryland Judiciary Case Search. The same wildcard and exact-match rules apply. District Court case numbers follow a different format than Circuit Court numbers, so you can tell by the case number prefix which court filed the record. Most misdemeanor matters that are resolved entirely in District Court will not have a Circuit Court file.

Harford County Sheriff's Office Records

Harford County does not have a separate county police department. The Harford County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county. It is located at 45 S. Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014 (mailing address: P.O. Box 150, Bel Air, MD 21014). The main phone is 410-838-6600. For Public Information Act inquiries, the PIA Liaison can be reached at 443-409-3403.

The Sheriff's Office has an online records portal through the GovQuest system. This portal allows you to request certain law enforcement records online. The fee for online portal requests is $10.00 per item. Requests submitted by other methods cost $15.00 per item. For requests that require extensive research, there is a $35.00 per hour charge after the first two hours of staff time.

Arrest records, incident reports, and police reports are held by the Sheriff's Office rather than the courthouse. If you need an arrest record for someone in Harford County, a PIA request to the Sheriff is the right path. The clerk's office at the courthouse only holds court case documents, not the underlying law enforcement files.

Fees and Copy Costs

Maryland Judiciary Case Search is free. Fees kick in when you request physical documents from the clerk's office or from the Sheriff's Office.

At the Harford County Circuit Court, copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 each. Audio CDs of hearings recorded after July 31, 2014, cost $25.00 per hearing. The standard name search fee in Maryland is $7.00. At the Sheriff's Office, online portal requests are $10.00 per item, other request methods are $15.00 per item, and extended research work is billed at $35.00 per hour beyond the first two hours.

Criminal Record Background Checks

For a full Maryland criminal background check, contact the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) through the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. You can reach them at 410-764-4501 or 1-888-795-0011, by email at cjis.customerservice@maryland.gov, or by mail at PO Box 32708, Pikesville, MD 21282-2708.

A Maryland state criminal history check costs $18.00. Adding a federal FBI check brings the total to roughly $38 to $45 depending on the service used. CJIS produces a formal report that covers the full Maryland criminal history, not just the records visible in Case Search. If you call the Harford County Clerk's office asking for a background check, they will send you to CJIS. It is faster to contact CJIS directly from the start.

Expungement and Shielding in Harford County

Expungement removes a Harford County criminal record from public access. Shielding limits who can see the record without removing it entirely. Both are handled through the Circuit Court for Harford County in Bel Air.

The filing fee for expungement is $30.00. If you were acquitted, the case was nolle prossed, or the charge was dismissed, the fee is waived. You file a petition in the same court where the case was originally heard. After filing, the court notifies the relevant agencies and the process can take several months. Shielding is a newer option under Maryland law that may apply to certain convictions, allowing individuals to restrict access without a full expungement. Talking to a Harford County attorney or a legal aid organization can help you figure out which option fits your situation.

Historical Harford County Criminal Records

Case Search covers Harford County from June 21, 1999, forward. For older criminal records, the clerk's office may hold older docket books and case files in its own storage. Contact the clerk directly at 410-638-3426 to ask about older records and what access looks like for files from before the online system launched.

The Maryland State Archives also holds historical criminal records for all Maryland counties, including Harford. A search through the Archives costs $25.00. You can reach them at 410-260-6487 or msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov. Their online criminal records guide explains what they hold and how to submit a request.

The State Archives criminal records guide covers what historical materials are available for each Maryland county, including older Harford County court records.

Cities in Harford County

One city in Harford County meets the population threshold for a dedicated records page.

Nearby Maryland Counties

Harford County borders several other Maryland counties. Use these links to find records from neighboring jurisdictions.