Washington County Recorder Information

Land records in Washington County are recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The office is held by Kevin R. Tucker.

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

Plat records can be searched on Plats.net through MDLandRec (username: plato; password: plato#).

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Kevin R. Tucker, Clerk of Court · Land Records

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

Credit card payments (VISA, MasterCard and Discover) are accepted for land recordation fees and taxes. American Express, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and touchless transactions are not accepted. Credit card payments are not accepted after 4:00 pm.

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.

Washington County Recordation Tax is $3.80 per $500.00 or fractional part of the consideration. County Transfer Tax: the first $50,000 of consideration is exempt; the tax is ½ of 1% of the remaining consideration, with a reduced rate of ¼ of 1% for a deed to first-time Washington County homebuyer(s). County Agricultural Land Transfer Tax: 2% (Tax-Prop. Title 13, Subtitle 5), payable on any transfer for which State ag tax is due; State and County ag tax are collected by the Washington County Treasurer's Office 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 · Circuit Court for Washington County, MD - Clerk's Office · General Information · Land Records

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.

Deeds pass through a two-step process: first the Washington County Treasurer's Office (35 W. Washington Street, Hagerstown), then the Recording Department of the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Recordings are accepted at the counter Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Checked October 2026 against official publications. Sources: Land Records | Maryland Courts · Real Property § 3-601 · Real Property § 3-104 · Circuit Court for Washington County, MD - Clerk's Office · Land Records