Mdlandrec.net Frequently Asked Questions
Setting up an account for mdlandrec.net
Will there be a fee to use this system?
Do mdlandrec.net and plats.net have the same usernames and passwords?
Can I choose my own username or password?
Can I have more than one account?
I have applied for an account, but have received no response. What should I do?
About mdlandrec.net
What records are available on this website?
What records are not available on this website?
Where does the data on mdlandrec.net come from?
How is the "verified through date" calculated?
How soon after a deed is recorded will it be viewable on mdlandrec.net?
Where are the original land records located?
What does it mean if a series is marked as "original"?
What do liber and folio mean?
What is a series?
What is the difference between a CAIS/COTT index and a non-electronic virtual index?
Why are there different series for a County Court and a Circuit Court?
What is a transcript?
Why are some images in black and white while other images are in shades of gray?
Some index entries are marked as history records or changed records. What does this mean?
What is the difference between "active" and "retired" index series?
Using mdlandrec.net
How do I find the deed for a particular property address?
What are the parameters of the CAIS/COTT "Search for Instruments by Grantor/Grantee" for individual names?
How do I use the Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property Search deed reference on mdlandrec.net?
Is there a way to limit my search to one type of instrument?
Can I search for privately held mortgages?
Can I search by tax account number on mdlandrec.net?
How can I determine if I owe ground rent?
Sometimes I can view a PDF of an entire instrument and at other times I can only view a document page by page. Why?
How do I report an indexing mistake?
The quality of the image I am viewing is not acceptable. What can be done?
In Prince George’s County, why don’t releases prior to 1994 appear in the CAIS/COTT search or the Land Records Index?
Technical information
What technical specifications are recommended for mdlandrec.net?
Can I use multiple windows or tab browsing with mdlandrec.net?
Troubleshooting
I am only able to view records for a few counties and would like to have access to all counties. What should I do?
When moving quickly through the index books, sometimes Adobe Reader stops working and I receive an error message.
How can I prevent this?
While trying to access indexing/images I came across an error message. Why did this happen
and what should I do?
I have a reference for a plat recorded in a land record book, but the page is not on mdlandrec.net.
Where can I find it?
For almost every image that I try to view I receive a message that the page is unavailable.
What is wrong?
When the same search is done on different computers, one of the computers does not get all of the results. Why?
When I print a land record I only get a small portion of the image. How can I fix this?
I am repeatedly asked to enter my mdlandrec.net user name and password. Why?
While jumping from one page to another in the virtual index book, sometimes my screen goes blank. How can I correct this?
I am having problems with my Adobe Reader. What should I do?
I received an error message when I tried to send a message through the “Contact the Help Desk” or the “Unsatisfactory Image” link. What should I do?
Related Information
How do I record a land record?
Where can I find land record intake forms?
Further Information
I was unable to find the answer to my question. What should I do?
Setting up an account for mdlandrec.net
Will there be a fee to use this system?
This service is being provided free to all those interested in testing the system.
There are currently no plans to charge a fee for use of this system.
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Do mdlandrec.net and plats.net have the same usernames and passwords?
Mdlandrec.net provides a unique username and password for each user. Plats.net uses a generic
login that can be obtained by emailing geoserv@mdarchives.state.md.us.
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Can I choose my own username or password?
You cannot create your own login information. Your username is the email address you
entered during the application process and passwords are an alphanumeric combination
created randomly by the system.
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Can I have more than one account?
Mdlandrec.net allows one account per email address.
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I have applied for an account, but have received no response. What should I do?
Accounts are activated within twenty-four hours on business days, and an email
containing the username and password is sent to the email address provided in the
application process from msahelp@mdsa.net. If you have not received an email within 24 hours,
after checking spam filters and junk mailboxes in your email account, please contact our Help Desk by
email at msahelp@mdsa.net to resolve the issue.
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About mdlandrec.net
What records are available on this website?
Mdlandrec.net is a digital repository for all instruments
recorded and verified for inclusion in land record volumes by the
Clerk of the Circuit Court offices of Maryland’s twenty
three counties and Baltimore City, and related indices.
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What records are not available on this website?
Records not specifically found in land record books and related indices are not included in mdlandrec.net.
