About the Anne Arundel County Clerk's Office
The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County is Scott A. Poyer, who was elected in 2018. The clerk biography notes more than 30 years of government experience, 20 years of Coast Guard service, and senior federal government work. The chief deputy clerk is Mary Katharine Fowler, Esq., who joined the office in 2019 after more than 20 years of legal practice. The office supports both court work and nonjudicial services at the county courthouse in Annapolis.
The Clerk's Office says it processes about 100,000 land records, 75,000 legal documents, 8,000 business licenses, and 5,000 marriage licenses each year, with about 125 staff. Judicial departments include Civil, Family, Juvenile, Criminal, and Courtroom Clerks. Nonjudicial services include land records, business and marriage licenses, notary services, passport-related functions, military discharge recording, and federal tax lien indexing.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk: Scott A. Poyer
8 Church Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-222-1397
clerkaacocircuitcourt@aacounty.org
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court page is the main source for office hours, departments, MDEC notices, and office scale.
That page identifies the office that connects public court records, certified copies, licenses, and attorney filing support in Anne Arundel County.
What the Clerk Does in Anne Arundel County
The clerk is the record custodian for Circuit Court case files and courtroom records. The office also handles license functions and land-record functions that are separate from ordinary case lookup. Maryland does not use a Texas-style split district clerk and county clerk model for these court records. In Anne Arundel County, the resolved office name is Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the separate probate estate office is the Register of Wills.
- Civil and family records, including divorce, custody, child support, name changes, and noncriminal filings.
- Criminal records, including public criminal case files, bond processing for Circuit Court matters, subpoenas, and records that are not sealed.
- Marriage licenses, certified marriage copies, business licenses, notary services, and related license counter work.
- Land records, military discharge recording, federal tax lien indexing, and other nonjudicial records.
The clerk biography page provides leadership details for the current clerk and chief deputy clerk.
The biography source supports the local office profile rather than treating the clerk as a generic county records counter.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is a clerk-issued copy that carries official certification for formal use. It may be needed for marriage proof, divorce decrees, orders, judgments, land-record use, appeals, or agency filing. Case Search can help identify a case number, but the public online index is not a certified court record. The correct request channel depends on the record type and department.
- Identify the case number, license number, party names, or filing date through Case Search, a personal record, or the relevant department.
- Choose the department: Civil and Family Records, Criminal Department, License Department, Land Records, Juvenile Department, or another clerk unit.
- Ask for the exact document type, such as decree, judgment, order, license copy, or certified case record.
- Submit the request in person, by mail where allowed, or through the filing channel the department directs, with payment and return information.
- Use the originating court or clerk when Case Search is missing a record, shows limited metadata, or does not display a restricted criminal disposition online.
Records Request Form Fields
The research file provides a detailed field inventory for marriage certified copy requests, and the same logic applies to many clerk copy requests: identify the parties, identify the record, state the number of copies, provide contact information, and include payment. Criminal Department phone requests require a case number when asking about a public criminal case, and the department does not perform criminal background checks.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case, license, or record number | Optional but helpful | Marriage license number is optional if known; criminal callers should have a case number. |
| Party names | Yes | Names of parties to the case, marriage, filing, or record. |
| Date of event or filing | Usually yes | Marriage date, filing date, judgment date, or approximate date helps locate the record. |
| Document type | Yes | Certified marriage copy, decree, order, judgment, land record, or other specific document. |
| Daytime phone number | Yes for marriage copy requests | Used for follow-up if the clerk needs more information. |
| Number of copies | Yes | State how many certified or plain copies are requested. |
| Payment and return envelope | Yes when mailed | Marriage copy mail requests may include a self-addressed stamped envelope for faster return. |
Anne Arundel County Clerk Fees
The research file gives confirmed fee amounts for marriage licensing and marriage copies, plus payment notes for the Criminal Department and Case Search. It does not provide a complete statewide civil copy fee table, so unverified copy, certification, and search amounts are not invented. Department counters can confirm current copy charges before payment.
| Item | Amount / note |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $55.00 |
| Civil marriage ceremony | $25.00 |
| Certified marriage copy | $5.50 per copy |
| Case Search viewing | Free public search; certified copies require clerk request. |
| Criminal Department counter payments | Cash, check, or money order only. |
| Probate fees | Handled separately through the Register of Wills. |
Common Clerk Forms
Common clerk transactions may involve a court form, a department counter request, or a Maryland Electronic Courts filing. Marriage certified-copy requests use the marriage license page instructions. Nonresident marriage applications use the Maryland Non-Resident Affidavit when applicants cannot apply in Anne Arundel County in person before the waiting period. Family and divorce filings use Maryland family-law forms and may also route through the Family Law Help Center for self-represented help.
- Marriage license and certified copy instructions - new licenses, civil ceremonies, and certified marriage copies.
- Civil and Family Department - divorce, custody, child support, name changes, and noncriminal filings.
- Criminal Department - public criminal case records, subpoenas, bond notes, and sealed-case limits.
The county's Clerk of the Court listing summarizes judicial and nonjudicial services for local users.
The county listing is a useful cross-check for service categories, but court case requests still follow the Circuit Court clerk departments.
Mail and Online Filings
Anne Arundel County court-record access has several channels. Online public access starts with Maryland Judiciary Case Search for District and Circuit case records. The Circuit Court Daily Docket is a separate schedule channel and updates between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. for the next day's docket. In-person access runs through the clerk's department counters at 8 Church Circle. Marriage certified-copy requests and some other clerk requests may be mailed to the appropriate department at the same courthouse address.
Attorneys filing in Anne Arundel County must use Maryland Electronic Courts and Tyler File & Serve for covered cases. The clerk page states mandatory e-filing applies to attorneys in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, District Court, and appellate proceedings from those cases on or after October 14, 2014. The Tyler File & Serve Help Desk is 800-297-5377, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Attorney filings that should be e-filed may be returned if filed improperly.
Public users should not treat MDEC attorney filing access as the same thing as public remote document access. Case Search is the public lookup channel for Circuit and District case metadata, while full documents and certified copies still depend on the originating clerk department and the access rule that applies to that record. Older or non-electronic records may require the courthouse counter. Criminal records that are public can be accessed in person at the Criminal Department, but sealed cases require a court order and some criminal outcomes no longer display online even when courthouse access may still exist.
The main department phone list helps route requests before a courthouse trip: Civil and Family Records is 410-222-1219, Criminal Department is 410-222-1420, Juvenile Department is 410-222-1427, Land Records is 410-222-1425, License Department is 410-222-1434, Appeals Clerk is 410-222-1431, and Court Reporters is 410-222-1457. The general court information number is 410-222-1397.
Mail requests should be addressed to the specific department when the record type is known, because the same courthouse houses several clerk functions. A marriage certified-copy request belongs with the License Department, a divorce decree belongs with Civil and Family Records, a public criminal file belongs with the Criminal Department, and land-record questions belong with Land Records. That routing helps avoid delays when a request reaches the general courthouse address. Phone routing works the same way for public record questions.
Note: County agency public-information requests are separate from judiciary case files, which are governed by Maryland court-record access rules.