Wicomico County Felony Records

Wicomico County felony records are held by the Circuit Court in Salisbury and are available to the public through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search at no cost. This guide covers where to find felony records in Wicomico County, how to request copies in person or by mail, what the records contain, and how state law shapes access and privacy for criminal case files.

Wicomico County Circuit Court Felony Records

The Circuit Court for Wicomico County is the main repository for felony records in Salisbury. In Maryland, felony cases are tried at the circuit court level. That means indictments, pleas, verdicts, and sentencing orders for all Wicomico County felony cases are on file with this court. The courthouse is at 101 N. Division Street, Room 100, Salisbury, MD 21801. The phone number is (410) 543-6551. The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To get copies of records in person, visit the clerk's office during business hours. Bring the defendant's name and, if possible, the case number. Standard fees apply: $0.50 per page for plain copies, and $5.00 for a certified copy plus $0.50 per page. Certified copies are typically needed for legal proceedings or official use. Plain copies work for most research purposes.

Mail requests are accepted. Write a letter that identifies the case by name and case number, lists the documents needed, and includes a check or money order for the estimated copy cost. The clerk will contact you if the actual charge differs. Allow several weeks when using mail. For faster access, the online Case Search portal is the better starting point.

How to Search Wicomico County Felony Records Online

The Maryland Judiciary Case Search is the main free tool for looking up Wicomico County felony records. It covers all Maryland circuit and district courts and was redesigned on February 5, 2024. You can search by name, case number, or filing date range. A name search returns a list of matching cases. Each result links to the full case record, which shows the charges, all court events and their dates, attorney information, and the final disposition. The portal caps search results at 500 matches.

Wicomico County circuit court criminal case numbers use the prefix "C-22-CR" followed by the year and a sequence number. If you already have a case number, searching by it returns a single exact result and is faster than searching by name, especially for common names.

What Wicomico County Felony Records Contain

A Wicomico County felony record from the circuit court holds several types of information. The charging document, whether an indictment or a criminal information, lists the specific Maryland statute the defendant allegedly violated, the class of the felony, and a brief account of the alleged facts. That document starts the record and is the foundation for everything that follows.

The case history section of the record shows every court event from the first filing to the final outcome. Each entry has a date and a note on what happened: arraignment, bond hearing, preliminary hearing, pretrial motions, trial or plea, sentencing, and any appeals or post-conviction filings. Following these entries in order lets you trace exactly how a case moved through the court system.

Disposition is the final result of the case and is often the most important piece of information. Common dispositions include guilty, not guilty, nolle prosequi (the State dismissed the charge), stet (the case is paused with no set end date), and probation before judgment. If there was a conviction, the sentence appears: prison term, probation, fines, and any restitution ordered. Attorney names and the assigned judge are listed too. Victim names, sealed documents, and expunged records are not shown in public case records.

Wicomico County Sheriff Records

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office holds arrest records, jail intake logs, and incident reports for cases the sheriff's department investigated. These records are separate from the circuit court file. They are most useful when you want details about an arrest before a case was filed in court, or when you need an incident report to pair with the court record.

The Sheriff's Office is at 401 Naylor Mill Road, Salisbury, MD 21801. The main phone is (410) 548-4890. The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office website provides contact details and information on how the office handles public records requests. To ask for a specific record, call the records line or visit in person during business hours. Fees depend on the type of document and the number of pages.

Wicomico County District Court Records

The Wicomico County District Court is at 201 Baptist Street, Salisbury, MD 21801, phone (410) 543-6522. District court handles misdemeanors and lower-level criminal matters. Felony cases in Maryland often begin in district court at the initial appearance and bail stage, then transfer to circuit court once charges are formally filed. District court records from those early steps are public and searchable through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

If you are looking for a recent felony arrest and the circuit court does not yet have a file, check the district court records first. The case may still be in its early stages. Once it moves to circuit court, records appear in both systems, though the full case history lives at the circuit court level.

The Wicomico County website at wicomicocounty.org provides general county government information including office directories and service listings. For court-specific records and legal matters, the Maryland Judiciary Case Search and direct contact with the circuit court clerk are the most reliable paths.

MPIA Rights in Wicomico County

The Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), found at General Provisions Article sections 4-101 through 4-601, gives any person the right to inspect and copy public records held by state and local government agencies. In Wicomico County, this right applies to the Sheriff's Office, the State's Attorney, and other county criminal justice agencies. Court records are governed separately by Maryland Rules 16-901 through 16-912, which control access to judiciary branch records.

To submit an MPIA request, write a letter or email that identifies the records you want as specifically as possible. Send it to the agency's official custodian of records. The agency has 30 days to respond. The first two hours of staff time spent on the request are free; after that, the agency may charge for staff time. Copies cost $0.50 per page. The Maryland Attorney General's MPIA page has sample request letters, answers to common questions, and contact information for the Public Access Ombudsman, who can help if an agency denies a request.

The Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office is at 101 N. Division Street, Room 200, Salisbury, MD 21801, phone (410) 548-4880. This office handles felony prosecutions in the county. Files held by the State's Attorney are generally not public records, but documents they filed with the court become part of the court record and can be accessed through the circuit court clerk.

Maryland Laws Governing Felony Records

Maryland Criminal Procedure Article section 10-101 defines criminal records and specifies what information can be disclosed to the public. Section 10-109 governs how agencies share criminal history record information and sets limits on who can receive it and for what purpose. These statutes apply to law enforcement agencies in Wicomico County and across the state. The Maryland General Assembly website is the official source for current statute text.

Maryland Rules 16-901 through 16-912 govern access to court records. Rule 16-907 defines which case records are open to the public and which can be sealed. A judge can order specific exhibits or attachments sealed even when the rest of the case file is public. If a record appears incomplete in the Case Search portal, part of it may be under a sealing order. To find out, you would need to contact the clerk directly.

Expungement of Felony Records in Wicomico County

Maryland law allows some felony records to be expunged under Criminal Procedure Article sections 10-300 through 10-306. Expungement takes the record out of public view. For felony convictions, the waiting period is 15 years from the end of the sentence, which includes any probation or parole time. Not all felonies can be expunged, even after 15 years. The offense type matters.

Senate Bill 432, passed in 2024 and effective October 1, 2025, expanded the categories of felonies eligible for expungement. If you were previously told a conviction was ineligible, the 2025 changes may have altered that. It is worth reviewing your case against the updated statute.

To file for expungement in Wicomico County, submit a petition using form CC-DC-CR-072 to the Circuit Court at 101 N. Division Street, Room 100, Salisbury, MD 21801. The court notifies the State's Attorney, who has 30 days to object. If there is no objection and the judge approves the petition, the record is expunged from the court system and law enforcement databases. It will no longer show up in the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. For eligibility questions, review the statute at the Maryland General Assembly website or consult a Maryland attorney.

Nearby Maryland Counties

Wicomico County is on the lower Eastern Shore and borders Somerset County to the south, Dorchester County to the north, and Worcester County to the east. If a case involves an adjacent county or you need records from a neighboring jurisdiction, the links below go to those county pages.