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The Clerk of the Court is responsible for recording and maintaining real property records in Baltimore City.
Recording Fees
* $20.00 for an instrument involving solely a principal residence, regardless of length (except as provided in next item)
* $10.00 for a release nine (9) pages or less in length (this does not apply to a termination of a financing statement)
* $20.00 for any other instrument nine (9) pages or less in length
* $75 any other instrument ten (10) pages or more in length
Recording Surcharge: $40.00 (collected on all instruments recorded in land records or financing statement records, other than a Power of Attorney, Request of Notice (Foreclosure sale), plats, and homeowners' association disclosures)
TRANSFER & RECORDATION TAX
State recordation tax - $5.00 for every $500 or fraction thereof of consideration (exemptions in Tax Property Article, 12-108)
State transfer tax - one half of 1% of the consideration (exemptions in Tax Property Article, 13-207), one-fourth of 1% for deeds to a first-time Maryland homebuyer
City transfer tax - 1.5% (charged after first $22,000 of consideration if purchaser's principal residence)
Document Formatting Requirements
* All deeds submitted for recordation must be accompanied by a completed Maryland Intake Sheet. A completed intake sheet shall describe the property by at least one of the following ways: the property tax account identification number, the street address, the current land record block number, or if the property consists of multiple parcels, the designation 'various lots of ground,' or the abbreviation 'VAR. L.O.G.'
* Printed or typed names must appear above or below signatures on documents.
* Font size may not be smaller than 8-point. Printing should be in black ink.
* Each grantor, donor, mortgagor, and assignor and each grantee, donee, mortgagee, and assignee should be named in the document. For instruments effecting a change in ownership, a tax bill mailing address needs to be given.
* The type of instrument should be stated on the first page.
* The deed should state the amount of consideration payable, including the amount of any mortgage or deed of trust indebtedness assumed, or the principal amount of debt secured.
* State the amount due in recording charges, including the land records surcharge, and any transfer and recordation taxes.
* All documents should have a return name and address to ensure proper return after recordation.
* If more than one property is being conveyed on a deed, list all other property descriptors as an attachment.
* In Baltimore City, the block and lot number are used instead of a Property Tax Identification Number.
* For mortgages, Baltimore City requires the mortgage company to be listed in the Maryland Intake Sheet.
Baltimore City, Maryland is an independent city in Maryland and thus is not technically part of any county. For governmental purposes, Baltimore City is treated as a county-level entity under Maryland law.
Before deeds and property related documents are finalized and recorded by the Land Records Office of the Circuit Court, they are reviewed by the Transfer and Recordation section.