Find Court Docket Records in Calvert County
Calvert County court docket records are maintained at the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Prince Frederick and at the District Court in the Louis Goldstein Multi-Service Center. This page covers how to search Calvert County case records online and in person, what the docket contains, how to request copies, and what other resources are available for court record research in southern Maryland.
Calvert County Court Docket Overview
Calvert County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk for Calvert County, Kathy P. Smith, maintains the official court docket at 175 Main Street in Prince Frederick. The clerk's office handles filings, stores case files, issues certified copies, and processes records requests. This is the main office for Circuit Court docket access in Calvert County. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. For general inquiries, call (410) 535-1600 or use the toll-free number at (888) 535-0113. Phone inquiries are handled from 8 AM to 5 PM, which is a slightly extended window compared to the office walk-in hours.
There is also a drop box available at the courthouse for after-hours submissions of deeds and pleadings. This is useful if you need to file something but cannot make it during regular business hours. The drop box is not for record requests -- those still need to go through the clerk's office during business hours or by mail. Passport services are no longer available at the courthouse; the Calvert County clerk discontinued them in May 2003. If you need passport services, use the Prince Frederick or Dunkirk post offices instead.
The Maryland Courts clerk page for Calvert County is the official online reference for clerk contact details and services.
The Maryland Courts clerk page for Calvert County provides contact details, hours, and a directory of services offered by the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Prince Frederick.
This page is the official Maryland Courts reference for Calvert County Clerk contact details and available services.
| Clerk | Kathy P. Smith, Clerk of the Circuit Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 175 Main Street, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 |
| Phone | (410) 535-1600 / Toll-free: (888) 535-0113 |
| Hours | Mon-Fri 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (phone inquiries 8 AM to 5 PM) |
| Judicial Circuit | 7th (Calvert, Charles, Prince George's, St. Mary's) |
Circuit Court Jurisdiction
The Calvert County Circuit Court is part of the 7th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Charles County, Prince George's County, and St. Mary's County. This is one of Maryland's four Southern Maryland counties. The Circuit Court handles felony criminal cases, civil disputes over $30,000, all domestic relations matters (divorce, custody, alimony, support), guardianship, adoptions, juvenile cases, and appeals from the District Court. Circuit Court is the court of record -- every filing, order, and docket entry is formally documented and stored by the clerk.
The 7th Circuit has a shared structure for judicial assignments, so a judge from another circuit county may sometimes sit in Calvert County. This does not affect how docket records are stored or accessed. Calvert County cases remain in the Calvert County files at Prince Frederick regardless of which judge presides.
An alternate clerk page URL also provides access to Calvert County Circuit Court clerk information.
The Maryland Courts clerk page for Calvert County at the alternate courts.state.md.us URL provides the same official contact and services information for the Circuit Court Clerk in Prince Frederick.
This alternate Maryland Courts URL reaches the same Calvert County clerk information used by the judiciary system.
Calvert County District Court
The District Court for Calvert County is located at the Louis Goldstein Multi-Service Center at 200 Duke Street, Room 2200, Prince Frederick, MD 20678. The phone number is 443-550-6700. District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, motor vehicle violations, civil claims under $30,000, small claims up to $5,000, landlord-tenant disputes, and peace order or protective order petitions. No jury trials take place in District Court -- all cases are decided by a judge. For after-hours commissioner matters in Calvert County, call 443-550-6730.
Calvert County District Court is part of District 4, which covers Southern Maryland and includes Charles County and St. Mary's County. The multi-service center building houses other county offices as well. When visiting, confirm the room number for the District Court, as the building contains multiple services. The main District Court line at 443-550-6700 can confirm hearing schedules and answer basic questions about pending cases.
Searching the Calvert County Docket Online
Maryland Judiciary Case Search at casesearch.courts.state.md.us is the main free tool for online docket searches in Calvert County. No registration is needed, but a CAPTCHA must be completed before each session. You can search by party name, case number, attorney, or citation. Filtering by Calvert County and case type helps narrow results when searching by name.
Civil cases from Calvert County District Court have been in the system since 1989. Circuit Court civil cases go back to 1998. Criminal cases from both courts are available from October 10, 2000 onward. If you are searching for older cases that predate these coverage dates, you need to contact the clerk's office directly. Staff can search the paper indexes for older records.
The Case Search system updates nightly. It shows docket entries -- what was filed, what was ordered, hearing dates -- but does not show document images. To get the actual documents, you have to visit the clerk's office in person, request copies by mail, or use the MDEC remote access system (which requires a notarized MDJ-004 form, available at mdcourts.gov/mdec/efilingpublic). There is a public kiosk at the Calvert County courthouse for on-site document viewing.
The general information and contact page for Calvert County clerk services provides additional detail on what records are available and how to request them.
The general information page for the Calvert County Circuit Court Clerk covers available services, contact options, and guidance on accessing court records in Prince Frederick.
Use this page for clerk service details, contact methods, and guidance on records requests for Calvert County.
Land Records and Related Calvert County Court Records
Land records for Calvert County are available through MDLandRec.net, the joint project of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives. Free access with registration. Calvert County land records on this system go back to 1882 -- a long way back. Visit mdlandrec.net to search deeds, mortgages, liens, and other land instruments recorded with the Circuit Court Clerk in Prince Frederick.
The clerk's office also handles records requests specifically for land records. The land records section of the clerk's website is separate from the general records section. For Calvert County land records requests, use courts.state.md.us/clerks/calvert/landrecords. For general court record requests (case files, docket copies, certified copies of orders), use mdcourts.gov/clerks/calvert/recordsrequests.
A third-party resource, calvertrecords.us, also aggregates publicly available court record information for Calvert County.
Calvert Records provides a compiled reference for court record information in Calvert County, aggregating publicly available data about the local court system.
This third-party resource provides background on court records in Calvert County and links to official sources.
Requesting Copies of Calvert County Records
Plain copy fees for Calvert County court records are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 plus $0.50 per page. Exemplified copies (triple seal, sometimes required for out-of-state use) cost $10.00 plus $0.50 per page. In-person payments can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card. Mail requests should go to the Circuit Court Clerk at 175 Main Street, Prince Frederick, MD 20678. Include the case number or party name, what documents you need, your contact information, and a check or money order to cover the fees.
The clerk's office phone line for inquiries is open 8 AM to 5 PM, slightly longer than walk-in hours. If you need to know how much a records request will cost before sending a check, call ahead. Staff can usually estimate based on the number of pages in a typical case file. For complex or high-volume requests, it may help to narrow the request to specific documents (final orders, specific motions) rather than requesting an entire case file.
Legal Help in Calvert County
The People's Law Library at peoples-law.org offers free self-help guides for Maryland courts, including how to search docket records, file forms, and understand court procedures. It covers all case types and is written for people who are not lawyers. Maryland Legal Aid at mdlab.org serves Southern Maryland, including Calvert County, and provides free civil legal help to people who qualify based on income. Free court forms for all Calvert County cases are at mdcourts.gov/courtforms.
Cities in Calvert County
All court filings for Calvert County communities are processed at the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Prince Frederick or at the District Court in the Louis Goldstein Multi-Service Center. No cities in Calvert County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site.
Communities in Calvert County include Prince Frederick, Dunkirk, Owings, Huntingtown, Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, Lusby, Solomons, and St. Leonard. All file cases at Calvert County courts in Prince Frederick.
Nearby Counties
Calvert County is surrounded by other Southern Maryland and Central Maryland counties. All have circuit and district court records accessible through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search system.