Montgomery County Clerk Overview
Montgomery County's primary court-record clerk is the elected Clerk of the Circuit Court. Maryland Manual and Maryland Judiciary directory materials identify Karen A. Bushell as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. The office is the record custodian for Circuit Court case files, marriage license records, certified court copies, land records functions, and other clerk services tied to the Circuit Court in Rockville.
Use the Clerk of the Circuit Court terminology for Montgomery County. Maryland does not use a county clerk and district clerk split for court records in the Texas sense. Circuit Court records route to the Circuit Court Clerk, District Court records route to the District Court location that heard the case, and estates route to the Orphans' Court and Register of Wills.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk: Karen A. Bushell
50 Maryland Avenue, Room 122a
Rockville, MD 20850
240-777-9467
karen.bushell@mdcourts.gov
Maryland court directory hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except legal holidays.
Montgomery County Clerk Duties
The Clerk of the Circuit Court keeps the official Circuit Court file after a case is opened in that court. Public Maryland Judiciary Case Search entries are useful for a case number, parties, docket events, and disposition, but the complete file remains at the courthouse where the case was heard. For Montgomery County Circuit Court matters, that means the Clerk's office, Central Files, or the relevant courthouse service unit is the fallback when a person needs pleadings, orders, judgments, certified copies, or older records not visible online.
The office also handles clerk functions that are not District Court functions. Marriage licenses and certified marriage copies are Clerk of the Circuit Court work. Divorce records are Circuit Court family case records. Felony criminal files, major civil files, equity, juvenile records where access is allowed, family filings, and appeals from District Court are tied to the Circuit Court file.
- Maintain official Montgomery County Circuit Court case files and docket records
- Process filings, pleadings, orders, judgments, and record-copy requests for Circuit Court matters
- Issue and preserve marriage-license records and certified marriage copies
- Collect court costs and fees under the Maryland schedule of charges, costs, and fees
- Coordinate document access when sealed, shielded, expunged, juvenile, or minor-related limits apply
District Court traffic, landlord-tenant, small claims, many misdemeanors, and commissioner-related matters should be checked with the Rockville or Silver Spring District Court location. Probate records should be checked with the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. The Clerk of the Circuit Court can be the right office for many records, but it is not the custodian for every Montgomery County court-related file.
Request Montgomery County Certified Copies
A certified copy is the official clerk-issued version of a court document or record. People often need certified copies for legal filings, name changes, divorce decree proof, criminal disposition proof, marriage-record use, or agency requests that will not accept a screen print. A public Case Search page is not the same as a certified copy because it is only a summary of the official file.
- Search Maryland Judiciary Case Search first if the case number is not known. Capture the complete case number, court name, party names, filing date, and disposition if visible.
- Confirm that the case was heard in Montgomery County Circuit Court. If the matter was heard in District Court, probate, federal court, or another county, send the request to that custodian instead.
- Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court or Central Files with the case number, party names, document name, copy type, and number of copies needed. Ask whether the record is available to the public or requires party status, counsel, or a court order.
- Pay by an accepted method. Montgomery County Circuit Court accepts cash, money order, check payable to "Clerk of the Court," Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. Debit cards, American Express, and credit-card payments by phone are not accepted.
- Pick up the certified copy or follow the clerk's mailing instructions. For sealed, shielded, expunged, juvenile, minor-related, or otherwise restricted material, expect the request to be denied or paused until authorization is provided.
Transcript and courtroom audio requests follow a separate Technical Services path. Montgomery County's transcript/audio form requires case details and hearing information, and sealed, shielded, or minor-related proceedings require court authorization before release.
