Rule 3-601.Entry of judgment

District Court · Last amended July 1, 2026 · Last verified July 13, 2026

This rule prints two full, separately-dated versions in the official compilation (a pending-amendment straddle); both are shown below.

In one sentenceRule 3-601 tells the District Court clerk when and how to enter a judgment, when that entry becomes public, and which date counts as the judgment date for later deadlines.

Full Text of Rule 3-601

Text sizeEffective until July 1, 2026 — jump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Effective July 1, 2026 — jump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Rule 3-601. Entry of judgment — Effective until July 1, 2026

(a) When entered. — Upon a decision by the court denying or granting relief, the court shall enter the judgment promptly.

(b) Applicability — Method of entry — Availability to the public. —

(1) Applicability. — Section (b) of this Rule applies to judgments entered on and after July 1, 2015.

(2) Entry. — The clerk shall enter a judgment by making an entry on the docket of the electronic case management system used by that court along with such description of the judgment as the clerk deems appropriate.

(3) Availability to the Public. — Unless shielding is required by law or court order, the docket entry and the date of the entry shall be available to the public through the CaseSearch feature on the Judiciary’s website and in accordance with Rules 16-903 and 16-904.

(c) Advice to judgment holder. — Upon entering a judgment for a sum certain, except in Baltimore City, the court shall advise the judgment holder of the right to obtain a lien on real property pursuant to Rule 3- 621.

(d) Recording and indexing. — Promptly after entry, the clerk shall record and index the judgment, except a judgment denying all relief without costs, in the judgment records of the court.

(e) Date of judgment. — On and after July 1, 2015, regardless of the date a judgment was signed, the date of the judgment is the date that the clerk enters the judgment on the electronic case management system docket in accordance with section (b) of this Rule. The date of a judgment entered prior to July 1, 2015 is computed in accordance with the Rules in effect when the judgment was entered.

Rule 3-601. Entry of judgment — Effective July 1, 2026

(a) When entered. — Upon a decision by the court denying or granting relief, the court shall enter the judgment promptly. When a money judgment is awarded in an action commenced on or after October 1, 2025, the court shall state whether the complaint indicated that a money judgment for medical debt was sought.

(b) Applicability — Method of entry — Availability to the public. —

(1) Applicability. — Section (b) of this Rule applies to judgments entered on and after July 1, 2015.

(d) Recording and indexing. — Promptly after entry, the clerk shall record and index the judgment, except a judgment denying all relief without costs, in the judgment records of the court.

Amendment History

Effective until July 1, 2026

Amended Oct. 31, 2002, effective Jan. 1, 2003; Nov. 12, 2003, effective Jan. 1, 2004; March 3, 2015, effective July 1, 2015; June 6, 2016, effective July 1, 2016; amended June 29, 2020, effective August 1, 2020.

Effective July 1, 2026

Committee Note & Source

Effective until July 1, 2026

Source. This Rule is derived as follows:

Section (a) is new and is derived from the 1963 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 58.

Section (b) is new.

Section (c) is derived from former M.D.R. 619 b.

Section (d) is new.

Section (e) is new.

Effective July 1, 2026

Cross references. See Code, Courts Article, § 11-402(b) for the requirement to indicate whether a money judgment is sought for medical debt. See Code, Real Property Article, § 14-203.1 for the definition of “medical debt.”

Source. This Rule is derived as follows:

Section (a) is new and is derived from the 1963 version of Fed. R. Civ. P. 58.

Section (b) is new.

Section (c) is derived from former M.D.R. 619 b.

Section (d) is new.

Section (e) is new.

Plain-English Summary

Once a District Court judge decides a case, the clerk has to make it official. Rule 3-601 sets that process out step by step: the judgment goes on the docket of the court's electronic case management system, and unless the law or a court order requires shielding, the docket entry and its date are visible to the public through the Judiciary's CaseSearch tool. The clerk also records and indexes the judgment in the court's judgment records, except for a judgment that denies all relief without awarding costs, since there is nothing to record against anyone. When a court awards a sum-certain judgment, it must tell the winning party about the right to turn that judgment into a lien on real property under Rule 3-621 — a duty that does not apply in Baltimore City.

The rule also fixes the "date of judgment," which matters because so many other deadlines run from it. For any judgment entered on or after July 1, 2015, the date is whenever the clerk makes the docket entry on the electronic system, not the date a judge signed an order. Older judgments are dated under whatever rules applied when they were entered. A 2026 amendment adds one more piece for cases filed on or after October 1, 2025: when the court awards a money judgment, it must also note whether the complaint said the judgment sought was for medical debt, a detail tied to separate statutory protections for medical debt.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does a District Court judge have to enter judgment?

Promptly after deciding the case. Rule 3-601 does not give the court a grace period once it has ruled — the judgment is supposed to go on the docket without unnecessary delay.

How does the clerk officially enter a judgment?

By making an entry on the docket of the court's electronic case management system, with whatever description of the judgment the clerk thinks is appropriate. That docket entry is the act of entering judgment; there is no separate paper record required to make it official.

Can the public see that a judgment was entered against someone?

Generally yes. The docket entry and its date are available to the public through the Judiciary's CaseSearch feature, unless a law or court order requires the record to be shielded.

What date counts as the date of judgment for calculating deadlines?

For judgments entered on or after July 1, 2015, it is the date the clerk enters the judgment on the electronic docket — not the date a judge signed the underlying order. Judgments entered before that date follow the rules that were in effect when they were entered.

Does the court have to tell me about my right to a judgment lien?

When the court enters a judgment for a specific sum of money, it must advise the winning party of the right to obtain a lien on real property under Rule 3-621. This notice duty does not apply to judgments entered in Baltimore City.

What is the medical debt notation added in the 2026 amendment?

Starting with actions filed on or after October 1, 2025, when the court enters a money judgment it must also state whether the complaint indicated the judgment being sought was for medical debt. This flag connects to separate statutory rules on medical debt judgments.

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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