Baltimore County, Maryland Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Baltimore County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected collection metadata checked against repository catalog descriptions. This is not a complete holdings audit, examination of original records, or certification of current access. See the access note for limitations. Repository catalog or holdings guide

Formed
1660
County seat
Towson
Calvert CountyCaroline CountyCarroll CountyCecil CountyCharles CountyDorchester CountyFrederick CountyHarford CountyHoward CountyMontgomery CountyPrince George's CountyQueen Anne's CountyTalbot CountyWashington CountyWicomico CountyBaltimore CityAnne Arundel CountyKent CountyBaltimore CountyCarolineCarrollFrederickMontgomeryQueen Anne'sTalbotAnne ArundelKentBaltimore
Baltimore CountyParent counties (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Baltimore County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Wills and estates

County government

Tax records

Deeds and land

Poor relief and institutions

Court records

Schools

Marriages, births and deaths

Other records

Census records

Naturalization records

Military records

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected Maryland State Archives catalog series. Separate paper, microfilm and electronic catalog records may describe overlapping material; the format and series identifier are retained in each title. Electronic does not guarantee unrestricted online images. Consult the individual series page for restrictions, location and missing volumes.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Baltimore County official website

    Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the clerk of the circuit court and the register of wills, and any online record search the county offers.

  • The clerk of the circuit court

    Land records and marriage licenses, and civil and criminal cases.

  • The register of wills

    Wills, estates and guardianships.

  • The Maryland State Archives

    In Annapolis: most of the counties' older records, from colonial land and probate records to court and church records.

  • Maryland State Archivesfree

    The state archives in Annapolis, with most of Maryland's older county records and its online land records (MDLandRec).

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "Maryland, Baltimore" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Anne Arundel County, Kent County, Anne Arundel County, Kent County

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Anne Arundel County, Kent County

Later formed partly from Baltimore County: Carroll County, Cecil County, Harford County, Baltimore City

CharlesCalvertNon-County Area 1KentAnne ArundelBaltimoreBaltimoreNon-County Area 1KentAnne Arundel
Baltimore as created in 1660Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1660, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Maryland's land records from colonial times to the present are online at MDLandRec, run by the State Archives, with a free account (check its current terms for recent records). Baltimore City has kept its own records, separate from Baltimore County, since 1851.