Maryland County Divorce Filing: Montgomery, Prince George's, and Anne Arundel

You've decided to file. You know Maryland requires a Complaint for Absolute Divorce (Form CC-DR-020) and a Civil Domestic Case Information Report (CC-DCM-001). But when you search for where to actually walk in and hand over the paperwork, you hit a wall of outdated addresses and conflicting fee tables. Here's the county-by-county breakdown for the three busiest filing jurisdictions in the state.

Which County Do You File In?

Maryland law (Courts & Judicial Proceedings § 6-202) says you file in the Circuit Court of the county where either you or your spouse lives, works, or conducts business. Filing in the wrong county gives your spouse grounds to have the case dismissed or transferred, which restarts your timeline. If you recently moved, you file where you live now — not where the marriage fell apart.

All divorce cases go through Circuit Court. District Courts cannot grant divorces or divide marital property.

Montgomery County Circuit Court

Montgomery County handles the highest volume of family cases in the state. The clerk's office is at 50 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

Filing fees run approximately $165 for a self-represented litigant. Sheriff service of process costs $40. One detail that catches filers off guard: certified copies of the final decree cost $20 each in Montgomery County — four times the $5 base rate in most other counties. Budget for at least two certified copies (one for name changes, one for your records).

Court-ordered mediation ranges from $100 to $350 per hour depending on the mediator assigned. If you need to serve your spouse by publication because they can't be located, Montgomery County requires a $200 deposit paid directly to the local Law Journal for the newspaper notice.

Montgomery County participates in MDEC (Maryland Electronic Courts), so electronic filing is available for self-represented litigants, though the clerk's office reviews submissions manually before accepting them.

Prince George's County Circuit Court

Prince George's County has a fee structure that varies based on whether you file with or without an attorney. Self-represented filers pay $165; attorney-filed cases cost $175. Sheriff service remains $40, and certified copies follow the standard $5 plus $0.50 per page rate.

The courthouse is at 14735 Main Street in Upper Marlboro. The family division handles a heavy caseload, so expect longer processing times between filing and your hearing date compared to smaller jurisdictions. For uncontested mutual consent cases, this doesn't change your legal timeline — just your wait for a hearing slot.

If minor children are involved, Prince George's County requires completion of a six-hour parenting education seminar. The cost varies by provider ($25 to $100), and you must use a provider from the court's approved list. Completing an unapproved course won't satisfy the requirement.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court

Anne Arundel County's Circuit Court is at 8 Church Circle in Annapolis. Filing fees are $165 for self-represented litigants, with the standard $40 sheriff service fee.

Anne Arundel processes cases efficiently for its size. The same statewide forms apply — CC-DR-020, CC-DCM-001, and the appropriate financial statement (CC-DR-030 for combined monthly income under $30,000, CC-DR-031 for income above that threshold). For mutual consent divorces, you also need the signed settlement agreement (CC-DR-116).

One practical note: Anne Arundel County, like all Maryland counties, requires both parties to file financial disclosures if alimony, child support, or property division is requested. These are filed under a mandatory cover sheet (Form MDJ-008) that shields sensitive financial information from public view.

What's the Same Across All Three Counties

Every Maryland county uses identical statewide forms. The grounds for divorce are the same everywhere: six-month separation, irreconcilable differences, mutual consent, or permanent incapacity — all no-fault since the October 2023 reforms abolished fault-based grounds.

The residency requirement is also statewide: if the reasons for divorce occurred in Maryland, at least one spouse must live in the state at the time of filing. If the grounds arose out of state, one spouse needs six months of continuous Maryland residency.

No Maryland county imposes a post-filing waiting period. Once you've filed, served your spouse, and the response window has passed (30 days for in-state defendants, 60 days for out-of-state), the court can schedule your hearing.

Uncontested cases typically finalize in two to four months regardless of county. Contested cases run twelve to twenty-four months.

Filing Without a Lawyer

All three counties have self-help centers where you can get procedural guidance (not legal advice). Montgomery and Prince George's Counties handle significant volumes of pro se filings, and clerks are accustomed to working with self-represented litigants.

The Maryland Divorce Filing Process Guide walks you through every form, every deadline, and every county-specific detail — including the worksheet for calculating your filing costs and a service-of-process checklist that covers all four delivery methods Maryland allows.

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