Prince George County Court Records

Prince George’s County court records refer to official documents that contain information about legal proceedings in the courts within Prince George's County, Maryland. Court records include, but are not limited to, the whole or any portion of exhibits, motions, dockets, decrees, and transcripts. The legal responsibility of creating, filing, and maintaining Prince George County court records belongs to the County Clerk of Court.

Are Court Records Public in Prince George’s County?

Yes, Prince George’s County court records are the government's property; hence, they are considered public records. This is according to the Maryland Public Information Act (PIA), a State law granting members of the public the right to access public records and information. This law permits interested individuals to request and review publicly owned documents while protecting the legitimate interests of the government and the right to privacy of its citizens. While most court records are free to access, certain records are deemed confidential and unavailable for public inspection. In Prince George’s County, this includes juvenile and adoption proceedings records and all other records the court has sealed. Sealed court records cannot be accessed for any reason without a formal directive issued by the court.

Prince George’s County Court Records Search

To access court case records in Prince George’s County, individuals may search by performing the options provided below:

• Visit the specific courthouse where the case was heard to retrieve paper court case records
• Search the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal
• Search the Maryland Electronic Courts portal
• Look through the portal of the Register of Wills
• Search the MDLandRec public portal
• Any third-party public records website

Prince George’s County Court Records Search by Name

To conduct a court records search by name in Prince George’s County, requesters will need to possess the party's name, which may be either an individual or a business. Afterward, the name can be taken to the courthouse where the case was filed or searched via any online portals and databases listed above.

Courthouses typically require a fee for making copies of court records and other specific requirements. To obtain this information, requesters may need to call the courthouse before visiting, as these details are not always publicly disclosed on the court websites.

Prince George’s County Courts

The Prince George’s County court system comprises a Circuit Court, District Courts, and an Orphans Court. The list of court locations, their contact details, and links to their websites are provided below:

Prince George's County Circuit Court
Prince George's County Courthouse
14735 Main St, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Phone: (301) 952-3318
Fax: (301) 952-3768

Prince George's County District Court
Prince George's County Courthouse - Bourne Wing
14735 Main St, #173B, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Phone: (301) 298-4000

Prince George's County District Court
4990 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781
Phone: (301) 298-4200

Prince George's County Orphans' Court
14735 Main St, P.O. Box 1729, Upper Marlboro, MD 20773
Phone: (301) 952-3250
Fax: (301) 952-4489

Prince George’s County Superior Court Case Search

The Justice system in Prince George’s County consists of a Circuit Court, District Courts, and an Orphans Court. There are no Superior Courts in Prince George’s County or the State of Maryland.

Prince George’s County District Court Records

The Prince George's County District Court handles a wide range of legal cases across several categories, including:

• Landlord/Tenant Cases: This involves disputes between landlord and tenants over matters such as evictions, rent payment disputes, and lease agreements.
• Replevin Actions: These concern the recovery of personal property wrongfully taken by another party
• Traffic Violations: This category involves cases such as DUI charges, speeding tickets, and other traffic-related offenses
• Criminal Cases: This involves misdemeanors and certain felony cases
• Civil Cases: The court handles all civil disputes for $30,000 or below.

To access Prince George’s County District Court records, requesters should visit either District Courthouses within the county with the name(s) of the Party involved or the Case Number to facilitate the search. For requesters who wish to search online, the Maryland Judiciary Case Search is a repository of the District and Circuit Courts case records in Prince George’s County. The Case Number and names of the individual or Business involved are equally required to perform a search via this platform.

Prince George’s County Criminal Records

Members of the public have the right to access criminal records as a result of the Public Information Act of the State of Maryland. This permits individuals to visit law enforcement agencies to request criminal records. This is true except for juvenile criminal records, which are considered confidential and are not for public viewing. Requesters who wish to access Prince George’s County Arrest Criminal records can take the following actions:

• Visit the Prince George’s County Sheriff's website to search the Active Warrants Database. Alternatively, one may visit the Office in person at the following address to conduct a search:
  5303 Chrysler Way, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
  Email: SherifInfo@co.pg.md.us
  Phone: (301) 780-8600
• The Police Department provides a criminal history check for immigration related purposes. The requirements include the presentation of a government issued photo ID and the payment of $20 for the service. If this payment is made by credit card, a service charge of $1.50 per transaction is deducted.

Prince George’s County Criminal Court Case Lookup

In Prince George’s County, the Circuit and District Courts preside over criminal court cases. Hence, to conduct a Prince George’s County criminal court case lookup, interested individuals may visit either of the two district court locations to request criminal court case information, presenting relevant information like the Case Number and Names of the Parties. While the Circuit Court does not provide offline search options, individuals can search the Maryland Judiciary Case Search and the Maryland Electronic Courts portal to search both Circuit and District criminal court cases.

Get Prince George’s County Civil Court Records

In Prince George’s County, Civil court records contain information about non-criminal disputes between individuals and businesses. The Circuit Court has jurisdiction over jury trials in civil cases, while the District Court hears civil cases involving $30,000 or less.

Civil court case records can be obtained via the Maryland State Judiciary Case. Using the Advanced search option, requesters should fill in the name(s) of the involved parties, select Civil, the Circuit, and District Courts, as well as Prince George’s County, as the Court Systems and County to search, respectively. For copies of the civil case records, requesters may contact either court, using the contact information provided in the County Courts section above.

