Queen Anne's County Circuit Court
The Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County is the primary county-level trial court in the Maryland structure. It handles major civil matters, felony criminal cases, jury trials, family cases, juvenile matters, and appeals from certain lower-court or administrative decisions. The Circuit Court sits in Centreville at 200 N. Commerce Street. The court phone listed in the research is 410-758-0216, while the Clerk's Office phone for records and copies is 410-758-1773.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the records custodian for Circuit Court case files. That office handles filings, certified copies, older Papervision records, marriage licenses, land records, business licenses, notary commissions, passports, and related courthouse services. The District Court of Maryland location in Queen Anne's County is separate and handles traffic, landlord-tenant, replevin, civil claims up to $30,000, misdemeanors, and some felonies without jury trials.
Queen Anne's County Court Offices
Queen Anne's County does not have multiple numbered Circuit Courts. The practical court list is a routing table: Circuit Court for county-level trial matters, District Court for lower trial matters, commissioners for charging and warrant functions, and Orphans' Court/Register of Wills for estates.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County | Primary trial court | 200 N. Commerce Street, Centreville, MD 21617 | 410-758-0216 |
| Clerk of the Circuit Court | Records office | 200 N. Commerce Street, Centreville, MD 21617 | 410-758-1773 |
| District Court of Maryland | Lower trial court | 120 Broadway, Suite #1, Centreville, MD 21617-1092 | 410-819-4000 |
| District Court Commissioner | Commissioner station | 120 Broadway, Centreville, MD 21617-1092 | 410-819-4010 |
| Orphans' Court | Estate judicial matters | 107 North Liberty Street, Centreville, MD 21617 | 410-758-0585 |
Circuit Court vs District Court
Maryland court labels can be easy to misread. In Queen Anne's County, Circuit Court is not the same as the District Court of Maryland location on Broadway. The District Court is a statewide lower trial court, while Circuit Court is the county-level trial court with jury-trial authority and broader civil, criminal, and family jurisdiction.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Circuit Court | Orphans' Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Major civil, felony, family, juvenile, and jury-trial cases. | Traffic, landlord-tenant, replevin, misdemeanors, some felonies, and civil claims to $30,000. | Estate disputes and judicial probate matters. |
| Jury trials | Yes. | No. | No general trial-court jury role. |
| Records office | Clerk of the Circuit Court. | District Court office and statewide Case Search. | Register of Wills and Orphans' Court office. |
| Search path | Case Search, docket page, Clerk counter, Papervision where needed. | Case Search, District docket PDF, District Court traffic tools. | Maryland Estate Search and Register of Wills. |
Queen Anne's County Case Flow
Criminal and civil routing depends on the type of filing. A District Court Commissioner may issue charging documents, warrants, or initial bond-related paperwork. Some misdemeanor and lower-level matters stay in District Court. Felony, jury-trial, major civil, family, and juvenile matters can proceed in Circuit Court. Further review moves into Maryland's appellate system.
Process: Commissioner or filing office › District Court or Circuit Court › Circuit Court appeal or jury-trial path where allowed › Appellate Court of Maryland › Supreme Court of Maryland.
The Queen Anne's County phone numbers and resources page is useful when a court issue also requires public-safety contact details.
Public-safety contacts can matter when a case involves warrants, emergency services, sheriff records, or detention questions outside the courthouse file.
Queen Anne's County Circuit Court Dockets
The Circuit Court docket page states that Queen Anne's County Circuit Court dockets are updated Wednesday and Friday afternoon. The docket lists cases to be heard and provides a public schedule source, but last-minute changes can occur. General questions about cases listed on the docket go to the Clerk's Office at 410-758-1773, option 4.
The Circuit Court facility docket PDF can show run date, hearing period, hearing date, courtroom, floor, judge or magistrate, time, hearing type, case number, case title, category, attorney name, and party side labels. A docket is not the full case file. For pleadings, orders, judgments, certified copies, or older Papervision records, use Case Search or the Clerk's Office.
Queen Anne's County Circuit Records
The official local court-records page says records maintained by the Clerk's Office are available to the public for review, but juvenile and adoption case records can be accessed only through a court order. It also says civil and criminal case information for most circuit courts is available online through Case Search. The local caveat is important: some Queen Anne's County Circuit Court records may be found in the Clerk's Office on Papervision and not on Case Search.
- Search Maryland Judiciary Case Search for public Circuit Court case information.
- Use the Circuit Court docket page for upcoming hearing schedule details.
- Call or visit the Clerk's Office for certified copies, old files, and Papervision records.
- Use the District Court location for District Court traffic, landlord-tenant, and lower criminal/civil matters.
- Use Estate Search and the Register of Wills for estate records.
Queen Anne's County Circuit Programs
Queen Anne's County has a documented Adult Drug Court, also called the Court Assisted Recovery and Treatment Program. A Maryland Judiciary news release states that the Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County CART recognized three participants at an inaugural graduation on September 4, 2024. County Administrative Judge Lynn Knight initiated CART in July 2022 and presided over the first ceremony.
The Maryland Judiciary Problem-Solving Courts administrative-orders page lists implementation of an Adult Drug Court in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County with an issued date of June 23, 2022. The research did not locate a county veterans court, mental health court, family recovery court, DWI court, or reentry court page, so those should not be treated as local Queen Anne's Circuit Court programs.
Queen Anne's County Court Terms
Several terms appear often in Circuit Court and District Court records. Knowing the difference helps keep a court-record search from being confused with a jail search or a sheriff report.
- Disposition
- The current or final outcome of a case or charge, such as dismissed, guilty, not guilty, nolle prosequi, stet, or probation before judgment.
- Docket
- A schedule or event list showing hearings and case activity. It is not the full file.
- Charging document
- A document that accuses a person of a criminal offense and starts the court charge path.
- Certified copy
- An official copy issued by the records office with certification for legal use.