Yes, divorce records are public in Maryland. Case dockets are searchable for free through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search, and certified copies of a divorce decree cost roughly $5 to $5.50 plus 50 cents per page from the Circuit Court clerk. Governor Wes Moore vetoed a records-privacy bill (SB 426) on June 3, 2026, so records remain public.
Maryland treats divorce filings as civil court records that are presumptively open to public inspection under Md. Rule 16-903. The question "are divorce records public Maryland" has a clear answer: the case docket, the parties' names, the grounds pleaded, and the final Judgment of Absolute Divorce are all accessible to anyone. However, several sensitive documents inside the file are shielded by default, and any party may petition to seal additional material. This guide explains what is public, what is protected, how to run a divorce records search, and how to seal divorce records when privacy is at stake.
Key Facts: Maryland Divorce Records at a Glance
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Filing Fee (Absolute Divorce) | $165, total costs ~$215 with summons and copies |
| Waiting Period | No statewide finalization waiting period; 6-month separation ground requires prior separation |
| Residency Requirement | Live in Maryland at filing; 6 months if grounds arose out of state (Md. Code, Fam. Law § 7-101) |
| Grounds | Three no-fault grounds only: mutual consent, irreconcilable differences, 6-month separation (Md. Code, Fam. Law § 7-103) |
| Property Division Type | Equitable distribution (not community property) |
| Records Access | Public by default under Md. Rule 16-903; free online docket search |
| Certified Copy Cost | ~$5-$5.50 certification fee plus 50 cents per page |
Filing fees and court costs stated here are current as of July 2026. Verify with your local clerk.
Are Divorce Records Public in Maryland?
Divorce records are public in Maryland by default. Under Md. Rule 16-903, all judicial records are presumed open to public inspection unless restricted by constitution, rule, statute, or court order. This means the case number, party names, filing date, grounds, hearing dates, and the final divorce decree are viewable by any member of the public through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search or the Circuit Court clerk's office.
Maryland's open-records presumption reflects a long-standing common-law and constitutional interest in transparent courts. Because divorce cases proceed in the Circuit Court as civil equity matters, they carry the same presumption of openness that applies to most civil litigation. The public divorce filings you can access include the Complaint for Absolute Divorce (form CC-DR-020), answers, motions, scheduling orders, and the Judgment of Absolute Divorce. What you generally cannot see without a court order are specific financial and child-related documents that Maryland rules protect automatically. This balance—open case structure, shielded sensitive exhibits—defines Maryland's approach to divorce records privacy in 2026.
What Divorce Information Is Public vs. Confidential
Most of a Maryland divorce file is public, but several categories are confidential by default without any motion. Under Md. Rule 9-203 and related provisions, financial statements filed under Rule 9-202, Child Support Guideline Worksheets filed under Rule 9-206, and Joint Statements of Marital and Non-marital Property filed under Rule 9-207 are not open to public inspection. Individual tax returns are likewise shielded automatically.
This default protection is significant because it covers the exact documents most people worry about—income figures, asset schedules, and children's support details. Parenting plans and joint statements filed under Rules 9-204.1 and 9-204.2 also receive protection, and any petition for relief from abuse under Md. Code, Fam. Law § 4-504 is sealed until the earlier of service or denial. The table below summarizes the divide between accessible and restricted records so a divorce records search returns predictable results.
| Record Type | Public Access |
|---|---|
| Case docket, party names, case number | Public |
| Complaint for Absolute Divorce (CC-DR-020) | Public |
| Judgment of Absolute Divorce (decree) | Public |
| Hearing and scheduling orders | Public |
| Financial Statement (Rule 9-202) | Confidential |
| Child Support Guideline Worksheet (Rule 9-206) | Confidential |
| Joint Statement of Marital Property (Rule 9-207) | Confidential |
| Federal, state, or local tax returns | Confidential |
| Parenting plans (Rules 9-204.1, 9-204.2) | Confidential |
| Protective order petition (§ 4-504) | Sealed until served or denied |
How to Search Maryland Divorce Records Online
The fastest way to run a divorce records search in Maryland is the free Maryland Judiciary Case Search at casesearch.courts.state.md.us. This portal covers all 24 court jurisdictions, including every Circuit Court, requires no account, and charges no fee. It returns docket-level data—case number, party names, case type, filing date, and event history—for public divorce filings across the state.
Understand the tool's limits before relying on it. The Maryland Judiciary Case Search displays a summary of what is in the official case file, not images of the filed documents themselves. You will see that a Complaint for Absolute Divorce was filed and that a Judgment was entered, but you will not see the scanned pages. To view or copy the actual documents, you must contact the Circuit Court clerk in the county where the case was filed. Historical divorce records—older equity cases—may have moved to the Maryland State Archives, which requires a case number that you can usually locate first through Case Search. Third-party sites such as MarylandCourtRecords.us are not government-operated; for authoritative results, use casesearch.courts.state.md.us or the clerk directly.
