Harford County Deed Records

Harford County deed records are held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 20 West Courtland Street in Bel Air. Land records in Harford County date back to 1773, though some early records were lost in an 1858 courthouse fire. You can search deed records online through MDLandRec.net or visit the Bel Air courthouse in person. This page covers how to find deed records, request copies, and record a deed in Harford County, including the required lien certificate and municipal stamp steps specific to this county.

Harford County Circuit Court Clerk

The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County is at 20 West Courtland Street in Bel Air. The land records phone number is (410) 638-3426. The general clerk number is (410) 638-3245. Treasury is at (410) 638-3269. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Public terminals are available for self-service deed research. The Harford County Circuit Court clerk page has current office info and links to the land records section.

Harford County offers several ways to submit a deed for recording. You can come in person, drop off documents in a locker outside the office during business hours, or mail them in. Electronic recording is also available through Simplifile, which is a service used by title companies and attorneys. You can reach Simplifile at www.simplifile.com or by calling 1-800-460-5657. The Harford County land records page has details on each submission method.

Harford County Deed Records Online

The main online system for Harford County deed records is MDLandRec.net. Free registration is required. Once logged in, select Harford County and search by grantor or grantee name, or enter a liber and folio. Records go from 1773 to the present, though records from before the 1858 fire are incomplete due to that loss. You can view deed images at no cost after creating your free account.

The Harford County land records section of the Maryland Courts website also provides direct links to search tools and notes on what is available. The second online tool is Plats.net for subdivision plats. Log in with plato/plato#. Harford County plat maps show the subdivisions that make up the county's growing residential areas north and east of Baltimore.

The link below goes to the Harford County Circuit Court clerk page, which is the primary official source for deed record access in the county.

The Circuit Court clerk page lists all land records resources, the locker drop-off option, and the Simplifile electronic recording service for Harford County.

The dedicated Harford County land records page has more detail specific to deed searches and recording submissions.

Use this page to find direct links to MDLandRec, Plats.net, and the Harford County land records index for deed searches.

Transfer and recordation tax information for Harford County is published by the county Department of Treasury.

See the Harford County tax info page for current recordation and transfer tax rates that apply when recording a deed in Harford County.

How to Look Up Harford County Deed Records

Online deed searches for Harford County start at landrec.msa.maryland.gov. Create a free account, then select Harford County. Search by the seller's name (grantor) or the buyer's name (grantee). You can also enter a liber and folio directly. The results show you the document type, date, parties, and a link to the deed image. You can save or print what you find. The records from 1773 are largely available online, with some gaps around the 1858 fire period.

In-person research at the Bel Air courthouse is free. Public terminals let you search the index and view deed images without any fee. Staff at the land records window can help you look up records by name or parcel. Bring the property address or owner names with you. Copies cost $0.50 per page; certified copies cost $5.00 per document plus the per-page fee. For agricultural properties that might carry Agricultural Transfer Tax flags, be aware the process involves extra steps before recording (see the special instructions section below).

Note: For Harford County deed records involving properties that were transferred before the 1858 courthouse fire, some early records may be incomplete. The Maryland State Archives may have backup copies of some pre-fire materials.

Harford County Deed Fees and Taxes

Copy fees in Harford County are $0.50 per page for standard copies and $5.00 per document for certified copies, plus the per-page fee. Recording fees follow the statewide schedule: $20 for instruments of 9 pages or fewer, $75 for 10 or more pages, $10 for releases, and a $40 surcharge on most instruments.

Tax rates in Harford County are among the higher ones in Maryland. The state transfer tax is 0.5%, reduced to 0.25% for first-time homebuyers. The county transfer tax is 1.0%. For owner-occupied principal residences, the first $50,000 of consideration is exempt from the county transfer tax if the buyer files an affidavit at recording. The recordation tax is $6.60 per $1,000 of consideration. On a $350,000 purchase, that comes to $2,310 in recordation tax alone. See the Harford County tax information page for full details and the most current rates.

A lien certificate is required for all property transfers in Harford County. The fee is $50. You apply for it through the Harford County Department of the Treasury. The certificate confirms there are no outstanding county liens on the property. You must have it before the deed can be submitted for recording. Do not wait until settlement day to request it. Processing can take time, and a missing lien certificate will hold up the entire recording.

Harford County Deed Recording Requirements

Harford County requires a lien certificate on every property transfer without exception. The $50 certificate comes from the Harford County Department of the Treasury. It verifies that no county tax liens or charges are attached to the property. Once you have it, along with the deed itself, you can proceed to submit for recording. The lien certificate must be current. If it expires before you record, you need to get a new one.

Properties located inside the City of Aberdeen, Town of Bel Air, or City of Havre de Grace require a municipal stamp before the deed can be recorded. Each municipality reviews the deed and stamps it to confirm local requirements have been met. Contact the City of Aberdeen at (410) 272-2222, the Town of Bel Air at (410) 638-4555, or the City of Havre de Grace at (410) 939-1800. Getting the stamp from the right city is a step that can trip people up. Do not skip it. Without the municipal stamp, the clerk will reject the deed for recording in Harford County.

Agricultural property transfers in Harford County involve an extra path. If the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation flags a property for the Agricultural Transfer Tax, you must present the deed to the SDAT first, then to the Harford County Department of Treasury, Bureau of Revenue Collections, before the clerk can accept it for recording. Under Real Property Article Section 3-104, all deeds must be properly acknowledged before recording. Standard formatting requirements apply as well. The Maryland Courts legal help page on land records has a plain-language overview of what every deed must include before it can be filed in any Maryland county.

Cities in Harford County

All deed records for Harford County properties are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk in Bel Air. Bel Air South is the largest community in Harford County that meets the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Other communities in Harford County include Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, Edgewood, Joppatowne, and Abingdon. Deed records for all of these are at the Circuit Court in Bel Air. Properties in Aberdeen, Bel Air, and Havre de Grace require a municipal stamp before recording.

Nearby Counties

Harford County borders these Maryland jurisdictions. Each handles deed records for properties within its own boundaries. Title searches that span county lines require pulling records from more than one county clerk's office.