Maryland Statewide Criminal Background Check
Order one Maryland statewide criminal background check and reach District and Circuit Court records across all 24 jurisdictions. Researchers verify every hit at the source court. Results return in real time.
What the Maryland Statewide Criminal Search Covers
Maryland runs one unified trial court system. Consequently, a single statewide order reaches the whole state. You do not chain together county-by-county searches the way Ohio or Illinois demand.
Courts Searched
We search the District Court of Maryland and the Circuit Courts together. District Court handles misdemeanors and many felonies. Circuit Courts handle jury trials, serious felonies, and appeals from the District Court. Both layers matter, because a case can move between them.
What Appears on the Report
- Felony and misdemeanor case records from Maryland trial courts
- Charge description, CJIS code, and statute code for every count
- Filing date, offense date range, and probable cause finding
- Plea, plea date, disposition, and disposition date
- Full sentencing outcome, including suspended time and probation terms
- Defendant identifiers used to confirm the match
What the Search Excludes
Expunged records never appear, and shielded records stay out of public view. Juvenile matters are confidential in Maryland. Likewise, we exclude records that Maryland or federal law bars from an employment report. Our compliance team screens every result before delivery.
Maryland Gives Private Employers No Name-Based State Repository
This is the fact that decides how you screen in Maryland. Many states sell a name-based statewide check straight from the state police. Maryland does not.
The CJIS Central Repository Route
The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services runs the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository. A private employer must file a Private Party Petition packet to use it. Fingerprints are mandatory, and in-state prints must be captured electronically on approved live-scan units.
That route carries real friction. Your applicant must travel to a live-scan site and submit prints in person. Fees run $20.00 for the CJIS service plus $12.00 for the FBI check, rising to $15.00 on 1 October 2026. Responses typically take 10 to 15 days. Details sit on the DPSCS background check page.
The Court-Record Route
A real-time court search needs no fingerprints and no applicant trip. Moreover, it returns results the same day in most cases. Researchers pull directly from Maryland trial court indexes and verify each hit at the source.
| CJIS fingerprint check | BCS real-time statewide search | |
|---|---|---|
| Fingerprints | Required, in person | Not required |
| Applicant effort | Travel to a live-scan site | Sign the authorization only |
| Turnaround | 10 to 15 days | Real time |
| Cost | $20 CJIS + $12 FBI, plus live-scan fees | $20 flat per name |
| Paperwork | Private Party Petition packet | FCRA disclosure and authorization |
| Detail returned | Arrest and disposition summary | Full charge, plea, disposition, and sentence |
Fingerprint checks still serve licensed and regulated roles that state law requires them for. For general hiring, however, the court search does the job faster and at lower cost.
What Is a STET in Maryland?
Maryland uses a disposition that confuses employers everywhere else. It appears on Maryland reports constantly, so understanding it matters.
The Short Answer
A stet is an indefinite postponement of a criminal charge. The word comes from Latin, meaning “let it stand.” Maryland Rule 4-248 governs it. Prosecutors request the stet, and the judge decides whether to accept it.
A STET Is Not a Conviction
No finding of fact occurs when a court enters a stet. The defendant enters no plea either. Therefore an applicant with a stet can truthfully say they were not convicted. Treat a stet as a non-conviction in every screening decision.
The Case Can Come Back
Either party may reopen a stet within the first year for any reason at all. After that first year, reopening requires good cause shown to the court. Prosecutors often attach conditions, such as community service, counseling, or restitution. Cases without conditions are called unconditional stets.
Expungement and the 2026 Case Search Change
A stet becomes eligible for expungement three years after entry, provided no charges are pending. Separately, the Expungement Reform Act of 2025 changed what the public sees. Since January 2026, Maryland Judiciary Case Search hides stet charges that have sat on the docket for three years. The same concealment covers cannabis possession cases pardoned in 2024, when Governor Moore pardoned more than 181,000 convictions.
Why That Matters to Your Hiring File
A free Case Search lookup now returns less than it used to. Meanwhile, employers still need accurate, defensible records for the cases they may lawfully consider. Our researchers work from court indexes and verify dispositions at the source. We then apply Maryland and federal reporting limits before delivery.
How Far Back a Maryland Criminal Background Check Reaches
Two rules govern reporting limits in Maryland. Understanding both keeps your file defensible.
The Maryland Seven-Year Rule
Maryland Commercial Law § 14-1203 bars reporting arrests, indictments, or convictions more than seven years past disposition, release, or parole. Notably, Maryland applies that limit to convictions as well. The federal FCRA lifted its conviction cap in 1998, but Maryland never followed. Below the salary threshold, the state rule therefore binds more tightly.
The $75,000 Exemption
Section 14-1203(b) lifts those limits when the role’s annual salary reasonably equals $75,000 or more. Above that figure, older records may be reported. Our system applies the correct rule once you tell us the position’s salary band.
Sample Maryland Statewide Criminal Report
Below is a formatted example of how we present a Maryland court record. Every field from the court docket appears, organized so a hiring manager can read it quickly.
Disposition: Guilty
Case Information
Involved Parties
Charge and Disposition
Misdemeanor
Guilty
In plain terms: The court imposed a two-year jail term. It then suspended all but two days. Supervised probation followed for twelve months from 10 June 2024.
How to Order a Maryland Statewide Criminal Search
Open your account
Registration is free and takes minutes. We verify your business use case before we release search access.
Collect FCRA paperwork
Give the applicant a standalone disclosure, then capture written authorization. Our portal handles both with a compliant e-signature.
Submit the search
Enter full legal name and date of birth. Add known aliases and maiden names, because Maryland court indexes match on name.
Review verified results
Results post to your secure account in real time. Researchers confirm every potential hit at the source court first.
Getting the Name Right
Name accuracy drives Maryland results more than anything else. Enter the name exactly as it appears on a government ID. Include hyphenated surnames in full, and list both parts separately as aliases. Additionally, add any prior married name.
Run an SSN trace first when address history is unclear. The trace returns ten-plus years of reported addresses and aliases. It tells you whether Maryland is even the right jurisdiction, and which other states deserve a search.
Pair It With These Searches
A statewide criminal search answers one question well. Combine it with the searches below for a complete Maryland screening file.
SSN Trace & Address History
Ten-plus years of reported addresses and aliases. Run it first to confirm Maryland is the right jurisdiction.
County Criminal Court Search
Targeted single-court research where an applicant lived outside Maryland, or where you need certified detail.
Federal Criminal Search
U.S. District Court records for Maryland and nationwide. State courts never hold federal fraud or trafficking cases.
Motor Vehicle Records (MVR)
Driving histories for delivery, trucking, sales, and CDL positions. Suspensions, points, accidents, and endorsements.
Nationwide Background Check
Our $25 package. SSN trace, nationwide criminal database, sex offender registry, and watchlist screening.
Maryland Screening Laws
Ban-the-box timing, lookback limits, expungement rules, and every statute that governs Maryland hiring.
Every BCS Background Screening LLC account includes optional Multiple Authentication Factor (MAF) protection at no extra cost.
How Maryland Courts Are Organized
Maryland’s structure explains why one statewide order works here. Two trial court levels cover the entire state.
District Court of Maryland
The District Court operates as a single statewide court. It runs 33 locations across 12 districts. Criminal jurisdiction covers misdemeanors plus many felonies. It also conducts bail and preliminary hearings for any Maryland crime. Notably, the District Court holds no jury trials.
Circuit Courts
Each of Maryland’s 23 counties has a Circuit Court, and Baltimore City has its own. Together that makes 24 jurisdictions. Circuit Courts handle jury trials, major felonies, and appeals from the District Court. When a defendant requests a jury trial, the case moves up from District Court.
Why Both Levels Get Searched
A charge can begin in District Court and finish in Circuit Court. Searching only one level therefore risks missing the disposition. Our statewide search covers both, so the record you receive reflects where the case actually ended.
