Maryland
Divorce, lawyers, and free legal help in Maryland — verified against official sources.
How divorce filing works in Maryland
Maryland's courts run the Maryland Court Help Center — free legal help including family law (divorce, custody, child support). Start there before anything else.
Maryland Courts — Court Help Center
The official starting point: free legal help with family law matters. Call 410-260-1392 (Mon–Fri, 8:30–8).
mdcourts.gov — court help center →Find a divorce lawyer
Maryland State Bar — County Lawyer Referrals
The state bar doesn't run a statewide referral service — it connects you to your county bar's referral line (e.g., Baltimore City: 410-539-3112; Montgomery County: 301-279-9100).
msba.org — for the public →New to hiring a lawyer? Read Start Here first — it covers what to ask and what to bring.
Free or low-cost legal help
Maryland Legal Aid
Free civil legal services statewide. Call (410) 951-7750 or apply online.
mdlab.org →Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Call 1-800-917-7383 — Maryland's 24-hour child protective services hotline.
dhs.maryland.gov — contact us →Maryland — Foreclosure Prevention
The Dept. of Housing and Community Development: foreclosure mediation (request within 25 days of notice, $50 fee). Maryland HOPE hotline: 1-800-569-4287.
dhcd.maryland.gov — foreclosure prevention →Call 211
Free, confidential referrals to local help. Dial 211 from any phone.
211.org →Unpaid wages in Maryland
Your boss owes you pay and won't hand it over? Here's where to file and how long you have in Maryland.
Where to go
Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Labor and Industry (Employment Standards Service)
Time limit to file
2 years
What the floor is
$15.00 (2024)
Changing your name in Maryland
Whether it's marriage, divorce, or just time for a fresh start — here's the process in Maryland.
How it works
petition the circuit court in your county
Typical court fee
varies by county — check your local court
Newspaper notice required?
yes
Small claims court in Maryland
Suing someone without a lawyer, for smaller amounts, in a simpler court. Here's how it works in Maryland.
Maximum claim
$5,000
Filing fee
$34
Can you bring one?
yes — allowed (not required)
Clearing your criminal record in Maryland
Expungement or sealing can hide eligible arrests and convictions from background checks. Here's where Maryland stands.
Can records be cleared?
yes — expungement
What qualifies
acquittals/dismissals, probation-before-judgment, stet, pardons, and many misdemeanor and felony convictions
Waiting period
none for acquittals/dismissals; 3 years for probation-before-judgment; 3–5 years for most convictions
Learn more about clearing your criminal record in Maryland →
Child support in Maryland
How child support gets calculated — and when it ends — in Maryland.
How it's figured
income shares guidelines in Md. Code, Fam. Law § 12-204; fillable worksheets published by Maryland DHS
When it ends
age 18, or 19/graduation if still in high school
Lemon law in Maryland
Bought a new car that's constantly in the shop? Maryland's lemon law may get you a refund or a replacement.
Which vehicles qualify
new vehicles purchased or leased in Maryland (cars, trucks, motorcycles)
When it's legally a lemon
4+ repair attempts (1 for brake/steering failure) or 30+ days out of service in the first 24 months/18,000 miles
What you get
refund of purchase price or replacement vehicle
Tenant rights in Maryland
Renting comes with rights most people never hear about until something goes wrong. Here are the key ones in Maryland.
Notice before eviction
30 days to end month-to-month; 10-day notice for nonpayment
Deposit limits & return
Max 1 month's rent (2 months if utility agreement in writing); returned within 45 days with itemized list
When the landlord won't fix things
No repair-and-deduct statute; rent escrow through district court allowed
DUI / DWI in Maryland
Driving under the influence carries some of the stiffest penalties in everyday law. Here's how Maryland handles it.
Blood alcohol (BAC) limit
0.08; enhanced penalties at 0.15 (plus minor-passenger and other aggravators)
Typical penalties
Up to 1 year jail, up to $1,000 fine, 6-month license suspension (IID required)
How far back DUIs count
5-year lookback for enhanced penalties
Gun laws in Maryland
Gun laws vary a lot from state to state — what's perfectly legal in one state can be a crime in another. Here's the big picture for this state. Laws change often, so double-check anything before you act.
Carrying a concealed handgun
Permit required (Wear and Carry Permit), shall-issue post-Bruen, 21+
Carrying openly
Prohibited (permit holders must carry concealed)
Background checks & waiting periods
Private sales: Required (universal; all transfers through licensed dealer) Waiting period: 7 days.
Extreme risk protection
Yes — (Extreme Risk Protective Orders, 2018). Courts can temporarily order firearms removed from someone found to be a danger.
Reciprocity
None; does not recognize any out-of-state permits
Filming the police: your rights in Maryland
Federal appeals courts across the country have recognized a First Amendment right to photograph and record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on it directly. The right does not protect interfering with officers, trespassing, or breaking other laws while you record.
All-party consent
State law generally requires everyone recorded to consent — but on-duty officers in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy, so courts have held that recording them is protected. (Md. Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 10-402)
No buffer-zone law
Maryland has no law setting a minimum distance for filming police. You still must not interfere with officers doing their jobs.
Maryland is all-party consent; recording audio without every party's consent is a felony. But case law holds the wiretap law does not cover on-duty officers in public: in Maryland v. Graber (Harford Co. Cir. Ct. 2010), felony wiretap charges against a motorcyclist who recorded a trooper at a traffic stop were dismissed because the officer had no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Drug & alcohol addiction help in Maryland
Addiction is a health issue, and help is out there — including court programs that can send people to treatment instead of jail. No insurance needed to call.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential referrals to treatment — call 1-800-662-4357 (English & Spanish).
Human trafficking victims in Maryland
If you or someone you know is being forced to work or forced into sex against their will, you are a victim of a crime and help is available — immigration status does not matter.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 — free, confidential, for victims and anyone who suspects trafficking.
Bullying in Maryland
Every state has an anti-bullying law, and every school must have a plan. If your child is being bullied, document what happens and report it in writing to the school — and know what your state’s law requires.
Homelessness help in Maryland
If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, help is close by. Shelters, food, health care, and long-term housing programs exist in every community.
211 homeless services
Dial 211 and press 6 for homeless services in your area.
VA homeless veterans
Homeless veterans: call the VA National Call Center at 1-877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), 24/7.
Deed fraud & squatters in Maryland
Thieves can forge a deed to steal your home’s title — many counties offer free recording alerts that notify you if anything is filed against your property. And if someone is living in your property without permission, your state has specific rules for removing them: you generally cannot just change the locks.
FBI: protect your property from deed fraud
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center alert on parcel-owner impersonation →