Rule 2-623.Recording of judgment of another court and District Court notice of lien
Circuit Court · Last amended April 1, 2023 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2-623 tells the clerk how to record a judgment transmitted from another court, including out-of-state foreign judgments and District Court liens, so it can take effect as a lien under Rule 2-621.
(1)Generally. — Subject to subsection (a)(2) of this Rule, upon receiving a copy of a judgment of another court, certified or authenticated in accordance with these Rules or statutes of this State, or of the United States, the clerk shall record and index the judgment if it was entered by (A) the Supreme Court, (B) the Appellate Court, (C) another circuit court of this State, (D) a court of the United States, or (E) any other court whose judgments are entitled to full faith and credit in this State. Upon recording a judgment received from a person other than the clerk of the court of entry, the receiving clerk shall notify the clerk of the court of entry.
(2)Foreign Judgment. — At the time a foreign judgment as defined in Code, Courts Article, § 11-801 is filed, the judgment creditor shall file an affidavit in compliance with Code, Courts Article, § 11-803(a). Upon receipt of the affidavit, the clerk shall mail to the judgment debtor the notice required by Code, Courts Article, § 11-803(b) and make a docket entry notation of the mailing. Cross references. — For enforcement of foreign judgments, see Code, Courts Article, §§ 11-801 through 11-807. For provisions governing the stay of enforcement of a judgment, see Rule 2-632.
(b)District Court notice of lien. — Upon receiving a certified copy of a Notice of Lien from the District Court pursuant to Rule 3-621, the clerk shall record and index the notice in the same manner as a judgment.
Amendment History
Amended Apr. 7, 1986, effective July 1, 1986; June 3, 1988, effective July 1, 1988; March 3, 2015, effective July 1, 2015; November 19, 2019, effective January 1, 2020; April 21, 2023, effective April 1, 2023.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is in part derived from former Rule 619 a and in part new.
Plain-English Summary
When the clerk receives a certified or authenticated copy of a judgment from a qualifying court — the Supreme Court of Maryland, the Appellate Court of Maryland, another circuit court, a federal court, or any other court whose judgments are entitled to full faith and credit in Maryland — the clerk records and indexes it. If that copy arrived from someone other than the clerk of the court that entered the judgment, the receiving clerk has to notify the entering court's clerk, which ties back into the transmittal tracking required by Rule 2-622.
Foreign judgments — those covered by the Courts Article's foreign judgment statute — follow an added step: the judgment creditor must file an affidavit that complies with Courts Article § 11-803(a) at the time the judgment is filed. The clerk then mails the judgment debtor the notice required by § 11-803(b) and logs that mailing on the docket. And when a circuit court clerk receives a certified copy of a Notice of Lien from the District Court under Rule 3-621, the clerk records and indexes it the same way as a judgment — this is the mechanism that lets a District Court money judgment become a lien on real property under Rule 2-621(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Whose judgments can be recorded under this rule?
Judgments of the Supreme Court of Maryland, the Appellate Court of Maryland, another circuit court of the state, a court of the United States, or any other court whose judgments are entitled to full faith and credit in Maryland.
What extra step applies to a foreign judgment filed under the Courts Article?
The judgment creditor must file an affidavit complying with Courts Article § 11-803(a) when the judgment is filed. The clerk then mails the debtor the notice required by § 11-803(b) and notes that mailing on the docket.
How does a District Court judgment become a lien on real estate?
The District Court sends the circuit court clerk a certified Notice of Lien under Rule 3-621. Once the clerk records and indexes it, it functions as a judgment lien under Rule 2-621(c).
Does recording happen automatically once a judgment exists?
No. It depends on the clerk receiving a certified or authenticated copy — or, for foreign judgments, the creditor's affidavit — and, for District Court judgments, the transmitted Notice of Lien.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:recording foreign judgment marylandfull faith and credit judgment recordingdistrict court notice of lien recordingforeign judgment affidavit maryland courts article