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State guide · MD

Maryland Family Court: Custody and Parenting-Time Guide

Plain-language Maryland information for a custody or parenting-time route, including filing, official forms, free help, fee waivers, and legal-cost context.

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This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. State law, court rules, forms, and local procedures can change. Confirm current requirements with the court handling the case.

State laws, court rules, and forms can change. Automated link checks will run every week once the monitoring job is deployed. Please check each cited source before relying on it. Report a broken link or changed law.

Find the right family court

The custody or parenting-time route described in this guide is handled through the Maryland Circuit Courts. Other family-law matters can follow a different court or procedure.

Find the court for your area.

How Maryland courts decide custody

Maryland law says the court may consider statutory factors when deciding legal and physical custody in a child's best interest.Sources:Maryland Code, Family Law § 9-201

  • The statutory factors include the child's stability, parents' ability to share responsibilities, important relationships, and physical and emotional security.Sources:Maryland Code, Family Law § 9-201

Key legal sources

Parenting time

Maryland Courts describes physical custody as where children live and how much time they spend with each parent.Sources:Child Custody

  • In a custody or visitation proceeding, the court must consider evidence of abuse and arrange custody or visitation to best protect the child and victim when it finds abuse.Sources:Maryland Code, Family Law § 9-101.1

Key legal sources

How to file

This draft is limited to preparing and filing the opening Maryland Complaint for Custody package between parents when the child and both parents are in Maryland. It ends when the opening package is filed.Sources:Child Custody

  1. Confirm the Circuit Court location and excluded circumstances

    Maryland Courts says to file a Complaint for Custody in the Circuit Court where the child lives or where either parent lives. This limited route excludes out-of-state children, nonparent custody, modification, protective-order, emergency, service, response or default, parenting-plan, child-support, scheduling, hearing, and final-order matters.Sources:Child Custody

  2. Prepare the opening complaint package

    The current Maryland Courts forms index says CC-DR-004 initiates a child custody case and says to complete and attach CC-DCM-001 to a complaint in a family case. This draft names no later-case form as part of the opening package.Sources:Family Law Court Forms

  3. Include the fee-waiver documents only if requesting a waiver

    If asking the court to waive prepaid costs, