Find Kent County Court Docket Records
Kent County court docket records are available through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search system and in person at the Circuit and District Courts in Chestertown. This page covers the courts, their contact details, how to search the docket online, and how to get copies of records in one of Maryland's oldest counties.
Kent County Court Docket Overview
Kent County Circuit Court
The Circuit Court for Kent County is located at the George B. Rasin, Jr. Courthouse at 103 North Cross Street in Chestertown. The court handles felony criminal cases, civil disputes above $30,000, family law proceedings including divorce and custody, juvenile matters, and appeals from the District Court. Kent County is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which also covers Caroline, Cecil, Queen Anne's, and Talbot counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
The Circuit Court Clerk is Sherise L. Kennard. The main phone for the clerk's office is (410) 778-7460, with a toll-free line at 1-800-989-2520 and a TTY line at (410) 778-0608. Email inquiries can go to kentcc@mdcourts.gov. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
For specific divisions within the clerk's office, direct lines are available. Civil matters: (410) 778-7461. Criminal and juvenile cases: (410) 778-7477. Land records: (410) 778-7460. Using the division line gets you to the right staff faster than going through the main number if you know what type of case you need.
The clerk's homepage on the Maryland Courts website is the primary reference for contact details and services. The page below is the official source for reaching the Kent County clerk's office.
The Kent County Circuit Court Clerk homepage on the Maryland Courts website lists contact information, division phone numbers, and services offered from the Chestertown courthouse.
This is the main clerk page for Kent County and the best starting point for contacting the courthouse about a case or record request.
| Address | 103 North Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (410) 778-7460 | Toll-free: 1-800-989-2520 |
| kentcc@mdcourts.gov | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Judicial Circuit | 2nd Judicial Circuit (Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot) |
| Civil Division | (410) 778-7461 |
| Criminal/Juvenile | (410) 778-7477 |
Kent County Clerk Contact and Services
The alternate clerk reference page on the Maryland Courts site provides a slightly different view of Kent County clerk information. It can serve as a cross-reference or a direct link depending on how you arrived at the site. Both the main clerk page and this alternate page confirm the same address and phone information for the Chestertown courthouse.
When contacting the clerk's office, having a case number or party name ready speeds things up. For a new search where you don't know the case number, the online system is often faster than calling. But for questions about filing procedures, record availability, or unusual requests, the phone and email contacts are the right approach.
The Kent County clerk page on the Maryland Courts site provides address, phone, and service information for the Circuit Court Clerk in Chestertown.
This page confirms the official contact information for the Kent County Circuit Court Clerk's office at 103 North Cross Street.
Kent County District Court
The District Court for Kent County is located on the second floor of the same building as the Circuit Court: 103 North Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620. The phone is (410) 810-3360, with a toll-free line at 1-800-941-3347. Kent County's District Court is part of District 3, which covers the Upper Eastern Shore. Hours are the same as the Circuit Court, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
The District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, civil claims under $30,000, small claims up to $5,000, landlord-tenant disputes, and peace orders. All cases are decided by a judge. Having both courts in the same building makes Kent County straightforward for anyone who needs to handle both Circuit and District matters in one visit.
Both courts' records appear in the statewide Case Search system. If you don't know which court handled a case, the online tool at casesearch.courts.state.md.us covers both and lets you sort by court type once you have results.
Kent County Court Directory
The full Kent County court directory on the Maryland Courts site lists the Circuit Court, the District Court, and other court-connected offices with their addresses, phone numbers, and staff contacts. This is useful when you need to reach a specific person or division rather than the general clerk's line. The directory is updated by the Maryland Judiciary and reflects current contact information.
Other contacts listed in the Kent County court system include the Court Administrator, Marina R. Fevola, at (410) 778-7440, who handles administrative and procedural questions; and Family Services Coordinator Lori Jacobs at (410) 810-1059, who assists with family court matters. For jury and case assignment questions, Kristen Sewell handles both: jury at (410) 778-2512 and assignment at (410) 778-7420.
The Kent County court directory on the Maryland Courts website lists all courts and offices serving Chestertown with phone numbers, addresses, and staff contacts.
This directory page is the best reference when you need to reach a specific court division or staff member in Kent County.
