About the Harford County Clerk's Office
The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County is Michelle Karczeski. The Maryland Judiciary directory and the Clerk's page list her as Clerk of Court. The Clerk is a locally elected State official, not a county employee, and the responsibilities of the office are established by Maryland law and the Rules of the Supreme Court of Maryland.
The office is one of Maryland's oldest public institutions. The Harford Clerk page says the office has served Maryland citizens since 1658. It sits in the Harford County Courthouse on West Courtland Street, in the heart of Bel Air, and keeps permanent public records such as deeds and plats.
That long history shows in the records. Harford land records run from 1773 to the present, a deep archive the Clerk still maintains. The Clerk's site links a historic courthouse page and uses courthouse imagery for the local office. For day-to-day work, though, the office is a modern records hub that the public uses for filings, copies, and licensing.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk: Michelle Karczeski
20 West Courtland Street
Bel Air, MD 21014
410-638-3426
1-800-989-8296 in Maryland
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
What the Clerk Does in Harford County
The Clerk's office is the front door to the Circuit Court. It accepts filings, keeps case files, records land documents, and collects fees. It also handles licensing work that has nothing to do with a lawsuit, such as marriage licenses and passports. The main duties include the following.
- Accept and keep civil and criminal Circuit Court filings.
- Record land records, including deeds, mortgages, and liens.
- Issue marriage licenses and certified marriage copies through the Licensing Department.
- Issue business licenses and process passport applications.
- Handle notary commissions and authentications.
- Collect filing, copy, and certification fees.
The Clerk cannot give legal advice and cannot perform a title search. Those limits keep the office neutral, since it serves every party to a case.
Departments Within the Clerk's Office
The Clerk's records page separates the work into departments. Each one keeps a different set of records, and knowing the right department speeds up a request.
- Civil - matters generally above $30,000, divorce, custody, foreclosures, liens, and judgments.
- Criminal - Circuit Court criminal records and related forms and fees.
- Juvenile - matters involving people under 18, which are not open to the public.
- Land Records - deeds, mortgages, and liens from 1773 to today.
- Plats - subdivision and survey plats kept through the state Plats.net system.
The Civil Department shares some jurisdiction with the District Court for matters between $5,000 and $30,000. Recorded military discharges are kept but are not public.
Licensing, Passports, and Notary Services
The Clerk does more than handle lawsuits. The Licensing Department moved to 24 Office Street, across from the Circuit courthouse, and handles marriage applications, civil ceremonies, business licenses, license renewals, notary work, and passports. The phone lines are 410-638-3489 and 410-638-3586, and the office keeps the same 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekday hours as the courthouse.
Marriage licensing is the busiest of these services. The fee is $50, and a civil ceremony can be booked in the Ceremonial Room for $25. Certified marriage copies cost $5.50 each and are available only for Harford-issued marriages. The Licensing Department is also where you go for a notary authentication or a passport application, so a single office covers several needs.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is the official version that courts and agencies accept. People need one to prove a divorce, a judgment, or another court action. The steps below cover a Circuit Court copy request.
- Find the case number through Maryland Case Search or your own papers.
- Tell the Clerk which document and how many copies you need.
- Submit the request in person or by mail with the fee.
- Pick up the copy, or include a return address for mail delivery.
Certification costs $5 plus $0.50 per page. The office takes cash, money orders, certified checks, attorney checks, and Visa or Mastercard for civil fees.
The Clerk can certify many Circuit Court records. Common ones include a judgment of divorce, a money judgment, a name-change order, and other final orders. A certified copy carries the Clerk's seal, which is what a court, agency, employer, or other body needs to treat the copy as official. A plain copy is fine for personal reference, but it will not stand in for the certified version where one is required.
Records Request Form Fields
A copy request, whether on a form or in a letter, should carry the same basics so the Clerk can find the file. The table lists what to include.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | No | Speeds the search; find it on Case Search if unknown. |
| Party Names | Yes | Full names as recorded in the case. |
| Document Type | Yes | The specific record, such as a divorce judgment. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Each certified copy carries its own fee. |
| Payment and Return Address | Yes for mail | Include payment and where to send the copy. |
Harford County Clerk Fees
The Clerk posts a civil fee schedule that covers filings, copies, and post-judgment work. Filing fees change if an attorney files. The table lists common charges from the Harford civil fee page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Civil action, without attorney | $165.00 |
| Civil action, with attorney | $185.00 |
| Appeal to Appellate Court of Maryland | $121.00 |
| Attorney appearance | $20.00 |
| Plain copy, per page | $0.50 |
| Certification | $5.00 plus $0.50 per page |
| Post-judgment activity | $31.00 |
The civil action fee of $165 includes an $80 filing fee, a $55 Maryland Legal Services Corporation surcharge, and a $30 Records Improvement Fund charge.
Common Clerk Forms and Pages
The Clerk uses statewide Judiciary forms along with local pages for fees and records. These links lead to the official sources for the most common needs.
- Harford Clerk records page - civil, criminal, juvenile, land, and plat records.
- Harford civil fee schedule - filing, copy, and certification fees.
- Maryland Judiciary forms - statewide court forms by case type.
- Clerk directions and parking - how to reach the courthouse.
Mail and Online Filings
Many records are available without a trip downtown. Maryland Case Search gives free online summaries of Circuit and District Court cases. Attorneys and authorized parties file and view documents electronically through the Judiciary's MDEC and JPortal systems. The public can still view paper files at the courthouse and request copies for a fee.
For a mailed request, send the case details, payment, and a return address to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County at 20 West Courtland Street, Bel Air, MD 21014. A mailed credit-card payment may need a separate authorization form, so call ahead to confirm what to include.
Note: The Clerk's office cannot give legal advice or perform a title search, so plan to bring or look up the case number before you ask for a copy.