Washington County Felony Records
Washington County felony records are maintained by the Circuit Court in Hagerstown and are searchable online through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search at no cost. This page explains how to find and request felony records from Washington County courts, the sheriff's office, and other agencies, with real addresses, phone numbers, fees, and important policies that affect how you access records in this county.
Washington County Overview
Washington County Circuit Court Felony Records
The Circuit Court for Washington County is the official keeper of felony records in Hagerstown. All felony charges in Maryland are tried at the circuit court level, so indictments, guilty pleas, trial verdicts, and sentencing orders for Washington County cases are on file here. The court is located at 24 Summit Avenue, Room 101, Hagerstown, MD 21740. The main phone number is (301) 733-8660. The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Standard copy fees apply to all records: $0.50 per page for plain copies, and $5.00 for a certified copy plus $0.50 per page. If you are mailing a request, send a written letter that includes the case number, the documents needed, and a check or money order covering the estimated cost. The court will reach out if the actual cost differs from your estimate. Mail requests can take several weeks to fill.
In-person visits to the clerk's office are straightforward for people who already have a case number. Read the next section carefully before you visit, because Washington County has a specific policy that changes how in-person record lookups work compared to most other Maryland counties.
The Washington County Circuit Court page on the Maryland Judiciary website lists contact details, the clerk's address, and additional resources for the court.
This page confirms current court hours and clerk contact information, which is worth checking before traveling to the Summit Avenue location.
How to Search Washington County Felony Records Online
The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the primary online tool for finding Washington County felony records. It is free, open to the public, and covers all circuit and district court cases statewide. The system was redesigned on February 5, 2024, and the updated interface lets you search by name, case number, or filing date. Results show charges, court events, attorney names, and the final case disposition. The system caps results at 500 per search.
Washington County case numbers for circuit court criminal cases follow the format "C-21-CR" followed by the year and a sequence number. Searching by case number returns a single result and is faster than a name search when you already have the number.
Note: Washington County Circuit Court has a critical records policy effective October 5, 2020: the clerk's office cannot search records by name only. If you visit in person or call the clerk, you must provide a case number. Staff will not look up cases by defendant name alone. Use the Maryland Judiciary Case Search online first to find the case number, then bring that number when you contact or visit the clerk.
The portal covers all court levels statewide and displays charge details, hearing dates, and case outcomes for felony cases filed in Washington County.
Because the clerk will not search by name, the online Case Search is not just a convenience tool for Washington County -- it is a required first step. Get the case number from the online portal before you reach out to the court. This policy applies to in-person visits and phone inquiries.
What Felony Records Contain
Washington County felony records from the circuit court contain several layers of information. The charging document, often called an indictment or criminal information, lists the specific statute the defendant allegedly violated, the class of felony, and a brief statement of the alleged facts. That document is the foundation of every case record.
Beyond the charge, the record shows the full timeline of court events. Each entry in the case history reflects a hearing, a filing, or a procedural step: arraignment, bond review, preliminary hearing, pretrial motions, trial or plea, sentencing, and any post-conviction motions. Dates and outcomes are listed for each event, so you can follow the case from arrest to final resolution.
Disposition information is often what people need most. Disposition is the final result. Common outcomes include guilty, not guilty, nolle prosequi (the State drops the charge), stet (the case is paused indefinitely), and probation before judgment. If there was a conviction, the record shows the sentence: prison term, probation length, fines, and any restitution ordered. Attorney names, the assigned judge, and co-defendant links also appear. Victim information and expunged records are not shown.
Washington County Sheriff Records
The Washington County Sheriff's Office holds arrest records, jail intake records, and incident reports for cases investigated by the sheriff's department. These records are separate from the circuit court file and can be a useful source when you need details about an arrest that may not yet have resulted in a court filing, or when you want an incident report to go with the court record.
The Sheriff's Office is located at 500 Western Maryland Parkway, Hagerstown, MD 21740. The main phone number is (301) 791-3071. To request a copy of an arrest record or incident report, call the records line or visit during business hours. Fees depend on the document type and the number of pages. The sheriff's department generally processes records requests in the order they are received.
Keep in mind that an arrest record shows what charges were filed at the time of arrest. It does not reflect the final outcome of the case. If the charges were later dropped or the person was found not guilty, the arrest record may still exist. The circuit court record will show the actual disposition.