Prince George’s County Family Court Records

Family law cases encompass all legal matters related to relationships between family members and domestic issues. These cases typically include matters such as divorce, child or spousal support, adoption, and domestic violence. There is no specialized family court in Prince George’s County; rather, all family law cases are heard by the Family Division of the Circuit Court. Specifically, this division hears family law cases concerning adoption, annulment of marriages, divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, division of marital assets, guardianship, and paternity.

All records of the Circuit Court, including the family division, are filed in and maintained by the Clerk of the Court. However, the office does not conduct searches of court records for anyone. Hence, interested parties should visit the Maryland State Justice Case Search to obtain Prince George's County Family Court records. The advanced search feature can search Family law cases on this portal. Individuals will need to select the Circuit Court as the Court System and provide details like the names of the parties and the exact filing date or a range if known. Alternatively, a search can be conducted using the Case Number, if preferred.

Prince George’s County Dissolution of Marriage Records

In Prince George’s County, dissolution of marriage records relates to all court records concerning the termination of a marital union, such as divorce or annulment proceedings. These records all come under the category of family court records and can be retrieved online via the Maryland Justice Case Search, as explained in the section above.

Prince George’s County Marriage and Divorce Records

Prince Geroge’s County Marriage and Divorce records are considered public records, so are accessible to the public without a court order. These records can be obtained via the Maryland State Archives for Marriage and Divorce records.

In Prince George’s County, Marriage records from 1950 to 2013 can be retrieved through this platform. To access them, there are three available options listed below:

• They can be ordered online, by phone at (410) 260-6487, or by mail to:
  Maryland State Archives
  350 Rowe Blvd
  Annapolis, MD 21401

For online and mail-in orders, requesters must fill out the relevant order form. Certified copies of Marriage records cost a fee of $25, while uncertified copies cost $5. Orders may take up to 10 business days to arrive.

• Request an appointment to have the staff conduct the search.
• Visit the office at the above address to search using the archives’ search room computers.

Prince George’s County Divorce records from 1815 to 1984 can equally be accessed through the Maryland State Archives. These records can either be viewed online, ordered online or searched in person onsite. The Divorce records can be viewed on the State Archives website using the Case Number. Online orders can be made by first filling the Divorce Decree Order Form, and making the payment of $25 for a certified copy. For onsite searches, requesters may make use of the archives’ search room computers, with non-certified copies costing a fee of $1.

Prince George’s County Marriage records after 2013 and Divorce records after 1984 can be obtained from the Clerk of Court, via the Maryland Justice Case Search, with the Case Number and Party names. Requesters can also contact the Division of Vital Records for Marriage records after 2013 at:

The Maryland Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
6764 B Reisterstown Road
Baltimore, MD 21215
(410) 764-3038

Prince George’s County Birth and Death Records

Prince George’s County Birth and Death records can both be accessed through the Maryland State Archives. Birth records from 1898 to 1924 are available from this office and can be retrieved by filling out the applicable Birth Record form. To access Death records from 1898 to 2012, interested parties should fill out the applicable Death Record form. Once completed, the forms should be submitted through the website and payment made via its secure payment system. For mail-in orders, requesters should fill the form for the record needed, print out the page, and mail it with the payment to:

Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Blvd
Annapolis, MD 21401

Certified and non-certified copies of both Birth and Death records can be gotten at a fee of $25 and $5, respectively. Birth records after 1924 and Death records after 2012 are only available at the Division of Vital Records.

In Prince George’s County, birth and death records are considered public records. However, access to Birth records is restricted from the general public until after a hundred years or the death of the individual.

Prince George’s County Probate Court Records

The Probate Court in Prince George’s County is known as the Orphans’ Court. It is responsible for handling matters concerning probate, which include estates, wills and guardianship of minors. Records of the Probate Court can be gotten from the Maryland State Archives. Requesters should fill the Estate/Probate Record Order Form with the required information. Certified copies cost a non-refundable fee of $35. It is important to note that copies are available only for records that have been transferred to the Archives. To find out which records have to be transferred and how to access one that has not been, call the Archives at (410) 260-6487 or send an email to msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov.

Prince George’s County Property Records

Property records are documents that provide information about a particular piece of real estate or property. In Prince George’s County, Property records contain information about the ownership of the property, tax assessment details, sales history and all other relevant data. Requesters can retrieve Property records from the Maryland State Archives, specifically Deed/Land records, Land Patents, Notice of Sale, Plat and Property Tax Assessments. Records can also be obtained from the Land Records Division of the Circuit Court. Requesters can contact the Division at (301) 780-2253 or landrecordsclerk@mdcourts.gov to make inquiries and request records.

Prince George’s County Court Records Online

Prince George’s County Court records can be accessed from third-party websites like Marylandcourtrecords.us. These platforms are repositories that aggregate and provide users with remote access to court records.

There are several advantages to these platforms. A major one is the ease of access to court records that it provides. Requesters can conveniently retrieve the documents they need from any location without visiting a courthouse, saving time and effort. Some third-party platforms also collate court records from multiple sources, providing users access to a robust database of information. While these advantages exist, there are a few disadvantages. These websites do not always provide accurate or up-to-date data, leading to potential record inaccuracies. Some third-party websites also do not cover all jurisdictions and may not have all the types of court records, which can be significantly limiting for users.