Frederick County Recorder Information

Land records in Frederick County are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The office is held by Sandra K. Dalton.

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

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Courts Directory - Frederick County

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

Except for State Recordation Taxes, all recording fees, surcharges, and transfer taxes are collected by the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the time of recording. State Recordation Taxes are collected by the Frederick County Treasurer prior to presentation to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for recording; checks for recordation tax are made payable to the Treasurer of Frederick County.

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.

Frederick County recordation tax: $7.00 per $500 of consideration (consideration rounded up to the nearest $500 increment), collected by the Frederick County Treasurer's Office, 30 North Market Street, Frederick, before the instrument is presented to the Clerk; exemptions in Tax-Property § 12-108. Frederick County does not impose a county transfer tax.

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 · Recording Fees - Frederick County Clerk

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/Tax Status Report Frederick County Treasury Department
  Requested from Frederick County as the first step in recording a deed; all real property taxes have to be current for a property to transfer
• Property Transfer Request form or final water/sewer bill Frederick County Division of Water and Sewer Utilities
  Must accompany the deed when it is submitted; all deeds are reviewed for this requirement

Submitting documents

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

Deeds are first submitted to the Frederick County Treasurer's Office for review (taxes, recordation tax, water/sewer clearance) and then taken to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for recording; the Treasury states a 24-48 business hour review time. Property within City of Frederick limits (02 election district) must also be reviewed by the City of Frederick before recording.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Real Property § 3-601 · Real Property § 3-104 · Record a Deed | Frederick County MD