Garrett County Deed Records
Garrett County deed records are held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Oakland, Maryland, the county seat of Maryland's westernmost county. The land records office maintains deeds, mortgages, and plats dating back to 1872. You can search Garrett County deed records online through MDLandRec.net or visit the Oakland courthouse in person. This page covers how to find and copy deed records, how to record a new deed, and what makes Garrett County's property landscape unique compared to the rest of Maryland.
Garrett County Overview
Garrett County Circuit Court Clerk
The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Garrett County is at 4th Street, Room 109 in Oakland. The phone number is (301) 334-1942. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The land records office maintains all deeds, mortgages, and plat records from 1872 to the present. Public access is available during normal business hours. Staff can assist you with copy requests by phone if you cannot come in person.
Garrett County is the only Maryland county in the Appalachian mountain region, and its land records reflect a property landscape different from most of the state. Mountain terrain, seasonal cabins, lakeside parcels, and timberlands all appear in the deed records. Because the county is relatively small, the clerk's office handles a manageable volume of filings and is generally responsive to phone and mail requests. For general county government services outside of deed records, the county website has department contact listings.
| Office | Clerk of the Circuit Court, Garrett County |
|---|---|
| Address | 4th Street, Room 109, Oakland, MD 21550 |
| Phone | (301) 334-1942 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Records Available | 1872 to present |
Garrett County Deed Records Online
The main online system for Garrett County deed records is MDLandRec.net. Free registration is required. After logging in, choose Garrett County and search by grantor or grantee name, or enter a liber and folio if you have those from a prior deed. The system has Garrett County deed books from 1872 to the present. You can view scanned deed images at no cost after registering.
The second online tool is Plats.net, which holds subdivision plats and property maps for Garrett County. Login is plato/plato#. Plat maps are especially useful in Garrett County because mountainous terrain and irregular lot shapes make boundary research more involved than in flat suburban counties. A plat map gives you the lot dimensions and the survey reference points that the deed's legal description refers to.
For historical Garrett County deed records, the Garrett County Historical Society has digitized older land records.
MDLandRec is the primary system for searching and viewing Garrett County deed records online, with records from 1872 to present.
The Garrett County Historical Society also maintains a collection of land records useful for genealogy and older property research.
Visit the historical land records page for older Garrett County deed data and genealogical property research tools.
How to Find Garrett County Deed Records
To search Garrett County deed records online, go to landrec.msa.maryland.gov and create a free account. Select Garrett County from the dropdown, then search by name or liber and folio. Garrett County is a rural county with a relatively small population, so the index is less crowded than urban counties. You can often find deed records with just a last name and an approximate year.
In-person searches are done at Room 109 at 4th Street in Oakland. The office has public access terminals. Self-service research is available during business hours at no charge. If you need copies, staff make them for $0.50 per page. Plats cost $0.50 per page for maps that are 11 by 17 inches or smaller. Larger plats cost $1.00. Certified copies are $5.00 per document plus the copy fee. There is also a $10 copy debit service fee for certain request types. Call ahead at (301) 334-1942 if you are unsure what applies to your request.
For very old Garrett County deed research, the Maryland State Archives and the Garrett County Historical Society both have materials that supplement the official land records office. The county was formed in 1872, so all deed records in Garrett County begin that year.
Garrett County Deed Recording Fees
Copy fees for Garrett County deed records are $0.50 per page for standard copies. Plat copies are $0.50 per page for 11x17 and smaller formats, and $1.00 per page for larger sizes. Certified copies cost $5.00 per document plus the per-page fee. A $10 copy debit service fee may apply in some request situations.
Recording fees follow the statewide schedule: $20 for instruments of 9 pages or fewer, $75 for instruments with 10 or more pages, $10 for releases, and a $40 surcharge on most recorded instruments. State transfer tax is 0.5% of the sale price. Recordation and other transfer taxes apply at rates set by the state and county. Contact the clerk's office at (301) 334-1942 to confirm the current tax rates before you settle on a property in Garrett County.
Note: Garrett County's recording process follows standard statewide procedures with no special pre-approval steps like those in Frederick County. You submit directly to the Clerk's office.
Garrett County Property and Deed Considerations
Garrett County stands out in Maryland because it lacks countywide zoning. Most of the land in the county is not zoned at all. Zoning applies only to six incorporated towns and the Deep Creek Watershed area. This means that for most parcels in Garrett County, there is no local zoning to check before purchasing. If a property is in one of the six towns, contact that town's administrative office to verify any zoning rules. The Deep Creek Watershed zone has its own rules managed by the county.
The Deep Creek Lake area in Garrett County has a large number of vacation and seasonal properties. Deed records for lakefront lots and nearby parcels often involve easements, shared access rights, and dock use agreements that are recorded as separate instruments. When you search deed records for a Deep Creek property, also look for easements and covenants filed under the same grantor or parcel reference. These are part of the full title picture for any Garrett County lakeside property.
Mountain terrain also affects property descriptions in Garrett County. Many older deeds use metes and bounds descriptions that reference natural features like ridges, streams, and rock outcroppings. These can be harder to locate on modern plat maps. A licensed surveyor who knows the Garrett County landscape can help translate older deed descriptions into modern boundary coordinates. Under Maryland Real Property Article Section 3-104, all deeds must include a complete legal description of the property being transferred. For Garrett County properties with irregular terrain, that description is critical. For general deed recording help, the Maryland Courts land records help page is a good starting point.
Cities in Garrett County
All deed records for Garrett County properties are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Oakland. No city in Garrett County currently meets the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Oakland is the county seat and where the land records office is located. Other communities in Garrett County include Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville, Kitzmiller, and Loch Lynn Heights.
Nearby Counties
Garrett County is Maryland's westernmost county, bordering West Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as one other Maryland county. Property searches that involve land near the state line may require checking records in adjacent states as well.