Maryland property deeds

Deeds Maryland recognizes

How a deed has to be signed in Maryland

Maryland requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public. No witnesses are required.

Maryland document formatting rules

A safe layout for Maryland is 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch clear space at the top of the first page for the clerk of the circuit court's stamp, 1-inch margins elsewhere, and no type smaller than 10 point. That is the profile Deedly formats every Maryland document to. Writing into the recorder's stamp area is the most common formatting rejection there is.

• Maryland law requires black type of at least 8 point on white paper, a 3-inch top margin on page one, and 1-inch left and right margins on every page (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(e)(1)(i)). A deed that does not conform costs three times the normal recording charge. Deedly uses 10-point type and 1-inch margins on all sides.

Maryland transfer tax and recording fees

Maryland charges State transfer tax, recordation tax and county transfer tax at State transfer tax 0.5% of the consideration (0.25%, paid entirely by the seller, on a sale of an improved home to a first-time Maryland homebuyer who will live there and gives a sworn statement), plus recordation tax at the county's rate, from $2.50 per $500 (Baltimore County, Howard) to $7.00 per $500 (Frederick), with a premium on larger amounts in Montgomery, plus county transfer tax from none to 1.5% (Baltimore City 1.5%; Anne Arundel 1%, or 1.5% at $1 million or more; Prince George's 1.4%; Howard 1.25%; Montgomery 1%). Many counties exempt part of the price for owner-occupants or first-time buyers (Md. Tax-Prop. Code §§ 12-103(b), 13-408, 13-409). In a sale, Maryland law presumes the buyer and seller share the recordation tax and any State or local transfer tax equally unless their agreement or the law says otherwise (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-104(b)). When an improved home is sold to a first-time Maryland homebuyer who will live in it, the seller pays the entire State transfer tax (§ 14-104(c)(2)).

Common exemptions: transfers between spouses or former spouses (no recordation or State transfer tax, Tax-Property Article §§ 12-108(d) and 13-207(a)(3); no county transfer tax only when made under a property settlement or divorce decree, § 13-403(b)), transfers to a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandchild, grandparent or in-law, step-relations included, subject to a mortgage the recipient takes over (no recordation or State transfer tax on the mortgage balance, §§ 12-108(c) and 13-207(a)(2); any money paid is still taxed), deeds for no consideration (both taxes are measured by the consideration, §§ 12-103(a) and 13-203(a); a mortgage the recipient takes over counts as consideration unless the relatives rule applies, and some counties ask for a no-consideration affidavit), and transfers into a living trust, or from it to its beneficiaries, that meet Estates and Trusts Article § 14.5-1001 (no recordation or State transfer tax, §§ 12-108(ee) and 13-207(a)(23)).

Recording fees run $60 per document. Maryland sets the fee by statute, the same in every county: $20 to record a deed of 9 pages or fewer, or of any length if the property is solely a principal residence ($75 for a longer deed otherwise), plus the $40 land records surcharge, so $60 for a typical deed (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-601(a)(2); Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 13-604). It is charged per deed, not per page.

See how Maryland's transfer tax and recording fee compare with other states.

How to hold title in Maryland

• Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
• Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
• Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
• Tenancy by the entirety. Married couples only, with automatic survivorship and, in most states that allow it, protection from one spouse's creditors.

Where to record a deed in Maryland

Deeds are recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court (Land Records) in the county where the property is located. Maryland has 24 counties. Many offices accept e-recording, but usually only from approved submitters such as title companies, attorneys, and lenders.

Montgomery · Prince George's · Baltimore County · Anne Arundel · Baltimore City · Howard · Frederick · Harford · Carroll. all Maryland recording offices

Why deeds get rejected in Maryland

• Maryland requires a certification of preparation on the deed: it must state that the instrument was prepared by a Maryland attorney or by one of the parties named in it (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(f)). Preparing it yourself is allowed, but the certification has to say so, and the person it names signs it. The Clerk will not record a deed without it.
• Deeds that change ownership must first be endorsed by the county's finance office or treasurer, certifying that the property taxes are paid (and, in many counties, collecting the recordation and county transfer tax), before the Clerk will record them (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(a) and (b)). Get a lien certificate first: all current property taxes must be paid. A deed mailed straight to the Clerk without that endorsement cannot be recorded. A transfer-on-death deed and its revocation are the exception: the 2026 Act exempts them from that endorsement (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(a)(1)(ii)).
• The Land Instrument Intake Sheet (Form AOC-CC-300) must accompany every deed (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(g)(2)). For a transfer-on-death deed the Clerk may refuse to record it without one (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(g)(6)(ii)).
• A Maryland deed for any consideration needs each seller's certification, under penalties of perjury, that the seller is a Maryland resident or that the property is the seller's principal residence, made in the deed or on Comptroller Form WH-AR recorded with it. Otherwise a nonresident seller files Form MW506NRS and pays withholding of 8.75% (individuals) or 8.25% (entities) of the seller's net proceeds before the Clerk records the deed. A deed that states zero consideration is exempt (Md. Code, Tax-Gen. § 10-912).
• If you claim a tax exemption, the deed itself must cite it by section, and so must Section 3 of the intake sheet (Md. Real Prop. Code § 3-104(g)(3)(vi)). Clerks such as Calvert's and Harford's charge the full tax when the deed does not cite the exemption.
• Maryland recognizes transfer-on-death deeds for owners who die on or after October 1, 2026, under the Maryland Transfer-on-Death Deed Act (Md. Real Prop. Code §§ 14-1001 to 14-1014). A TOD deed is exempt from recordation tax and from state and county transfer tax when the property is the owner's primary or secondary residence.
• Tenancy by the entirety is presumed for married couples and gives strong creditor protection.
• Maryland has 23 counties and Baltimore City, each with its own circuit court Land Records office (24 in all). Baltimore City is separate from Baltimore County.