Among those not available are chattel records, tax liens and tax judgments, tax assessments, blue prints,
and equity records. In some rare instances, certain other types of instruments were included in particular
land record books, such as equity and chattel records.
Information about tax bills and assessments cannot be
found on the site and related questions should be directed to the State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT).
Their website is www.dat.state.md.us. The SDAT site directs questions about tax bills to the local offices
listed at www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/taxcollectors.html.
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Where does the data on mdlandrec.net come from?
Circuit Court staff enters electronic indexing information into the Judicial Information System (JIS) mainframe;
the data is then transferred to mdlandrec.net where it can be retrieved through the CAIS & COTT electronic search system.
Instrument pages are scanned in the Courthouse at the time of recordation and electronically transferred to the
Maryland State Archives. Older images of both land records and indices
were scanned from the microfilm or the paper originals.
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How is the "verified through date" calculated?
The "verified through date" is the recordation date through which indexing has been verified by Court staff.
This date indicates through what date all indexing has been verified without gaps. In cases where previously verified
instruments or indexing are being reviewed or changed by the Circuit Court, the date may move back temporarily. The
"verified through date" can change daily. Inquiries about changes to the "verified through date" should be directed to
the Circuit Court for that county.
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How soon after a deed is recorded will it be viewable on mdlandrec.net?
Once all the instruments in a particular book have been verified, images from that book are released to the Archives.
In general, it takes about two to five business days for images to appear on mdlandrec.net. Indexing for newly recorded instruments will appear on the site before the images.
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Where are the original land records located?
The records are located either in the Circuit Court where they were recorded or have been transferred to the Maryland
State Archives. A listing of records housed in the Maryland State Archives can be found through the Guide to
Government Records available at http://guide.mdsa.net/
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What does it mean if a series is marked as "original"?
Index series are marked original if the images in the series were scanned directly from the originals in the courthouse,
as opposed to master negative microfilm or originals in the possession of the Maryland State Archives.
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What do liber and folio mean?
Liber means book and folio means page.
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What is a series?
A series is a group of similar records produced by the same creator. In relation to mdlandrec.net, common series
include land records, mortgage records, grantor indices, grantee indices, etc. The creator is the Circuit Court
which produced the records.
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What is the difference between a CAIS/COTT index and a virtual index?
The CAIS/COTT indexing system is a combination of the current and previous electronic judicial indexing systems.
Each county has searchable book/page, name, and Soundex indexing back through a particular year. (Find out the year
by looking for the date range of the CAIS/COTT index for each county). Virtual indices are digital
images of the bound index volumes with no data search capabilities.
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Why are there different series for a County Court and a Circuit Court?
The Maryland Constitution of 1851 abolished the Baltimore City and County Courts, replacing them with the Circuit
Courts that continue to the present. Though basically the same in function, the County Courts and Circuit Courts
are distinguished as separate creators and their respective records are separated into different series. Baltimore City
land records were recorded by the Superior Court from 1851 until 1982, when it was replaced by the Circuit Court.
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What is a transcript?
The Court created a copy, or transcript, of some land records. Whenever possible, mdlandrec.net presents
images of both the original and transcript copies. Viewing both copies may help users decipher difficult text. However, because
of possible variations between the copies, you should not view the transcript without also referring to the original record. Also,
please note that the page numbers in the indices refer to the original record and may not match the page numbers of the transcript.
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Why are some images in black and white while other images are in shades of gray?
In digitizing Maryland's land records, the Archives has endeavored to obtain the most legible image possible from the source.
The quality of the original paper or microfilm instruments varies widely over time and across jurisdictions. Often, portions
of a document (such as signatures, seals, stamps, and marginal notations) are very light on the original. In other cases, the
text of the document has become lighter or smudged over time as individuals paged through books. In these cases, the Archives
chose to digitize the document in gray scale in order to obtain the most legible image and to avoid loss of content.
Unlike in a bi-tonal image where every pixel is either black or white, a gray scale image captures pixels in a continuum of 256
different shades of gray. Materials are scanned in gray scale in order to capture fine details that often simply disappear in a
simple black-and-white scan, such as signatures, seals, stamps, marginal notations, etc. It is true that gray scale images have a larger file size than black-and-white images, can sometimes appear
"dark" and/or "fuzzy", and can use more toner when printed. But the gray scale scan is necessary in order to capture all of the
detail found in the original document.