Montgomery County Request Fields
Good record requests give the clerk enough information to identify the exact file without guessing. Case Search can provide much of that information for public Circuit Court and District Court summaries. If the record is not in Case Search, the request should still include the court, party names, date range, and document type so staff can route it to the correct file or service unit.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Strongly recommended | Use the full Circuit Court case number from Case Search, a court notice, or the clerk's index. |
| Party names | Yes | List names as they appear in the case, including plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or decedent if relevant. |
| Court and location | Yes | State whether the file is Montgomery County Circuit Court, District Court Rockville, District Court Silver Spring, Orphans' Court, or another court. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include judgment, order, divorce decree, criminal disposition, marriage record, pleading, transcript, or courtroom audio. |
| Copy type | Yes | Say whether a plain copy, certified copy, transcript, or audio product is needed. |
| Hearing date and time | For transcript/audio | The transcript and courtroom audio request form asks for hearing dates and times for the requested proceeding. |
| Requester status | Sometimes | Restricted records may require party status, attorney status, agency authority, or a court order. |
| Delivery and contact details | Yes | Provide a mailing address, phone number, or email so the office can price, clarify, or complete the request. |
Montgomery County Clerk Fees
Montgomery County Circuit Court fees are based on the Maryland schedule of charges, costs, and fees under Courts and Judicial Proceedings section 7-202. The local filing-fees page directs users to the current Maryland Judiciary schedule rather than publishing a separate local amount for every item. Do not assume a copy, filing, or certification amount without checking the current schedule or asking the Clerk's office.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Circuit Court filing fees | Use the current Maryland Judiciary fee schedule under Courts and Judicial Proceedings section 7-202 |
| Circuit Court payment methods | Cash, money order, check payable to Clerk of the Court, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa |
| Payment exclusions | No debit cards, no American Express, and no credit-card payments by phone |
| Transcript original | Same day $6.95/page, one day $5.95/page, three day $4.95/page, five day $4.50/page, ten day $3.95/page, twenty day $2.95/page |
| Transcript copy with original | $0.50/page |
| Courtroom audio | $15 per 90 minutes of recorded audio, plus a 5% convenience fee for credit-card payment |
| Transferred historical county court case file from Maryland State Archives | $50 non-refundable and non-transferable per entire case file folder |
Transcript and audio payments are not identical to ordinary filing payments. The county transcript/audio page lists cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover for courtroom audio and notes the credit-card convenience fee. Older audio from June 1982 through September 28, 2001 may take 5 to 10 extra business days because those recordings are in legacy storage.
Common Montgomery County Clerk Forms
The main clerk-related online tools are split by record type. Case summaries start with Maryland Judiciary Case Search, e-filing uses Maryland Judiciary systems where available, and transcript or courtroom audio requests use the Montgomery County Circuit Court Technical Services form. Probate search forms are separate because the Register of Wills is the custodian for estate records.
- Maryland Judiciary Case Search - public case-summary lookup for Circuit Court and District Court cases
- Transcript and Courtroom Audio Request Form - requests for hearing transcripts or courtroom audio products
- Maryland Register of Wills Estate Search - estate file lookup for probate matters
- Maryland Register of Wills Claim Search - claim lookup for estate creditor claims
For official Circuit Court files, the key distinction is summary versus file. Case Search may show a public docket entry, hearing date, or disposition. The official document, certification, sealed-record access review, or older file inspection still runs through the courthouse custodian.
Montgomery County Access Channels
Online access begins with Maryland Judiciary Case Search for public summaries from Circuit Court and District Court cases. Attorneys and eligible litigants may also use Maryland Judiciary MDEC or e-filing systems where they apply. Online access does not mean every pleading, exhibit, order, transcript, or certified copy is downloadable by the public.
In-person access remains important in Montgomery County because paper court records are kept at the courthouse where the case was heard. Circuit Court records are handled through the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Central Files, or the appropriate courthouse service unit. District Court records go to the Rockville or Silver Spring District Court location. Probate records go to the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court.
Mail and phone channels should be used when the record type is known but the access status is not. The Circuit Court main number is 240-777-9400, and the Clerk's office number is 240-777-9467. The Register of Wills main number is 240-777-9600. District Court Rockville lists 301-563-8800 for civil, traffic, and criminal service, while District Court Silver Spring lists 301-563-8500.
Public-information requests are not a substitute for court case access rules. Maryland court case records are governed by Maryland Rules Title 16, Chapter 900. Agency records outside the case file may use the Maryland Public Information Act, General Provisions Article section 4-101 et seq., but sealed, shielded, expunged, juvenile, adoption, mental-health, and protected personal-identifier records can be withheld or redacted.