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Current Cases
Most court cases will not be heard. Hearings scheduled during the court closure will be rescheduled. The court will contact you with a new date. Hearing dates on Case Search may not be updated during the closure.
Read the Administrative Order: Amended Administrative Order on the Progressive Resumption of Full Function of Judiciary Operations Previously Restricted Due to the COVID-19 Emergency
Current Court Orders
Custody and parenting time: All court orders for a child’s custody, parenting time, and child support are still in effect.
Child support: You must continue to pay your child support as ordered.
For more information about custody, visitation, and child support, see the Statement from the Maryland Judiciary on Matters Concerning Children & Families.
Matters Being Heard
The following family law emergencies are being heard:
- Family law emergencies (Custody, child access, visitation, support)
- Domestic violence hearings (New cases: contact a District Court Commissioner)
- Peace order hearings (New cases: contact a District Court Commissioner)
- Extreme risk protective order hearings (New cases: contact a District Court Commissioner)
- Child in Need of Assistance (CINA)
- Emergency delinquency hearings
- Emergency guardianship matters
- Contempt relating to peace or protective orders
The following matters are also being heard:
- Scheduling conferences
- Status conferences
- Uncontested divorce and other uncontested matters
- Domestic violence protective orders
- Domestic violence, peace, and extreme risk protective order appeals
- Family law emergencies that have been determined to require an expedited hearing
- Emergency issues in guardianship matters
- Temporary restraining orders
- Default hearings
- Exceptions not requiring witness testimony
- Matters that can be handled remotely or without testimony or both
The following Children in Need of Assistance (CINA) matters are being heard:
- Shelter care hearings
- CINA matters that are uncontested or can be heard by proffer including adjudications, dispositions, permanency plans, and permanency plan reviews.
- Termination of parental rights that are by consent or proffer
- Exceptions (uncontested, consented to, or requiring legal argument only)
- Family Treatment/Recovery Court reviews
- Guardianships under juvenile causes
- Adoptions re: CINA and TPR youth
- Matters that can be handled remotely or without testimony or both
Contact your local Circuit Court or District Court. A judge will decide whether your case needs to be heard in person, whether it can be held by video conference, whether it can be rescheduled, or whether it can be resolved without a hearing.
Read the Administrative Order: Amended Administrative Order on the Progressive Resumption of Full Function of Judiciary Operations Previously Restricted Due to the COVID-19 Emergency
Filing court documents while courts are closed
The court will continue to accept documents filed electronically through MDEC, by mail, and in person. If you plan to file in person, all courts have a drop box. Contact the individual court for more information on where and how to use the drop box.
During this emergency, the filing date will be considered as follows:
- MDEC filings: the date of submission.
- Mailed filings: the postmark date.
- Drop box filings: The previous business day, unless there is a timestamp on the drop box.
Filing deadlines and statutes of limitations
New Cases – The Court extended the deadline to initiate new matters.
- Deadlines established by Maryland law or court rules about when you must file new matters in the Maryland state courts, including statutes of limitations, are tolled or suspended effective March 16, 2020.
- The deadlines are tolled or suspended by the number of days the courts are closed plus an additional 15 days.
- The number of days that the courts are closed means March 16, 2020 through July 20, 2020, which are the number of days that the offices of the clerks of the court are closed due to the COVID-19 health emergency. This time (March 16 – July 20) does not count against the time remaining to start a new case.
- More information, including an example, is available on the Maryland Courts website.
Pending Cases - The Court extended the deadline for hearings and other judicial proceedings in existing cases.
- Deadlines established by Maryland law or court rules in existing cases are tolled or suspended effective March 16 by the number of days the courts are closed plus an additional 60 days.
- The number of days that the courts are closed means March 16, 2020 through July 20, 2020, which are the number of days that the offices of the clerks of the court are closed due to the COVID-19 health emergency. This time (March 16 – July 20) does not count against the time remaining to conduct judicial proceedings.
- These proceedings will be scheduled at a future date. Other deadlines remain in effect.
- See the Maryland Courts website for more information, including examples.
Suspension of deadlines does not apply to current court orders regarding custody and visitation schedules, and child support orders.
Scheduling Orders - If you have a scheduling order in a family law case and you want the court to consider changes to that order, submit a motion to the court. The court will consider your request.
No Dismissals for Lack of Jurisdiction or Prosecution - Under normal circumstances the court may dismiss a civil case for lack of jurisdiction (failure to serve the defendant within a specific time) or lack of prosecution (failure to take any action within 1 year). The court will recalculate when cases are eligible to be dismissed for these reasons in light of the modified deadlines.
Read the Administrative Order: Second Revised Administrative Order on the Emergency Tolling or Suspension of Statutes of Limitations and Statutory and Rules Deadlines Related to the Initiation of Matters and Certain Statutory and Rules Deadlines in Pending Matters