Caroline County Clerk Office
Maryland does not use a Texas-style split between a county clerk and a district clerk. The local office for Caroline County Circuit Court records is the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The office is at 109 Market Street in Denton, with public hours listed as 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and a main phone number of 410-479-1811. Maryland Relay 711 is the TTY access route.
The official Caroline County Circuit Court page names Terry Lord as Clerk of the Circuit Court. The name belongs in office-detail context because the public record task is broader than one officeholder. The same page lists clerk division extensions for Licensing, Child Support, Criminal, Civil/Trust, Juvenile, Domestic, and Land Records, which helps users reach the right desk instead of routing every request through the main line.
Caroline County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk: Terry Lord
109 Market Street
Denton, MD 21629
410-479-1811
TTY: Maryland Relay 711
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Caroline County Clerk Records
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the practical counter for complete Caroline County Circuit Court files. Maryland Courts' public-records help states that Case Search is not the complete official record. A public case summary may show party names, case number, filing date, charges, events, and disposition, but the complete record is maintained by the clerk's office where the case was heard.
Circuit Court case categories in Caroline County include serious criminal matters, major civil cases, jury trials, divorce, custody, child support, juvenile matters, domestic violence, and appeals from the District Court, Orphans' Court, and some administrative agencies. The clerk also handles licensing functions, land record routing, marriage licensing, and copy or certification requests. Probate papers are separate and route to the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court in Room 119.
- Criminal division extensions: 14 and 16.
- Civil and trust division extension: 17.
- Domestic division extension: 19.
- Juvenile division extension: 18.
- Child Support extensions: 12 and 15.
- Licensing extension: 11.
- Land Records phone: 410-479-1142.
Those division contacts come from the Caroline County Circuit Court page and should be used as routing clues. They do not replace the clerk's review of whether a file is public, sealed, confidential, or partly restricted.
Request Caroline County Certified Copies
Certified copies are used when a court record must carry official proof from the file custodian. A plain copy can be enough for personal review, but certified copies are often needed for legal filings, agencies, licensing, name-change proof, or other formal uses. For Caroline County Circuit Court files, identify the case or record first, then request the certified copy from the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
- Find the case number, party names, and case type through Maryland Case Search or existing paperwork.
- Confirm that the case was heard in Caroline County Circuit Court, not District Court, Orphans' Court, or another Maryland county.
- Contact the clerk division that matches the file type or use the main clerk number for routing.
- State whether a plain copy, certified copy, or exemplified copy is needed, and give the document name if known.
- Pay the statewide copy and certification fees that apply to the request.
Case Search can reduce delays because the clerk can locate a file faster when the request includes a case number and filing court. If only a party name is known, include date range, case type, and any related party names to narrow the search.
Caroline County Request Details
The research did not locate a Caroline-specific online copy request form for the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Use the details below when contacting the office or asking for a certified copy. The same fields also help when a user starts with Maryland Case Search and then moves to the clerk for the complete file.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Best if known | Use the Circuit Court case number from Case Search or court papers. |
| Party names | Yes | Give full names and any prior names if relevant. |
| Case type | Yes | Criminal, civil, domestic, juvenile, trust, or other Circuit Court category. |
| Document requested | Yes | Order, judgment, docket entry, pleading, license, or other document name. |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain, certified, or another official copy type if available. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Phone, mailing address, or pickup instructions. |
Maryland's statewide court forms search is useful for filings, but it is not a single Caroline County clerk copy-request form. For restricted information in MDEC filings, Maryland Courts maintains a restricted-information form process tied to Rule 20-201.1.
Caroline County Clerk Fees
Maryland Judiciary publishes statewide Circuit Court fee schedules, and the research did not locate a separate Caroline-only copy schedule. Use the statewide Circuit Court schedule for ordinary Circuit Court copy and certification costs unless the clerk says a different office-specific fee applies. Probate copy fees belong to the Register of Wills, not the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
| Item | Fee or Rule | Record Office |
|---|---|---|
| New Circuit Court civil case | $165 | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Motion to modify alimony, custody, support, or visitation | $31 | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Constructive civil contempt motion | $31 | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Plain copies | $0.50 per page | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Certification | $5 plus copy cost | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Probate plain copies | $0.50 per page | Register of Wills |
| Probate certified copies | $0.50 per page plus $2 | Register of Wills |
| Marriage license fee | Not located in official Caroline sources | Call Licensing ext. 11 |
When a record is needed for filing or agency proof, ask for the certification cost before ordering multiple pages. A long file can have a small certification fee plus a larger page-copy cost.
Caroline County Land Records
Land records are connected to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, but they are not ordinary court case records. Maryland's official online land-records path is MDLandRec, a public portal maintained with the Maryland State Archives and Circuit Court clerks. The research notes free account access, and the Caroline County Land Records number is 410-479-1142.
The image below comes from the official MDLandRec land records portal.
Use MDLandRec for deeds and public land records, and use the clerk's court-record divisions for case files, certified copies, licensing, and court papers.
Note: A deed search and a court case search are separate tasks even though both may involve the Circuit Court clerk.
Caroline County Clerk Forms
Most filing forms come from statewide Maryland Judiciary sources. The forms index is searchable and applies across Maryland courts. For marriage licensing, Maryland Courts says the license is obtained from the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the marriage will take place. The non-resident marriage affidavit form, CC-FM-066, asks for the county or Baltimore City of ceremony, ceremony date if known, full legal names, dates of birth, residences, birth locations, Social Security numbers, marital status, prior marriage termination information, relationship question, delivery instructions, signatures, phone, and official certification.
| Form or Source | Use | Key Fields or Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide court forms search | Court filings | Search by form title, number, or topic. |
| CC-FM-066 Non-Resident Marriage License Affidavit | Marriage license process | Names, birth data, ceremony county, marital history, signatures. |
| Restricted Information process | MDEC filings with restricted data | Used for identifiers and restricted material under court rules. |
For estate forms, use the Register of Wills instead of the Circuit Court clerk. Caroline County Orphans' Court and probate access are handled through Caroline County Orphans' Court records.
Caroline County Online Filing
Maryland Electronic Courts, or MDEC, is the statewide electronic filing and case-management environment. Attorneys must e-file. Self-represented litigants are not required to e-file, but the research notes that once they choose to e-file in a case, they must e-file future filings in that case. Public kiosks are available in MDEC courthouses for certain access needs.
Online access and filing do not erase the clerk's role as custodian of complete Circuit Court files. Maryland Case Search is useful for public summaries, MDEC handles filing routes, MDLandRec handles land records, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court handles full record inspection and certified copies for Caroline County Circuit Court files.