How to Get a Certified Copy of a Maryland Divorce Decree
A certified copy of a Maryland divorce decree costs approximately $5 to $5.50 for the certification plus 50 cents per page, obtained from the Circuit Court clerk where the divorce was granted. Under the statewide Circuit Court fee schedule, clerks collect 50 cents per page for copies, a $5 certification fee for a certified copy, and $10 to exemplify a copy. Cecil County, for example, charges $5.50 per certified divorce decree.
Certified copies matter because banks, immigration authorities, retirement-plan administrators, and remarriage applications typically require an official, sealed copy rather than a screenshot from Case Search. You can request copies in person, by mail, or through the methods each clerk offers. For mail requests, include the case number, the names of all parties, a description of the documents you need, and a check or money order payable to the Clerk of the Court. Processing generally runs five to ten business days for standard requests and longer for archived files. For older records held by the Maryland State Archives, certified divorce decrees cost $25 per copy and require the case number, with no refund if no matching record is found. Fee waivers under Md. Rule 1-325 may cover costs for filers below 150% of the federal poverty level.
How to Seal or Shield a Maryland Divorce Record
To seal divorce records in Maryland, a party files a Petition to Seal or Otherwise Limit Inspection of a Case Record (form CC-DC-053) under Md. Rule 16-934, and must prove that the need for confidentiality outweighs the public's interest in access. This is a fact-specific standard applied case by case—there is no automatic right to seal, and you generally cannot seal an entire divorce file because the underlying filings are public civil records.
Sealing is worth pursuing when documented safety threats, sensitive financial data, or the protection of minor children justify it. File the petition with the Circuit Court that heard the case and serve all parties. When the motion is filed, the targeted records are automatically shielded for up to five business days; the judge then decides whether to issue a temporary order before a full hearing. If no temporary order issues, the records become visible again until the court rules. Courts favor narrowly tailored requests: a final order limiting inspection must be "as narrow as practicable in scope and duration." Requesting only the specific sensitive pages—rather than the whole case—materially improves your odds. Because the burden stays on the requesting party, consulting a Maryland family-law attorney about a Rule 16-934 motion is prudent for high-stakes divorce records privacy concerns.
The 2026 SB 426 Veto: Why Maryland Divorce Records Stay Public
Maryland divorce records remain public in 2026 because Governor Wes Moore vetoed Senate Bill 426 on June 3, 2026. SB 426 would have exempted divorce applications, financial and settlement records, and custody orders from Maryland Public Information Act requests, effectively making most divorce filings categorically private. The veto preserves the existing case-by-case sealing system under Rule 16-934 rather than a blanket privacy rule.
This legislative development is directly relevant to anyone asking whether divorce records are public in Maryland. SB 426 was inspired by a constituent who reportedly received death threats after divorce records were posted publicly, illustrating the genuine privacy tension in an open-records regime. Had it become law, the bill would have flipped Maryland's default from "open unless sealed" to "private except the final decree." Because Moore vetoed it, the practical takeaway for 2026 is unchanged: your Maryland divorce case docket and final judgment are public, sensitive financial and child-related exhibits remain confidential by default, and additional privacy requires a Rule 16-934 motion. Anyone concerned about publicity should plan around the current system rather than an anticipated statutory shield.
Maryland Residency, Grounds, and Filing Basics That Shape the Record
Before a public divorce record exists, a valid case must be filed, and Maryland's 2023-2025 reforms changed the grounds that appear in that record. Under Md. Code, Fam. Law § 7-101, you may file if you live in Maryland when the grounds arose in-state, or if you or your spouse lived in Maryland for at least six months when grounds arose elsewhere. The filing fee for an absolute divorce is $165, with total court costs near $215.
Maryland is now a pure no-fault state. Under Md. Code, Fam. Law § 7-103, effective October 1, 2023 and refined October 1, 2025 via Senate Bill 36, the state recognizes only three grounds: mutual consent (a signed settlement agreement resolving alimony, property, and any child issues), irreconcilable differences (no separation period required), and 6-month separation (which can be satisfied even under the same roof if the parties pursue separate lives). Fault concepts like adultery and cruelty no longer appear as grounds, though under Md. Code, Fam. Law § 11-106 courts may still weigh marital conduct when deciding alimony, property division, and attorney's fees. The grounds you plead become part of the public docket, while the financial exhibits supporting those decisions stay confidential.