How to Obtain and Use Information in Maryland Divorce Records

Marriage is the most sacred of social institutions. But contrary to its intended status as the brick of social structure, modern marriages are breaking down. This is one reason why the number of divorce cases is on the rise. The rate of divorce in the United States is 1 out of 3 today. That adds up to more than 1 million cases of divorces each year in the country.

How Divorce Records are Created

The official filing is the first step of all divorces. After that, divorces run their legal course. At the end, there is a final divorce decree.

Every single step of the proceeding is documented and filed and in many cases, the divorce records are uploaded to the central state repository. Here, they are maintained for both public and government reference and for informational purposes.

Since 1967, this has been officially done based on the Freedom of Information Act which was passed in 1966. Most of the states already had it at the county level long before that.

How to Find and Obtain Maryland Divorce Records

You will need to submit a request for divorce records to the correct government agency. This application can be made in many ways. For example, you can walk into the office to place your request. You can also request the record through mail and phone.

Please take note of the fact that when you are placing a request for divorce records, you will need to pay a fee. Various offices have various processing time and fees and this depends on the mode, the type of request and how much information you have provided in the application.

For example, if you clearly mentioned the date, then you can expect to pay a lot less. On the other hand, if you are not sure of this and want a large span of years to be searched, then you should be prepared to pay extra.

For accessing divorce records from Maryland, please write to the following:

Division of Vital Records Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
6550 Reisterstown Rd.
Reistertown Road Plaza
Baltimore, MD 21215
Fax: (410) 358-0738

You will need to write a check or send a money order that is payable to the Division of Vital Records. The Division of Vital Records office will not do the research for genealogical studies. For this, you must apply to:

State of Maryland Archives
350 Rowe Blvd.
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone:  (410) 260-6400 or  (800) 235-4045
Fax: (410) 974-2525

Information Included in Maryland Divorce Records

While you can obtain the record you want, the privacy of the person concerned is also maintained. For example, you cannot copy the divorce decree or find out information about the settlement, child custody and other such issues. You can verify whether the person is indeed divorced or not, and know the date and county where the divorce was granted.