Maryland runs probate through 24 Registers of Wills (one per county plus Baltimore City), each with its own Orphans' Court. The state maintains the richest probate data portal in the country — registers.maryland.gov — covering all 24 jurisdictions back to 1998 with DOD, personal representative, attorney, estate type, and filing date.
Maryland's Register of Wills portal (registers.maryland.gov) is the gold standard among state probate data sources. It exposes structured data — decedent name, DOD, personal representative, attorney, estate type, filing date — for every estate in every jurisdiction back to 1998.
Maryland has two probate paths: Modified Administration (Estates and Trusts section 5-501, when heirs agree to no informal accounting) — fast, 8 to 10 months — and Regular Estate (section 5-301) for everything else, running 9 to 14 months. The 6-month claim period (section 8-103) is the floor. Maryland also has a Small Estate procedure (section 5-601) for estates under $50,000.
Maryland is one of the few states with BOTH a state estate tax AND a state inheritance tax. Estate tax has a $5M exemption (much lower than federal). Inheritance tax (section 7-202) charges 10% on bequests to non-Class-A heirs (siblings, in-laws, others). Spouses and direct lineal heirs are exempt from both. This double-tax framework slows closings for affected estates.
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Not every estate goes through it — it depends on how the home was titled, whether there's a will or trust, and Maryland rules. We'll help you find out.
Start with probate →Selling isn't the only option. Talk through whether it makes sense for you and what you'd actually walk away with after costs and the stepped-up basis.
Explore selling →Renting, holding, or renovating could be worth it. See what the numbers look like in your specific market before deciding.
Look at keeping it →Before you sell, rent, or move in, understand the home's real condition — and what fixing it up would actually take locally.
Check repairs →Modified Administration clears in 8 to 10 months. Regular Estate runs 9 to 14 months. The 6-month claim period under section 8-103 is the floor.
No. Maryland has NOT adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act for real estate. Maryland real property transfers by will, intestate succession, tenancy by entirety with survivorship, or trust.
Both. Estate tax with a $5M exemption. Inheritance tax at 10% on non-Class-A bequests (siblings, in-laws, others). Spouses and direct lineal heirs are exempt from both.
Montgomery, Prince George's, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City dominate volume. Anne Arundel, Howard, and Frederick see strong secondary volume with high equity. Eastern Shore counties (Talbot, Worcester) have lower volume but very high per-listing equity at the waterfront.
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