The Archives is actively exploring options for converting gray scale scans to more user-friendly formats for use on the Web.
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Some index entries are marked as history records or changed records. What does this mean?
When a Circuit Court makes a change to an index entry, the old index entry is often retained and marked as a history record. History records are also crossed out on mdlandrec.net to further differentiate them from current index entries. The new index entries that replace history records are marked as changed records.
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What is the difference between "active" and "retired" index series?
Mdlandrec.net provides access to all land record indexing created by the County Circuit Courts. Some indices were "retired" from active use at the courthouse and sent to the Maryland State Archives, either on microfilm or in their original paper format. In some cases, the Court sent one set of indices to the Archives, kept another set at the Court, and continued to create index entries in the set of indices at the Court. In order to provide complete access to all land records and indexing, mdlandrec.net provides access to both "retired" and "active" indices. Users are encouraged to search all available indexing when searching title.
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Using mdlandrec.net
How do I find the deed for a particular property address?
To begin searching, visit the Maryland State Department of Assessment and Taxation’s (SDAT)
Real Property Data Search website.
Follow the directions on the Real Property Search page to search for the address of the desired property. The page will
return a deed reference entered following the book/page format (i.e. 5000/250). Once you have obtained the deed
reference, go back to mdlandrec.net, choose the appropriate county and enter your book and page numbers into
the “Go to Page” form in the center of the county homepage. Mdlandrec.net has the capability to search by block
number and street address only for Baltimore City and tax identification numbers for Montgomery County only.
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What are the parameters of the CAIS/COTT "Search for Instruments by Grantor/Grantee" for individual names?
The individual name search acts as a "Begins with" search for both first and last names. For example, entering "Ann" into the First Name field will produce results that include Ann,
Anne, Annamae, etc. In order to limit the search to just the entered name, add a space after the letters; this will create an exact name search.
In addition to the “Begins with” search, Carroll County and Montgomery County offer expanded options for last name searching (Exact, Contains, Begins with, and Ends with) available through a drop-down menu.
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How do I use the Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property Search deed reference on mdlandrec.net?
The SDAT Real Property search provides a land record "deed reference" in the Owner Information section of most property
listings. This is formatted as Book/Page. A deed reference appearing as 6535/240 would be entered into mdlandrec.net
as book 6535 page 240.
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Is there a way to limit my search to one type of instrument?
While the mdlandrec.net system does not allow you to limit your search to one kind of record, you are able to sort by
instrument type. To do this, change the “sort by” box to “instrument type” when using the CAIS/COTT indices.
This will group records of the same kind together.
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Can I search for privately held mortgages?
All mortgages recorded by the Circuit Court should be viewable on mdlandrec.net, and while you can sort by
instrument type, the Circuit Courts do not delineate among different types of mortgages in the indexing process.
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Can I search by tax account number on mdlandrec.net?
You can use the SDAT tax account number for Montgomery County searches. If the tax account number is written with
two zeroes at the beginning, remove the zeroes when entering the number into an mdlandrec.net search.
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How can I determine if I owe ground rent?
The process of determining ground rent can be complicated, and we suggest that you contact the real estate professional
or attorney who managed your real estate settlement, your mortgage holder, and/or a professional title searcher.
The first means of establishing whether you pay ground rent is to examine your deed. The deed should establish whether
there is ground rent, and will commonly be termed a “deed of assignment;" if it is a deed in "fee simple," there is no ground rent.
Because ground rent can be a perpetual lease usually in 99-year terms, it can be difficult to determine the current leasehold owner.
The Department of Assessment and Taxation provides instructions for the Maryland Ground Rent Redemption System at the
following website http://www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/ground_rent.html that may be helpful.
In using mdlandrec.net to search for relevant instruments, please note that for Baltimore City instruments
can be searched by block and/or address, grantor/grantee, and book citation for the years 1972 to the present.
A downloadable mdlandrec.net user’s guide for Baltimore City is available at
http://www.mdlandrec.net/msa/stagser/s1700/s1741/pdf/bcuserguide.pdf
The Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property Search
may also be useful in providing information about the property such
as most recent deed reference, block number, etc. based on property address.
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Sometimes I can view a PDF of an entire instrument and at other times I can only view a document page by page. Why?
