Search Anne Arundel Land Records

Anne Arundel County deed records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Annapolis. The office processes roughly 100,000 land records each year, covering deeds, mortgages, liens, and related documents from 1972 forward in the digital system. You can search Anne Arundel land records online for free, visit the courthouse in person, or submit requests by mail, email, or fax.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Clerk

Scott A. Poyer serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. The Land Records Department is part of his office and sits at 8 Church Circle in Annapolis. This is a high-volume office. Processing 100,000 land records per year means staff move quickly, and the systems are well-organized. The research room has public access terminals where you can search the deed index and pull up document images.

Telephone hours for the Land Records line run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, which is slightly shorter than walk-in hours. Call (410) 222-1425 to reach the Land Records Department directly. For general questions, (410) 222-1397 reaches the main office. If you plan to visit, walk-in service is available the full day up to 4:30 PM. You can also reach the office by email and fax for copy requests, with credit card payment accepted for those orders. Mail requests go to the Land Records Department at the same 8 Church Circle address.

Anne Arundel Deed Records Online

The main online tool for Anne Arundel County deed records is MDLandRec.net. This free database from the Maryland State Archives has deeds, mortgages, and liens from 1972 to the present. You need a free account to access it. Once logged in, you can search by grantor or grantee name, or by liber (book) and folio (page). Historical indices are also available for older records that predate the digital images.

The Circuit Court website for Anne Arundel County has additional resources, including forms, land records information, and access to the judgments and liens search. Judgment and lien records are often relevant when doing a property title review. You can also search these records through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. For property assessment data and deed book references, the SDAT Real Property Database is free and does not require an account. The Anne Arundel records portal provides another search option for property records in the county.

Note: MDLandRec.net covers 1972 to present in the digital image system. For records before 1972, you may need to visit the clerk's office to access physical deed books or historical indices.

How to Request Anne Arundel Deed Copies

Getting a copy of a deed in Anne Arundel County is straightforward. You have four options: search online and print yourself, visit the courthouse, mail a request, or send a request by email or fax. The right method depends on what you need and how fast you need it.

For in-person requests at the Annapolis courthouse, use the research room terminals to find the deed by name or book and page number, then ask staff to make copies. Standard copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 per document plus the page rate. Most deed copies run $10 or less total. Bring a form of payment, as the office accepts checks made payable to the Clerk of Court.

Email and fax requests are accepted with credit card payment. This is a convenient option if you can't visit in person. Mail requests go to: Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, ATTN: Land Records Department, 8 Church Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401. Include the book and page number or the property address, your payment, and a return address. If you use MDLandRec.net and only need a plain copy for your own use, you can download and print for free with no fee.

Anne Arundel Recording Fees and Taxes

Anne Arundel County applies the standard Maryland recording fee schedule. A $40 surcharge is added to all recordable instruments. Under Real Property Article § 3-104, deeds must meet formatting requirements to be accepted for recording. Non-compliant documents face a penalty equal to three times the normal fee.

Base recording fees follow the same structure as other Maryland counties. Releases of nine pages or less cost $10. Other instruments of nine pages or less cost $20. Principal residence deeds cost $20 regardless of page count. Documents of ten or more pages cost $75. Always add the $40 surcharge to arrive at the total recording fee. The recordation tax is based on the consideration amount. State transfer tax is 0.5%, reduced to 0.25% for first-time homebuyers with the seller typically covering that portion under Tax-Property Article § 12-108. Anne Arundel County may also collect a county transfer tax. Contact the office before you record to confirm current rates.

After recording, the original deed is mailed back to the grantee within four to six weeks at no charge. Electronic recording through Simplifile is available for title companies and attorneys who regularly record in Anne Arundel County.

Fraud Monitoring in Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County has put a fraud monitoring program in place for property deed records. Property owners can check their records for free at any time using SDAT or MDLandRec.net. If you think someone has fraudulently recorded a deed on your property, report it to Anne Arundel County Police at (410) 222-8610 and contact a title company or real estate attorney right away.

The deed recording process in Anne Arundel County follows Real Property Article § 3-101, which sets out the requirements for valid conveyances. Deeds must be signed by the grantor and acknowledged before a notary. The deed must include a legal description of the property, the names of the grantor and grantee, and other required data. A copy for SDAT submission must be included when recording. The clerk will reject deeds that lack required elements or do not meet format standards.

Note: The Maryland Courts land records FAQ has answers to common questions about recording and searching Anne Arundel County deed records.

Anne Arundel County Land Records Resources

The Anne Arundel Circuit Court website has land records information, forms, and links to the judgment and lien search portal for the county.

The circuit court site also has information on the fraud monitoring program and how to report concerns about Anne Arundel County deed records.

For online access to Anne Arundel County deed images, the MDLandRec.net portal covers documents from 1972 to present with free viewing after a simple account registration.

MDLandRec.net allows you to search by grantor or grantee name or by liber and folio number, making it easy to find any Anne Arundel County deed filed in recent decades.

Cities in Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County includes Annapolis (the county seat and state capital), Glen Burnie, Severn, Odenton, and many other communities. All deed records for properties in Anne Arundel County are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk in Annapolis. The cities below have dedicated pages with more local deed record information.

Other communities in Anne Arundel County include Annapolis, Odenton, Severna Park, Pasadena, Arnold, Crofton, and Laurel. Deed records for all of them are kept at the Circuit Court in Annapolis.

Nearby Counties

Anne Arundel County borders several other Maryland counties. Use the links below to find deed records offices in neighboring areas.