Queen Anne's County Clerk Office
Maryland uses a Clerk of the Circuit Court structure for county-level court records. Queen Anne's County does not have a separate county clerk or district clerk split for this site. The Maryland Judiciary Clerk and Circuit Court page describes the Clerk of the Court as a locally elected state official whose duties are set by Maryland law and the Rules of the Supreme Court of Maryland. The research also notes that Maryland clerks have provided essential services since 1658 and that revenue collected by clerks is distributed to city, county, and state governments.
Katherine B. Hager is the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County. Her official biography states that she was elected in November 2018 and took office the following month. She has worked in the Maryland Judiciary since 1991, served as Chief Deputy Clerk in Queen Anne's County from 2006 to 2018, and earlier held the same position in Howard County. Her biography also connects the office to Maryland Electronic Courts, including MDEC implementation in Queen Anne's County and statewide user and project committees.
Clerk's Office, Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County
Clerk: Katherine B. Hager
200 N. Commerce Street
Centreville, MD 21617
410-758-1773
Toll-free in Maryland: 800-987-7591
TTY: Maryland Relay 711
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The assigned Clerk Katherine B. Hager biography source anchors the local office profile.
That biography is also the source for the office's MDEC and court-technology background.
Queen Anne's County Clerk Duties
The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains records and performs services that are easy to confuse with other offices. Circuit Court case records, civil and criminal filings, juvenile filings, family and divorce case files, land records, marriage licenses, business licenses, notary commissions, passports, and civil wedding ceremonies route through the Clerk's Office. Estate records route to the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court, District Court case records route to the District Court location and statewide Case Search, and Sheriff's records route through the Sheriff's public-information request process.
- Files, processes, and maintains civil, criminal, and juvenile actions each year.
- Records deeds, mortgages, plats, conveyances, and related land documents.
- Issues marriage licenses and performs civil wedding ceremonies.
- Issues business licenses and processes passport applications.
- Commissions Notaries Public and administers oaths to officials, judges, and appointees.
Request Queen Anne's County Certified Copies
Certified copies come from the office that holds the official record. For Circuit Court case documents, the Clerk's Office is the direct records custodian. For marriage copies, the Clerk can issue a certified copy after the officiant returns the completed license. For older Circuit Court records that do not appear in Case Search, the Clerk's court-record page warns that some Queen Anne's County files may be on Papervision at the Clerk's Office rather than online.
- Identify the case number, party names, record type, or license record before contacting the Clerk's Office.
- Check Maryland Judiciary Case Search for public Circuit Court case information when the record is expected to be online.
- Contact or visit the Clerk's Office for full file copies, certification, Papervision records, or records not visible online.
- Pay copy, certification, exemplification, or related fees based on the service requested.
- Use the marriage certified-copy form and cashier's check or money order when ordering marriage copies by mail.
Note: Online case data can help identify a record, but certified copies must come from the official court or clerk record custodian.
Queen Anne's County Request Fields
The research found several request channels, not one universal online form for all Clerk records. Case Search provides online case lookup fields. The Clerk's court-record page supports in-person review, including older Papervision-related records. The marriage page provides an attached Request for Certified Copy form for mailed marriage copies. Business license work can involve eLicense, owner or officer signatures, and license fees.
| Request field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number or citation number | Best when known | Use Case Search or docket information to identify the exact court file. |
| Party names | Yes | Needed for case, marriage, and many land or license records. |
| Record or document type | Yes | Examples include decree, judgment, order, marriage certificate, deed, plat, or business license. |
| Number of copies | Yes for copy requests | Copy fees apply by page or copy type. |
| Certification needed | Yes if certified copy is required | Certification and exemplification fees are separate from copy fees. |
| Mailing and contact information | Yes for mailed requests | Use the official form or Clerk instructions for mailed marriage-copy requests. |
Queen Anne's County Clerk Fees
The Queen Anne's County civil and land records research gives the strongest documented fee schedule for Clerk services. Fees vary by service. Copy fees are separate from certification or exemplification. Land records have their own filing and plat costs. Marriage certified copies use the separate $5.50 copy amount from the official marriage page. Do not use one fee row for every Clerk service.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Copy fee | $0.50 per page | Civil Department and land-record copy context. |
| Certification fee | $5.00 | Plus copy fees. |
| Exemplification fee | $10.00 | Plus copy fees. |
| Sheriff's fee | $60.00 | Listed in civil fee research for relevant service context. |
| Docketing motion fee | $31.00 | Examples include contempt, charging order, custody or support modification, writs, and garnishment. |
| Dismissal | $15.00 | Plus open court costs. |
| Request for oral examination | $25.00 | Plus $15.00 over $1,000. |
| Foreign judgment | $110.00 | Civil fee table. |
| Plat recording | $25.00 | Payable to the Clerk. |
| Land-record initial filing | $50.00 | Land Records cost section. |
| Certified marriage copy | $5.50 each | Available after the Clerk receives the officiant return. |
Queen Anne's County Land Records
The Clerk's Office records deeds, mortgages, plats, conveyances, homeowner association disclosures, and related land documents. The land records page also provides local costs, including plat recording, initial filing, per-page copy charges, and amendment charges of $5.00 per page up to $25.00. Land records are a Clerk function, but they are not the same as a court case file. A deed search, a civil judgment search, and a Circuit Court case search may use different systems and request routes.
The assigned Queen Anne's County Land Records source shows the Clerk's land-record duties and costs.
Use the land-records source for deeds and plats, not for District Court traffic or estate filings.
Queen Anne's County Clerk Access Channels
Online access starts with Maryland Judiciary Case Search for most public District Court and Circuit Court case information. MDEC supports electronic court operations and e-filing. Attorneys and registered self-represented parties began receiving E-Service from the clerks on August 1, 2019, replacing notices previously mailed by the Clerk's Office. Mail is most clearly documented for certified marriage-copy requests, while general case-file copy questions should be directed to the Clerk's Office.
| Channel | Use it for | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland Judiciary Case Search | Public case summaries for Circuit and District Court records | Not all records, documents, or older Papervision files are online. |
| Clerk in person | Certified copies, Papervision records, marriage records, passports, notary and license help | Public hours and access rules apply. |
| Certified marriage-copy requests with official form and payment | General case copy mail process should be confirmed with the Clerk. | |
| MDEC or e-filing | Electronic filing and service for eligible users | Not a public copy-request substitute. |
| Other offices | District Court, Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, or Sheriff records | Use the office that created or holds the record. |
Queen Anne's County Clerk History
The local courthouse history adds useful context for Clerk records. The Maryland Judiciary history page says the Queen Anne's County Court House was accepted by the County Court on June 1, 1796 after the county seat moved from Queenstown to Centreville. The page calls it the oldest courthouse in continuous use in Maryland. That history explains why older local court and clerk records may have special office handling instead of a full modern online path.
The assigned historical judges source connects the Clerk and Circuit Court record environment to local judicial history.
Historical lists and courthouse history should be used as context, while active record copies still route to the current Clerk's Office.