The mdlandrec.net system provides the capability of viewing and printing out an entire instrument for records
indexed electronically by CAIS/COTT. In order to print an entire instrument, please follow these directions:
select the appropriate county from the mdlandrec.net home page and go to the "Search for Insturments by Book and Page" CAIS/COTT search.
Entering your book and the first page number of the record will retrieve an entire instrument as a PDF file.
Records not electronically indexed can only be viewed page by page.
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How do I report an indexing mistake?
Indexing on mdlandrec.net is derived from the Court’s mainframe indexing system.
If you believe there is an indexing mistake, send an email to msahelp@mdsa.net with a description of the
suspected mistake, and applicable county, book and page number. The Archives and the appropriate Circuit
Court will research the issue and if a correction needs to be made, the Clerk’s office will make a
correction to the Court’s indexing.
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The quality of the image I am viewing is not acceptable. What can be done?
When you come across an image that is illegible or incorrect, you may contact us by clicking on the button above the image
marked "Unsatisfactory Image." By filling out the feedback form your comments will be emailed to the mdlandrec.net Help Desk
for review.
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In Prince George’s County, why don’t releases prior to 1994 appear in the CAIS/COTT search or the Land Records Index?
Prince George’s County Agreements, Assignments, Notices, and Releases from 1966-1994 are indexed in a separate index series, MSA CE411. Prior to 1966, releases are indexed only on the instrument to which they relate.
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Technical Information
What technical specifications are recommended for mdlandrec.net?
Mdlandrec.net has been tested to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer and requires a browser that permits cookies, is enabled
for JavaScript, and allows pop-up windows. Adobe Reader 7.0 is recommended to properly view images. For optimal printing, we also suggest that you set page scaling to shrink large
pages or to fit images to paper.
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Can I use multiple windows or tab browsing with mdlandrec.net?
Currently, mdlandrec.net is not programmed to facilitate accurate retrieval of indexing and images in multiple windows.
To ensure the reliability of results, we suggest using only one browser window while accessing the system.
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Troubleshooting
I am only able to view records for a few counties and would like
to have access to all counties. What should I do?
Users are asked to choose which counties they would like to have access to in the application process.
If you cannot view all counties please send an email request to msahelp@mdsa.net.
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When moving quickly through the virtual books, sometimes Adobe Reader stops working and I receive an error message.
How can I prevent this?
Each time the "Next Page" or "Next 10 Pages" options are selected, Adobe Reader will begin to download the requested
images. Some systems may be unable to handle repeated new image requests before current images are completely
downloaded, and an error message will appear and the browser window will close. Waiting until a page has downloaded before
selecting a new one will help avoid this problem.
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While trying to access indexing/images I came across an error message. Why did this happen
and what should I do?
Error messages may appear due to cataloging issues with individual books, during system maintenance, or because of a
technical problem. If you come across an error message, please contact the Help Desk by email at msahelp@mdsa.net to alert us of the issue.
In order for the Help Desk to properly assess the situation, please provide as much information as possible including the date and time
your information request failed, the specific county and book
and page you were trying to view when the error message appeared, and a description of the type of error message you received.
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I have a reference for a plat recorded in a land record book, but the page is not on mdlandrec.net.
Where can I find it?
Some plats have been removed from the land record volumes they were originally recorded in and can now be found digitally on the
website www.plats.net. In order to access the site, you will need to email geoserv@mdarchives.state.md.us to request the username/password. Plats
are arranged by county, and the site is searchable by book/page reference as well as through a keyword search.
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For almost every image that I try to view I receive a message that the page is unavailable. What is wrong?
If you find that most or all of the pages that you try to view are unavailable, it is possible that you are bringing up a cached search
and that is causing the problem. We recommend that you set your browser to refresh your web pages every time you visit a page. This
will clear your cache continually so that old searches are not returned.
*************** MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES WARNING ***********************
DISCLAIMER: Deleting your browser’s cookies may also delete automatic logins on other websites, search history, browsing history, etc. Maryland State Archives is not responsible for any content deleted, and offers these directions only as an aid for members who need help figuring out why their computers are not accessing Maryland State Archives sites. For additional assistance, please consult the Microsoft links below about deleting cookies.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260897
Below are instructions on how to clear your cache, delete cookies, and set your browser to refresh in Internet Explorer.
