Rule 9-112.Court records
Last amended July 1, 2026 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 9-112
Amendment History
Maryland publishes each rule’s adoption and amendment record as a bracketed “Credits” note beneath the rule, giving the date of each Rules Order and the date it took effect. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Adopted June 5, 1996, eff. Jan. 1, 1997. Amended June 4, 2007, eff. July 1, 2007; June 20, 2017, eff. Aug. 1, 2017; Nov. 17, 2023, eff. Nov. 20, 2023; Feb. 23, 2026, eff. July 1, 2026.]
Plain-English Summary
Privacy is the point of this rule, and it begins by narrowing who is inside. A party means a petitioner, the prospective adoptee, the agency in a private agency guardianship or adoption, and the local department in a public agency adoption. A committee note makes the consequence explicit: unless a parent is also a petitioner, the parent is not a party to a proceeding under this chapter, except where the statute makes them one in a public agency adoption without prior termination.
The clerk keeps separate dockets for adoption and guardianship proceedings and for revocations of consent where no proceeding is pending in that county. Those dockets are closed except by court order, though the parties may inspect the entries in their own case, and a non-electronic index kept apart from the docket is open to the public. Docket entries in an adult independent adoption are open to public inspection.
Papers are shielded from public inspection the moment they are filed, and remain open to the parties subject to an agency's sealed disclosure under Rule 9-103 and to the sealing provisions below. Where someone has filed an objection, their access is whatever the court's order under Rule 9-107 gives them.
Sealing follows the end of the case. A guardianship file is sealed 30 days after the proceeding terminates or, if there is an appeal, on its dismissal or the exhaustion of review — whichever is later. An adoption file is sealed on the same timetable measured from entry of the judgment, and when an adoption becomes final the clerk notifies everyone entitled to notice. Three exceptions: a decree entered before June 1, 1947 that is not already sealed may be sealed only on a party's motion; a judgment of adult adoption is open to public inspection; and sealed records stay sealed except by order of court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Maryland adoption records public?
No. Pleadings and other papers are shielded from public inspection when filed, and the file is sealed after the case ends — though the parties can see the papers in their own case while it is running.
When is an adoption file sealed?
On the later of 30 days after entry of the judgment of adoption or, if an appeal is taken, the dismissal of the appeal or the exhaustion of appellate review. A guardianship file is sealed on the same timetable, measured from termination of the proceeding.
Is a parent a party to the adoption case?
Usually not. The committee note explains that unless the parent is also a petitioner, the parent is not a party under this chapter, except as the statute provides in a public agency adoption without prior termination.
Is anything about an adult adoption public?
Yes — the docket entries in an independent adoption of an adult are open to public inspection, and so is the judgment of adoption.
What about very old adoption decrees?
A final decree of adoption entered before June 1, 1947 whose record is not already sealed may be sealed only on the motion of a party.