There shall be one form of action known as “civil action.”
Rule 3-301.Form of action
District Court · Last amended January 1, 2004 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-301 does away with separate named forms of action and requires every District Court civil case to proceed as a single 'civil action.'
Full Text of Rule 3-301
Amendment History
Amended Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is new and is derived from the 1937 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 2.
Plain-English Summary
Older systems of procedure sorted lawsuits into distinct forms, each with its own name, its own writ, and its own technical rules. Choosing the wrong form could sink a case before anyone reached the merits. Rule 3-301 erases that distinction for the District Court. Whatever the underlying claim — contract, property, a statutory cause of action — the case is filed and litigated as one uniform "civil action."
The rule does not touch what claims a person may bring or what proof they need; it only removes the old requirement to package a claim into a particular procedural form. A plaintiff files a complaint, not a writ of a particular type, and the rest of Title 3 governs how the case moves forward from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was a 'form of action' before this rule?
Historically, procedure divided lawsuits into separate named actions or writs, each with its own technical rules. Picking the wrong one could derail a case regardless of its merits.
Does this rule change what claims I can bring?
No. It only sets the procedural label — every case is a 'civil action' — and leaves the substance of claims and defenses to other law.
Does the District Court version work the same way as the Circuit Court version?
Yes. The Circuit Court's counterpart, Rule 2-301, adopts the identical single form of action.
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: civil action district court marylandform of action rule marylandMd Rule 3-301one form of action maryland district court