(a) Generally. — All process shall be under the seal of the court and signed by the clerk.
Rule 3-114.Process — Content
District Court · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceEvery summons the District Court issues has to carry a fixed set of information, including the assigned trial date and the deadline for the defendant to file a notice of intention to defend.
Full Text of Rule 3-114
(b) Summons. — A summons shall contain (1) the name of the court and the assigned docket reference, (2) the name and address of the party requesting the summons, (3) the name and address of the person to be served as set forth in the complaint, (4) the date of issue, (5) the time within which it must be served, (6) the assigned trial date, (7) the time within which the defendant must file a notice of intention to defend, (8) notification to the defendant that failure to file the notice of intention to defend within the time allowed may result in a judgment by default or the granting of the relief sought, and (9) the time within which the return of service shall be made.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived from former M.D.R. 103 f.
Plain-English Summary
Section (a) is a formality that applies to all process, not just summonses: it has to bear the court's seal and the clerk's signature. Section (b) is the real substance — a nine-item checklist of what a summons must contain, from the court and docket number through the deadline for filing the return of service.
Two of those items show how closely the summons is tied to the District Court's front-loaded scheduling under Rule 3-102. The summons has to state the trial date assigned when the complaint was filed, and it has to give the deadline for the defendant to file a notice of intention to defend — the District Court's term for the response that starts the defendant's participation in the case. The summons also has to warn the defendant that missing that deadline can lead to a default judgment or the relief the plaintiff is seeking.
The circuit courts' equivalent, Rule 2-114, requires nearly the same checklist, but its summons tells the defendant the deadline for filing a response "by pleading or motion" and says nothing about a trial date, because circuit court cases don't get a trial date fixed at filing. The differences in wording track the differences in how the two courts move a case forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has to appear on a District Court summons?
The court name and docket reference, the requesting party's name and address, the person to be served and their address, the issue date, the deadline to serve the summons, the assigned trial date, the deadline to file a notice of intention to defend, a warning about default judgment for missing that deadline, and the deadline for the return of service.
Why does the summons need a trial date but the circuit court's doesn't?
Because the District Court assigns a trial date at the moment the complaint is filed, under Rule 3-102. The circuit courts don't fix a trial date that early, so their summons under Rule 2-114 has no trial date to disclose.
What is a 'notice of intention to defend,' and how is it different from an answer?
It's the District Court's term for the defendant's initial response, governed by Rule 3-307. The circuit courts instead require a response "by pleading or motion" — different terminology tied to each court's own procedure, though both serve the same basic function of putting the defendant on record as contesting the case.
Does the summons need the court's seal even if it's mailed rather than served by a sheriff?
Yes. Section (a)'s requirement that process carry the court's seal and the clerk's signature applies to all process regardless of how it's ultimately delivered.
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
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