Maryland Judiciary Case Search
The Judiciary merged its two public portals on 9 January 2026. Case Search and the Maryland Judiciary Record Search now share one platform. Public users see case summaries, while data availability still varies by jurisdiction. The Judiciary warns that its display is not an official court record, which is precisely why source verification matters.
Maryland Statewide Criminal Background Check FAQs
How much does a Maryland statewide criminal background check cost?
BCS Background Screening LLC charges $20 per name for the Maryland statewide criminal search. That is a flat rate with no setup fee and no monthly minimum. By comparison, the state fingerprint route costs $20 to the CJIS Central Repository plus $12 for the FBI check. Live-scan vendors charge separately. Fingerprint results also take 10 to 15 days, while our court search returns in real time.
What is a STET in Maryland?
A stet is an indefinite postponement of a criminal charge under Maryland Rule 4-248. The word is Latin for “let it stand.” The prosecutor requests it and the judge decides whether to accept. Because no plea is entered and no finding of fact occurs, a stet is not a conviction. Either party may reopen the case within one year for any reason, and after that only on good cause. A stet becomes eligible for expungement three years after entry if no charges are pending. Since January 2026, Maryland Judiciary Case Search hides stet charges that have sat on the docket three years.
Does Maryland offer a name-based statewide criminal check to private employers?
No. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services requires fingerprints instead. Those checks run through the CJIS Central Repository. Employers file a Private Party Petition packet, and in-state applicants must submit prints electronically on approved live-scan units. No name-based state repository exists for private employers. Consequently, a real-time search of District and Circuit Court records is the practical statewide option.
How far back does a Maryland criminal background check go?
Maryland Commercial Law § 14-1203 limits reporting of arrests, indictments, and convictions to seven years from disposition, release, or parole. Maryland applies that cap to convictions, unlike the federal FCRA, which lifted its conviction limit in 1998. Section 14-1203(b) removes the limits when the position’s annual salary reasonably equals $75,000 or more. Our platform applies the correct rule once you identify the salary band for the role.
Which Maryland courts does the statewide search cover?
The search covers the District Court of Maryland and the Circuit Courts together. District Court runs 33 locations across 12 districts and handles misdemeanors plus many felonies. Circuit Courts sit in all 23 counties plus Baltimore City, making 24 jurisdictions. They handle jury trials and serious felonies. Cases often move between the two levels, so searching both prevents a missed disposition.
How fast do Maryland results come back?
The search runs in real time against Maryland court indexes, so clear results typically post to your account within minutes. When a potential match appears, a researcher verifies it at the source court before we report anything. That verification step protects you from acting on a same-name mismatch. It matters because Maryland court indexes match on name, not fingerprint.
Will expunged or shielded Maryland records appear on my report?
No. Expunged records are removed from court systems entirely, and shielded records under the Maryland Second Chance Act leave public view. Criminal Procedure § 10-109 makes it a misdemeanor to require disclosure of an expunged charge. Penalties reach a $1,000 fine, one year of imprisonment, or both. Juvenile records are confidential. We screen every result against Maryland and federal reporting limits before delivery.
What do I need from the applicant before ordering?
You need a standalone written FCRA disclosure and a signed authorization. Keep the disclosure on its own page, free of application text and liability releases. Then supply the applicant’s full legal name and date of birth, plus any aliases, maiden names, or hyphenated surname variants. Maryland’s ban-the-box law also controls when you may ask about criminal history. Review our Maryland background check laws guide before building the application form.
Start Screening Maryland Applicants Today
$20 per name, real-time results, and researcher verification on every hit. BCS Background Screening LLC is a PBSA member with an A+ BBB rating.
Questions? Call (800) 661-0278 or email support@usabackground.com. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Disclaimer: BCS Background Screening LLC is a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We do not provide legal advice, and this page is general information only. Employers must follow the FCRA and applicable Maryland law when ordering and using consumer reports. Statutes and court procedures change, so confirm current requirements with qualified employment counsel. Last reviewed September 2026.