Baltimore County Recorder Information

Land records in Baltimore County are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

StatewideViewing deeds on MDLandRec is free but requires an account with the Maryland State Archives.

Verified October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts

These government fees are separate from any Deeds.com service fees. Confirm current charges with the recorder's office.

Other charges

Fee schedule effective September 2, 2026.

StatewideA 'page' for recording fees is one side of a leaf not larger than 8 1/2 by 14 inches. A printed instrument that does not meet the type, ink, and paper requirements is charged three times the normal recording charge (RP § 3-104(e)). No fee is collected for a restrictive covenant modification under RP § 3-112. Fees may not be charged to exempt entities under RP § 3-603 unless they consent. The recording fees shown are the Real Property 3-601 fee ($20 for 1 to 9 pages, $75 for 10 or more, $10 for a release of 9 pages or fewer) with the $40 land records surcharge (Courts and Judicial Proceedings 13-604) added in, which is how the clerks publish them.

Paying the office

A personal out-of-state check and debit card is not accepted.

Transfer tax

State transfer tax. 0.5% of the consideration payable for the instrument of writing; 0.25% for a sale of improved residential real property to a first-time Maryland home buyer who will occupy the property as a principal residence. The tax is collected when the document is recorded. (statewide, Md. Code, Tax-Prop. § 13-203)

StatewideRecordation tax: applied to each $500 or fraction of $500 of consideration payable or of the principal amount of the debt secured; Baltimore City or the governing body of a county may set the rate by law (Tax-Prop. § 12-103). County transfer taxes are set locally. Nonresident sellers: a deed for real property owned by a nonresident or nonresident entity may not be recorded unless a payment is made to the clerk equal to the rates set in Tax-Gen. § 10-912(c), unless an exception in § 10-912(d) applies.

Baltimore County Transfer Tax Rate: 1.5 percent of consideration (Baltimore County Code, Article 11, Title 3, Recordation and Transfer Taxes). Recordation tax: $2.50 each $500 (or fraction thereof) of the consideration noted, or for an instrument of writing securing a debt, of the principal amount of the debt secured. The Baltimore County Office of Budget and Finance, Transfer and Recordation Section, collects the county transfer and recordation taxes before recording.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Real Property § 3-601 · Summary of Charges, Costs, and Fees of the Clerks of the Circuit Court · Real Property § 3-104 · Tax-Property § 13-203 · Tax-Property § 12-103 · General Information - Baltimore County Clerk of the Circuit Court · Deed Transfer and Recordation - Baltimore County

Confirm current requirements with the recorder's office before submitting documents.

Statewide1-inch margins on the left and right sides of each page; no statewide bottom margin stated.

StatewideDeeds other than mortgages, deeds of trust, and assignments or releases of them must bear an attorney's certification of preparation or a party's certification that the party prepared the instrument. An instrument that cannot readily be scanned may be received only on payment of three times the normal charge and with an attached affidavit. Riders that obscure any part of an instrument are not received where instruments are scanned.

Forms filed along with a transfer

• State of Maryland Land Instrument Intake Sheet Statewide Administrative Office of the Courts
  Each deed or other instrument affecting property presented for recordation, except assignments and releases of mortgages or deeds of trust, substitutions of trustees, powers of attorney, financing statements, and § 3-112 covenant modifications
• Lien Certificate Baltimore County Office of Budget and Finance
  A deed which changes or transfers ownership of property

Submitting documents

StatewideIn some counties, land records documents may be filed electronically.

Deeds and other property-related documents are reviewed by the Baltimore County Office of Budget and Finance, Transfer and Recordation Section (400 Washington Avenue, Room 154, Towson, Maryland 21204), before being recorded by the Land Records Office of the Circuit Court. All deeds with agricultural use and partial transfer deeds must initially be approved by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Real Property § 3-601 · Real Property § 3-104 · Deed Transfer and Recordation - Baltimore County · E-Recording for Land Records | Maryland Courts