Queen Anne's County Divorce Decree Records

Divorce decree records in Queen Anne's County are held at the Circuit Court in Centreville, where Clerk Katherine Hager oversees case files and handles requests for certified copies. The court serves this Eastern Shore jurisdiction and keeps divorce decrees on file going back many decades, with some older records accessible through a separate system or the Maryland State Archives.

Circuit Court Clerk Office

Clerk Katherine Hager runs the Queen Anne's County Circuit Court office at 200 North Commerce Street in Centreville. This is the main place to get a certified copy of a divorce decree, look up an old case, or submit a records request. The clerk's office holds divorce files going back many years and can search by name or case number depending on what you have.

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can walk in, call ahead, or send a written request by mail. If you plan to visit in person, bring valid photo ID and as much case information as you have ready. The more detail you provide about the parties and the approximate year, the faster the search will go. Staff are generally responsive and can tell you right away whether the record you need is held locally or may be at the State Archives.

E-service is available for attorneys and registered self-represented parties through the Maryland courts e-filing system. This does not apply to records requests but is relevant if you are an active party in a pending case. For certified copy requests, the traditional in-person or mail process is the standard approach.

Certified copies mailed to you will be sent directly to the requesting party at the address you provide. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with mail requests to speed up return delivery. Payment for mail requests should be in the form of a money order or check made out to the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Note: Call before visiting to confirm the record you want is held at this location. Some older cases may have been transferred to the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis.

Fees for Divorce Decree Copies

Queen Anne's County follows the standard Maryland court fee schedule. A certified copy costs $5.00 per document, plus $0.50 per page for each page in the file. Most divorce decrees run between two and ten pages, so the total cost is usually in the $6.00 to $10.00 range for a basic decree. If the file includes exhibits or attachments, the cost goes up with the page count.

If you don't have the case number and need staff to search by name, a $12 search fee applies for each five-year period they must search. Using the free Maryland Judiciary Case Search online before you contact the clerk can save you that $12 fee. The online system shows case numbers for divorces filed in Queen Anne's County, and finding it takes only a few minutes.

Exemplification, which is a higher level of document authentication sometimes needed for use in other countries or states, costs $10.00 on top of the standard copy fees. Most people only need a standard certified copy, but if you are unsure what level of certification you need, check with the agency requesting the document before you order.

Note: Payment in person can be made by cash or other methods accepted at the clerk's window. For mail requests, money orders are safest. Do not mail cash.

Searching Queen Anne's County Divorce Cases Online

The Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal covers all circuit courts in the state, including Queen Anne's County. You can use it at no cost to find divorce case numbers, check filing dates, and see whether a final judgment was entered. Look for cases labeled "DA" in the case type field, which means absolute divorce. The system is available any time at casesearch.courts.state.md.us.

One limitation to know about: divorce cases filed in Queen Anne's County between 1975 and July 1984 may not be available through the Maryland Case Search database. If the divorce you are looking for falls in that time range, contact the clerk's office directly or check the Papervision system that is available in the Centreville office. Staff can assist you with both. For records that predate even those systems, the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis is the right place to look.

The Maryland Courts homepage is a good starting point for all things related to court records access in Maryland. The screenshot below shows what the site looks like and where to find the links you need.

From the Maryland Courts site, you can reach the statewide case search, court forms, self-help resources, and clerk contact information for Queen Anne's County and every other county in the state.

Case Search is useful for finding that a case exists and getting a case number. It does not show the full text of the decree or let you download filed documents. For a certified copy of the actual divorce decree, you still need to contact the Centreville clerk's office or the State Archives, depending on the age of the case.

What the Divorce Decree Includes

A final divorce decree from Queen Anne's County is a signed court order that legally ends the marriage. The document carries the circuit court judge's signature and the clerk's seal. It is the primary legal record of the divorce and the document most institutions will ask to see when you need to prove a marriage was dissolved.

The decree states the full names of both parties as they appeared in the case, the date the marriage was entered into, and the date the divorce takes effect. It identifies the grounds for divorce that applied. Maryland Family Law allows for absolute divorce under three grounds as of October 2023: a six-month separation, irreconcilable differences, or mutual consent. The decree will indicate which one was used in the case.

