Find Divorce Decree Records in St. Mary's County

St. Mary's County divorce decree records are filed at the Circuit Court in Leonardtown under the care of Clerk Debra J. Burch. This Southern Maryland court handles all divorce cases in the county and keeps final decrees on file for certified copy requests, case searches, and records access by parties or authorized representatives.

St. Mary's County Circuit Court Clerk

Clerk Debra J. Burch, known locally as "Debbie," oversees the Circuit Court Clerk office for St. Mary's County at 41605 Courthouse Drive in Leonardtown. The Civil Department handles all divorce-related records requests. Staff can locate divorce decrees by case number or by a name search, though a fee applies when no case number is provided. Knowing the case number before you contact the office saves both time and money.

Office hours for the Civil Department are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can call the Civil line at 301-475-7844 or reach the office toll-free at 1-800-988-5052. Walk-in requests are accepted. Mail requests are also processed, but written requests sent by mail must be notarized. This is a firm requirement for mail requests in St. Mary's County, so plan accordingly if you are not coming in person.

An authorized representative may request records on behalf of a party, but proper documentation of that authorization must accompany the request. The court does not release records to third parties without proof that the request is legitimate. Parties to the case, their legal representatives, and individuals with a direct interest or a court order can all access records through the clerk's office.

Note: Mail requests must include a notarized written request, the full names of both parties, the approximate divorce date, the case number if known, and a copy of valid photo ID. Include payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope for return mail.

Fees for Divorce Decree Records

Certified copies in St. Mary's County cost $5.00 per document plus $0.50 per page. A search fee of $12.00 applies for each five-year period when staff must search by name and no case number is provided. This fee is common across Maryland courts and reflects the staff time needed to manually locate records. Avoiding it is straightforward: run a free name search on Maryland Judiciary Case Search before you reach out, and use the case number you find there.

If you need exemplification, which is a more formal authentication than a standard certified copy, the fee is $10.00 in addition to copy and certification charges. Most people requesting divorce decrees for domestic purposes only need the standard certified copy. Check with the requesting agency if you are not sure which level they need before you pay for the higher-cost option.

For cases filed since January 1, 1992, a divorce verification (not a full copy of the decree) is also available through the Maryland Division of Vital Records for $12. This is enough for some purposes, such as confirming a divorce date, but it does not show the terms of the decree. For anything involving property, custody, support, or name changes, you need the actual decree from the clerk's office.

Searching St. Mary's County Divorce Records Online

Maryland Judiciary Case Search at casesearch.courts.state.md.us covers all Maryland circuit courts, including St. Mary's County. You can search by party name or case number at no charge. Divorce cases appear under the "DA" case type code, which stands for absolute divorce. The system shows filing dates, hearing schedules, and whether a final judgment was entered, but it does not display the text of the decree itself.

Finding the case number through Case Search before you contact the clerk's office eliminates the $12 search fee and speeds up your request. Even if you are not sure of the exact spelling of a name or the exact year, searching a range of years in Case Search usually turns up the right case. Once you have the case number, the clerk can locate the physical file and prepare your certified copy faster.

The screenshot below shows the Maryland Courts homepage, which serves as the main entry point for court records access, case search, and clerk contact information across the state.

From the Maryland Courts homepage, you can also access the Division of Vital Records if a verification of divorce rather than a full certified copy is what you need for your situation.

Maryland Divorce Law Basics

Under Maryland Family Law § 7-101, at least one spouse must be a Maryland resident at the time the divorce is filed. If grounds arose outside the state, one spouse must have lived in Maryland for six months before filing. If grounds arose in Maryland, current residency is sufficient. St. Mary's County Circuit Court handles all cases where at least one party is a county resident.

As of October 2023, Maryland allows absolute divorce on three grounds: a six-month separation, irreconcilable differences, or mutual consent. The mutual consent option requires both parties to agree on all major issues before filing. Contested cases, where the parties disagree on property, custody, or support, take longer and require hearings before a circuit court judge. The decree that comes out of this process is what the clerk's office keeps and what you can request a certified copy of at any time.

Maryland Family Law § 7-106 requires every circuit court clerk to permanently record all final divorce decrees. The St. Mary's County Clerk must keep these records accessible indefinitely, with no expiration. Under § 7-105, a name change can be included in the decree or requested from the court within 18 months after the final order is issued.

The People's Law Library at peoples-law.org provides a free overview of Maryland divorce law that covers residency rules, grounds, the process, and what the final decree contains. It is written in plain language and covers the most common questions people have about Maryland divorce law.

Older Records at the Maryland State Archives

The Maryland State Archives in Annapolis holds historical divorce records that circuit courts transfer after local retention periods. If you are searching for an older St. Mary's County divorce and the clerk's office does not have the file, the Archives is the next place to check. Their collection covers records from all Maryland counties and goes back further than the online case search system does.

You can visit the Archives at 350 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401, or call 410-260-6400. Certified copies from the Archives cost $25 per copy. The online ordering form is at shop.msa.maryland.gov. The research guide at guide.msa.maryland.gov shows which records are held for St. Mary's County and how to find them in the Archives collection.

Legal Help in St. Mary's County

The Maryland Courts self-help page at mdcourts.gov/legalhelp/family/divorce walks through the divorce process step by step. Court forms are free at mdcourts.gov/courtforms. The general self-help center at mdcourts.gov/selfhelp covers many family law topics and includes a phone line at 410-260-1392. If you cannot afford attorney fees, ask the clerk's office about the fee waiver form CC-DC-089 for income-based relief from filing costs.

For residents who need help understanding a decree they already have, or who need guidance on modifying an existing order, the People's Law Library and the Maryland courts legal help resources are both free to use without registration. The Maryland Courts website also links to legal aid organizations that serve Southern Maryland, including St. Mary's County.

Cities and Towns in St. Mary's County

Leonardtown is the county seat of St. Mary's County and the location of the Circuit Court. All divorce filings and records requests for St. Mary's County go through the courthouse in Leonardtown. The county seat does not have a qualifying city page on this site. Other communities in the county, including Lexington Park, California, and Great Mills, are all served by the same Circuit Court in Leonardtown.

Nearby Counties

St. Mary's County is located in Southern Maryland. If you need to check whether a divorce was filed in a neighboring county rather than St. Mary's, the Maryland Judiciary Case Search covers all counties at once and can help you narrow it down.