Searching the Kent County Court Docket Online
Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the main tool for finding Kent County court records online. It's free and requires no login. Visit casesearch.courts.state.md.us and select Kent County from the court list. You can search by party name, case number, attorney name, or citation number. Results cover both Circuit and District Court cases.
Name searches are exact by default. Add a percent sign (%) to the end of a name for wildcard matching. This is useful when you are not sure of a spelling or when the name appears differently in different documents. Kent County is a smaller county, so name searches often return manageable result counts. The system caps results at 500 per query, but that is rarely an issue here.
The system updates overnight, not in real time. Filings from the current day may not appear until the following morning. The tool shows docket entries and case status only, not scanned documents. For actual paperwork, visit the clerk's office at 103 North Cross Street or send a written mail request. Under a 2024 law, certain dismissed, nolle prosequi, and acquitted criminal cases are no longer visible in the online system but remain accessible in person at the Chestertown courthouse.
Kent County has an extensive collection of historical land records -- going back to 1656, making them among the oldest in Maryland. These records are available through MDLandRec.net with free registration. Marriage records in Kent County date from 1796. Divorce records from 1867. Probate records from 1674. If you need very old records, it's worth contacting the clerk directly, as some may not be in the online systems.
Types of Cases in the Kent County Docket
The Circuit Court docket for Kent County includes felony criminal charges, civil suits above $30,000, family law cases (divorce, custody, alimony, protective orders), juvenile matters, guardianship, and appeals from the District Court. Family law matters are common in the docket, as are property disputes in a county with significant farmland and waterfront property on the Eastern Shore.
District Court cases cover misdemeanor offenses, traffic citations, small civil claims, and landlord-tenant disputes. Peace orders are also filed here. If you need to know which court type handled a case, the case number prefix is the fastest indicator. Circuit Court criminal cases use "K". Civil cases use "C". Family cases use "F". District Court numbers follow a different numbering pattern tied to the court district code.
Probate and estate records in Kent County belong to the Register of Wills, a separate office from the Circuit Court Clerk. The Register of Wills for Kent County is A. Kristin Osborn, reachable at (410) 778-7466 or toll-free at 1-888-778-0179, email kosborn@registers.maryland.gov. Probate records in Kent County date back to 1674, which makes the Register of Wills office an important resource for genealogical and historical research as well as current estate matters.
Getting Copies of Kent County Court Records
Copies are available from the Circuit Court Clerk's office at 103 North Cross Street, Chestertown. Plain copies are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 plus $0.50 per page. Exemplified copies, which carry a triple certification seal, cost $10.00 plus $0.50 per page. Payment by cash, check, or money order is standard. Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) are accepted but AmEx is not.
Mail requests are accepted at 103 North Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620. Include the case number or party names, the documents you need, your return address, and a check or money order covering the estimated cost. The clerk will contact you if payment needs adjustment before sending copies.
Electronic access to documents is available through the MDEC system with an approved access form. Public terminals at the Chestertown courthouse allow in-person viewing. More on the MDEC process is at mdcourts.gov/mdec/efilingpublic.
Legal Help for Kent County Residents
The People's Law Library at peoples-law.org is a free Maryland resource covering court procedures and legal topics. It's useful for understanding how cases work in Circuit and District Court, what forms to use, and what to expect at different stages of a case. Kent County residents, like those in other rural Eastern Shore counties, often rely on this resource for self-help guidance.
Maryland Legal Aid provides free civil legal help to qualifying residents of Kent County. Services cover family law, housing, and civil matters. Apply at mdlab.org or call the statewide intake line. Free court forms for all Maryland courts are available at mdcourts.gov/courtforms. The forms cover most common case types and can be downloaded and filled out before visiting the courthouse.
Cities in Kent County
No cities in Kent County meet the population threshold for individual city pages on this site. All court filings for Kent County communities are handled at the Circuit and District Courts in Chestertown.
Communities in Kent County include Chestertown, Rock Hall, Betterton, Galena, and Millington. All civil and criminal matters for these communities are processed at the George B. Rasin, Jr. Courthouse on North Cross Street in Chestertown.
Nearby Counties
Kent County borders Queen Anne's County to the south and Cecil County to the north within Maryland. It also shares a border with Delaware. For court records in neighboring Maryland counties, use the links below.