Howard County Recorder Information

Land records in Howard County are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The office is held by Wayne A. Robey.

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

Plat images are available through PLATS.NET (http://www.plats.net), the Maryland State Archives Plat Imaging Application.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Clerk | Circuit Court for Howard County · Land Records Department

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.

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.

Howard County transfer tax: 1.25% of the consideration, on instruments that transfer an interest in real property (deed, lease, easement, contract, etc.); effective 7/1/20. The Howard County Director of Finance collects the recordation tax and the county transfer tax under Howard County Code Section 11.101, at the Department of Finance Recordation Tax Office, George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City. Recordation tax: $2.50 per each $500.00 or fractional part of the consideration.

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 · Land Records Department

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

Submitting documents

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

All deeds must pass through a two step process in the following order: Howard County Finance Department (3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City), then the Land Records Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Land Records Department does not prepare any documents for recordation.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Real Property § 3-601 · Real Property § 3-104 · Land Records Department