- From Tools, click on “Internet Options”
- Click on “Delete Cookies…”
- Click on “OK”
- Click on “Delete Files…”
- Click on “OK”
- Under “Temporary Internet files”, click on “Settings”
- Under “Check for newer versions of stored pages:” click on “Every visit to
the page”, then click on “OK”
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When the same search is done on different computers, one of the computers does not get all of the results.
Why?
If a computer is not retrieving the most recent results to a search, it is possible that you are bringing up a cached search and
that is causing the problem. We recommend that you set your browser to refresh your web pages every time you visit a page. This will clear
your cache continually so that old searches are not returned.
*************** MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES WARNING ***********************
DISCLAIMER: Deleting your browser’s cookies may also delete automatic logins on other websites, search history, browsing history, etc. Maryland State Archives is not responsible for any content deleted, and offers these directions only as an aid for members who need help figuring out why their computers are not accessing Maryland State Archives sites. For additional assistance, please consult the Microsoft links below about deleting cookies.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260897
Below are instructions on how to clear your cache, delete cookies, and set your browser to refresh in Internet Explorer.
- From Tools, click on “Internet Options”
- Click on “Delete Cookies…”
- Click on “OK”
- Click on “Delete Files…”
- Click on “OK”
- Under “Temporary Internet files”, click on “Settings”
- Under “Check for newer versions of stored pages:” click on “Every visit to
the page”, then click on “OK”
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When I print a land record I only get a small portion of the image. How can I fix this?
In your print options, set your page scaling to shrink larger images or to fit images to paper. This will ensure
that an entire land record page is printed on one piece of paper regardless of the size of the original image.
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I am repeatedly asked to enter my mdlandrec.net user name and password. Why?
If you are repeatedly asked to enter your user name and password, it is possible that you are entering the site
through a link (such as a Yahoo search result) rather than directly. In order to avoid this, access mdlandrec.net
by typing www.mdlandrec.net into the address bar. You may also need to set up your browser to refresh your web pages
every time you visit a page.
*************** MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES WARNING ***********************
DISCLAIMER: Deleting your browser’s cookies may also delete automatic logins on other websites, search history, browsing history, etc. Maryland State Archives is not responsible for any content deleted, and offers these directions only as an aid for members who need help figuring out why their computers are not accessing Maryland State Archives sites. For additional assistance, please consult the Microsoft links below about deleting cookies.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260897
Below are instructions on how to clear your cache, delete cookies, and set your browser to refresh in Internet Explorer.
- From Tools, click on “Internet Options”
- Click on “Delete Cookies…”
- Click on “OK”
- Click on “Delete Files…”
- Click on “OK”
- Under “Temporary Internet files”, click on “Settings”
- Under “Check for newer versions of stored pages:” click on “Every visit to
the page”, then click on “OK”
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While jumping from one page to another in the virtual index book, sometimes my screen goes blank. How can I correct this?
When jumping from one index page to another, be sure to use the mouse to click on the "Go" button rather than hitting the enter key on the keyboard.
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I am having problems with my Adobe Reader. What should I do?
Adobe Reader 7.0 is recommended to properly view images. For additional assistance, please consult the Adobe Reader Support Center at http://www.adobe.com/support/products/acrreader.html
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I received an error message when I tried to send a message through the “Contact the Help Desk” or the “Unsatisfactory Image” link. What should I do?
The “Contact the Help Desk” and the “Unsatisfactory Image” feedback forms may produce an error message if there is invalid information in one of the fields. If you are having difficulty forwarding your message through one of these forms, please email your comment to msahelp@mdsa.net.
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Related Information
How do I record a land record?
Land deeds, mortgages, plats, conveyances and other land-related documents are recorded and electronically maintained by the Clerk of Circuit Court for the county in which the land is located. Contact information for the County Circuit Courts is available
online at http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/refserv/forms/html/circts.html.
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Where can I find land record intake forms?
Land record intake forms are available on the Maryland
Judiciary website at http://mdcourts.gov/courtforms/circuit/intakesheet.html.
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Further Information
I was unable to find the answer to my question. What should I do?
If you have further questions, please contact the mdlandrec.net Help Desk either by email at msahelp@mdsa.net or
by telephone at (410) 260-6400 during the hours of 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.
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