Note: Arrest records from the Washington County Sheriff are not evidence of guilt. They reflect that an arrest occurred and document the charges alleged at that time.
Washington County District Court Records
The Washington County District Court is at 36 W. Antietam Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740, phone (301) 733-8600. District court handles misdemeanor cases and some lower-level criminal matters, but it also plays a role in felony cases. When someone is arrested on a felony charge, their initial appearance, bond hearing, and preliminary proceedings often happen in district court before the case moves up to the circuit court.
District court records for those early proceedings are public and can be searched through the same Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal. If you are tracking a recent arrest and the circuit court does not yet have a file, check the district court records. The case may still be at the initial stage in district court. Once the case is transferred to circuit court, records appear in both systems.
District court also handles peace orders and protective orders, which sometimes run parallel to felony criminal cases. These records are part of the public court record as well, though they appear in a separate category in the Case Search portal.
MPIA Rights and Records Requests in Washington County
Maryland's Public Information Act (MPIA), codified at General Provisions Article sections 4-101 through 4-601, gives residents and others the right to inspect and copy public records held by government agencies. This right applies to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the State's Attorney's Office, and other county agencies involved in the criminal process. Court records themselves are governed by Maryland Rules 16-901 through 16-912, which control access to judicial branch documents separately from the MPIA.
To submit an MPIA request to a county agency, write a letter or email that identifies the records you want as precisely as possible. Address it to the agency's official custodian of records. The agency has 30 days to respond. The first two hours of staff research time are free. After that, the agency may charge for staff time, and copies cost $0.50 per page. For help drafting a request, the Maryland Attorney General's MPIA page has sample request letters, a guide to the law, and contact information for the Public Access Ombudsman.
The Washington County State's Attorney's Office is at 24 Summit Avenue, Hagerstown, MD 21740, phone (301) 791-4669. The State's Attorney website provides information on how the office handles felony prosecutions in Washington County. Case files held by the State's Attorney are not public records in most cases, but documents that were filed with the court become part of the court record and can be obtained through the clerk.
Maryland Laws Governing Felony Records
Maryland Criminal Procedure Article section 10-101 defines what constitutes a criminal record and which categories of information are subject to public disclosure. Section 10-109 sets rules around the dissemination of criminal history record information by agencies. These statutes shape what agencies can share and under what conditions. For the most current text, visit the Maryland General Assembly website and search by article and section number.
Maryland Rules 16-901 through 16-912 govern access to court records specifically. Rule 16-907 covers case records and what portions are open to the public versus restricted. Some attachments and exhibits in criminal cases can be sealed by court order, even if the main case record is public. If a record you expect to find seems incomplete when you search online, it may have been partially sealed.
The Washington County website at washco-md.net provides general county government information, including links to county offices. For court-specific legal questions, the Maryland Judiciary's own resources and the Attorney General's MPIA guide are more reliable sources than the county site.
Note: Statutes and court rules change. Always verify the current version of any Maryland statute through the official Maryland General Assembly website before relying on it for legal decisions.
Expungement of Washington County Felony Records
Expungement removes a criminal record from public view. Maryland Criminal Procedure Article sections 10-300 through 10-306 govern the expungement process for adult records. For felony convictions, the general waiting period is 15 years from the end of the sentence, including any probation or parole. Not all felony offenses are eligible for expungement regardless of how much time has passed.
Senate Bill 432, passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2024 and effective October 1, 2025, expanded the list of felonies that can be expunged and made additional categories of records eligible. If you were denied expungement under prior law, it may be worth reviewing your eligibility again under the new rules.
To file for expungement in Washington County, submit a petition using form CC-DC-CR-072 to the Washington County Circuit Court at 24 Summit Avenue, Room 101, Hagerstown, MD 21740. The court will notify the State's Attorney, who has 30 days to object. If no objection is filed and the judge approves the petition, the record is expunged from court files and from law enforcement databases. After expungement, the case will not appear in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. For current eligibility criteria, check the Maryland General Assembly website or speak with a Maryland attorney.
Nearby Maryland Counties
Washington County borders Allegany County to the west and Frederick County to the east. If a case spans more than one jurisdiction or you need records from a neighboring county, the links below go directly to those county pages.