Case Search - how long records remain
What does Case Search - how long records remain publish?
detail
Records can remain on Case Search indefinitely and are not removed except for a court-ordered reason such as expungement (as published).
Coverage start year (published values by court, case type, and county - for example, District Court criminal late 1991, civil 1989, Montgomery County civil 1978)
Amount of historical data may vary by jurisdiction based on when an automated case management system was deployed (as published)
Case types covered (traffic, criminal, civil, judgments and liens, estate, appeals)
District Court traffic, criminal, and civil; Circuit Court criminal and civil; Supreme Court of Maryland petitions, appeals, attorney grievance and judicial disability; Appellate Court of Maryland appeals, applications for leave to appeal and miscellaneous
Published retention rule for Case Search records.
- court level
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- case type
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- county
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- detail
- Records can remain on Case Search indefinitely and are not removed except for a court-ordered reason such as expungement (as published).
- Coverage start year (published values by court, case type, and county - for example, District Court criminal late 1991, civil 1989, Montgomery County civil 1978)
- Amount of historical data may vary by jurisdiction based on when an automated case management system was deployed (as published)
- Case types covered (traffic, criminal, civil, judgments and liens, estate, appeals)
- District Court traffic, criminal, and civil; Circuit Court criminal and civil; Supreme Court of Maryland petitions, appeals, attorney grievance and judicial disability; Appellate Court of Maryland appeals, applications for leave to appeal and miscellaneous
- Result cap (published: Case Search 600 results, Estate Search 500)
- 600 records (published message: 'The result set exceeds the limit of 600 records. Please narrow your search.'); narrow by filing date range, first name, court, case type
- Name search rules (exact match by default; partial match is the first letter of the surname + %; % is not allowed at the start or inside a word; company names go in the Person Search surname field)
- Default is exact names only; partial name search: input at least the first character of the last name followed by % (first name not required); % cannot be inserted at the beginning or middle of words; company names may not be recognized - try Person Search and enter the company name in the last name field (as published)
- Where and how to request copies (in person or in writing at the record-holding court; estates via the county Register of Wills)
- At the courthouse where the case record is on file; requests must be made in person or in writing - the clerk's office cannot accept telephone requests (as published)
- Non-public and automatic suppression (automatic suppression under expungement law, HB 1336, HB 837, stet after 3 years, as published)
- Three ways: certain information in a record can be shielded, the record can be sealed, or the record can be expunged (as published)
- Source
- Maryland Judiciary: Case Search FAQ (coverage periods, search rules, result caps, and the ban on background-check use)(retrieved 2026-10-22)