Maryland eFiling Guide

As eFiling makes its way to Maryland, it is important to make sure that you are caught up on best practices to make sure that your paperwork is accepted. Our Maryland eFiling guide is here to help you navigate the judicial system and ease into eFiling.

At this time, eFiling is not mandatory if you are a self-represented (pro se) litigant. However, attorneys and law firms must eFile in Maryland.

If you choose to eFile, you must continue eFiling all future documents for the same case, as well as eFile for all future cases.

All eFilers must comply with Maryland Rule 20-201: Requirements for eFiling.

eFiling Definitions

eFiling: Electronically submitting your documents to the court system.

EFSP: Electronic filing service provider such as CourtFiling.net. These providers connect the filer to the court system and allow them to electronically submit their court documents.

MDEC: Maryland Electronic Courts.

Envelope: The folder of documents/submissions filed in one eFiling transaction for a single case number. There should only be one envelope per submittal.

Submission: a document contained in a single PDF file within an envelope. Multiple submissions filed in the same transaction must be contained in the same envelope but as separate PDFs.

Lead Document: Filing field in which every submission is to be uploaded/filed.

Getting Started

Get signed up with CourtFiling.net. You must have an email address and a valid credit card to complete sign up and eFile.

Attorney Set Up

For attorneys to eFile, they must have with their attorney number. Attorney numbers can be found on the Maryland Attorney Listing page. Next, complete the MDEC Address Change Form, to either change or verify your address, to [email protected].

Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) recommends that firms establish an “eFiling Administrator” to register and create an account for the entire firm. From there, lawyers and paralegals can join the account through an email invitation sent by the eFiling Administrator.

eFiling for New and Existing Cases

Registered eFilers can file for both new and existing cases in the Maryland judicial system. When eFiling for a new case, you will not need a case number as one has not been created yet. However, you will need to know the location where you are filing, its category, and the case type. You may also need to know your Filing Code, which can be found on Maryland’s eFiling Code page.

When eFiling for an existing case, you will need to search for the existing case by its number or party name. If you cannot find the relevant case, previous paperwork may not have been filed electronically and/or the case is not in the shared court database. Please contact the courthouse for further information.

Documents

Be sure that all filed documents are submitted as text-searchable PDFs. Luckily, CourtFiling.net has a built-in PDF converter! Just make sure that your documents are text searchable prior to converting, such as a Word document.

Per the Maryland courts, each pleading/paper must be filed as a separate PDF, but all PDFs filed at the same time must be in one envelope.

Proposed Orders

Proposed documents are filed as separate documents, with their own filing code. Keep in mind, the description and the document need to reference the corresponding motion/pleading.

Original Documents

If you are filing documents such as birth, marriage or death certificates, you may scan those documents to be filed electronically. However, there are certain requirements that must be met when electronically filing scanned original documents:

• The original document(s) must remain in the filer’s possession for verification of original signatures and/or seal(s).
• If directed or required by evidence rules, the original document(s) must be presented in legal proceedings.
• Both redacted and unredacted original documents should be docketed by the clerk, but the unredacted version will not be available to the public.
• Any subject (party or person) of restricted information in the unredacted submission may request to strike the unredacted version.

Omnibus Motions

Omnibus Motions, or a combination of multiple motions, must be handled specifically when eFiling. Now, omnibus motions are broken down into three codes instead of former encompassing Omnibus Motion code. The three new codes are as follows:

1. Motion/Demand for Speedy Trial
2. Request for/Certificate of Discovery and to Produce Experts
3. Motion to Suppress/Exclude Evidence, Dismiss or Sever

These three codes separate out different motion types and therefore requires a separate PDF. To determine which type of motion you are filing, please refer to the MDEC Omnibus Motions proper filing guide.

Signatures

Signatures must include the typed name with either an image of the handwritten signature or the “/s/” symbol. If a signature is required by the filer themselves, include their physical and email address, and phone number. If the filer is an attorney, their Client Protection Fund ID number must also be added.

Review Rule 20-107 for further details regarding eFiling signatures.

E-Service

CourtFiling.net provides tools to electronically served involved parties through our platform. Simply include their email address in the “service contacts” field. However, if your case requires you to e-serve the State’s Attorney’s Office, you may find the appropriate email addresses here.

Fees

eFiling your legal paperwork includes several fees to both the EFSP and the court system. CourtFiling.net is proud to keep costs low and offer our services for only $2.99 per transaction. For full pricing details, visit our pricing page.

The court also establishes their own fees to file. These fees vary on the case type and the paperwork that you are filing. These fees are not collected by CourtFiling.net.

Maryland Courts do offer a prepayment waiver. Be sure to file the Request for Prepay Waiver – New Case (RPWNC) or Request for Prepay Waiver – Subsequent Filing (RPWSF) first. As directed by the MD Courts, an affidavit/statement to support the waiver needs to be filed (with its own filing code) and be the lead document within the envelope. The documents that you are requesting for the fee waiver should be a separate lead document within the same envelope.

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Resources

MDEC Policies & Procedures
Maryland Court’s E-filing – Public
MDEC E-filing – Attorneys