If property was divided or debt was allocated, those terms appear in the decree or in a separate settlement agreement attached to it. Child custody, visitation schedules, and support payments are also written into the order when the couple had minor children. Under Maryland Family Law § 7-105, if a name change was granted as part of the divorce, it is either in the decree itself or it can be pursued within 18 months of the final order through the court.

Certified copies are needed for official use. Plain copies are fine for personal reference. If you need to change a name on a government ID, update a beneficiary, or provide proof of divorce to a court or agency in another state, a certified copy with the court seal is what you need. The Queen Anne's County clerk can provide both types at the fees listed above.

Maryland Divorce Law and Records Access

Under Maryland Family Law § 7-101, at least one spouse must be a Maryland resident at the time a divorce is filed. If the grounds for divorce arose outside the state, the filing spouse must have lived in Maryland for at least six months before filing. If the grounds arose inside Maryland, current residency is enough. Queen Anne's County Circuit Court handles all divorces where the parties reside in the county.

Maryland Family Law § 7-106 requires that every circuit court clerk permanently record all final divorce decrees and keep them accessible to the public. This means the Queen Anne's County clerk must retain these records indefinitely. There is no point at which a final divorce decree becomes unavailable or is destroyed. Anyone with a legitimate need can request a copy at any time, though access rules apply as set out under Maryland court records rules.

The People's Law Library at peoples-law.org offers a plain-language overview of Maryland divorce law and covers the grounds, process, and what to expect from the court. It is a free resource and does not require registration to use.

Note: If you need to file for divorce in Queen Anne's County rather than just look up an existing record, the standard filing fee is $165 without an attorney and $185 with one. Court forms are available free at mdcourts.gov/courtforms.

Divorce Verification and Vital Records

If you only need to confirm that a divorce took place and don't need the full decree, the Maryland Division of Vital Records can help. They maintain a statewide record of divorces filed since January 1, 1992. The cost for a verification is $12. Their website is at health.maryland.gov/vsa. The vital records office is located at 6550 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215.

The vital records verification is not a substitute for the certified copy of the decree itself. It only shows the names and date of divorce, not the terms. For anything that involves property division, custody, support, or name changes, you need the actual decree from the Queen Anne's County Circuit Court or the State Archives. The verification is mainly useful for quick confirmation or when a full decree is not needed.

Historical Records at the Maryland State Archives

The Maryland State Archives holds older divorce records transferred from circuit courts after local retention periods. For Queen Anne's County divorces that predate the online case search system or that occurred before the 1970s or 1980s, the Archives may be the only source of a certified copy. You can visit in person at 350 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401, or call 410-260-6400.

The Archives research guide at guide.msa.maryland.gov explains what records exist for each county and how to access them. Certified copies from the Archives cost $25, and orders can be placed through the online form at shop.msa.maryland.gov. The image below shows the Archives divorce records guide, which lists what is available for Queen Anne's County and neighboring jurisdictions.

For cases that fall in the 1975 to July 1984 gap in the online system, contacting both the clerk's office and the Archives gives you the best chance of locating the record quickly.

Legal Help and Self-Help Resources

The Maryland Courts self-help center at mdcourts.gov/selfhelp covers the divorce process from start to finish. You can also call 410-260-1392 for assistance. Court forms are free to download from mdcourts.gov/courtforms. If you need help understanding what your decree says or what your options are, the legal help section at mdcourts.gov/legalhelp/family/divorce walks through common questions in plain language.

Income-based fee waivers are available for those who cannot afford filing fees. Ask the clerk's office for form CC-DC-089 if you think you qualify. Legal aid referrals for Queen Anne's County can be found through the Maryland court system's legal help directory.

Cities and Towns in Queen Anne's County

Centreville is the county seat of Queen Anne's County and the location of the Circuit Court. All divorce cases filed in the county are handled at the courthouse in Centreville, regardless of where in the county a resident lives. Centreville does not have a qualifying city page on this site. Other communities in the county include Stevensville, Chester, and Grasonville, which are also served by the Circuit Court in Centreville.

Nearby Counties

Queen Anne's County shares borders with several other Maryland counties on the Eastern Shore and across the Chesapeake Bay. If you are unsure whether a divorce was filed in Queen Anne's or a neighboring county, use the Maryland Judiciary Case Search to check all courts at once.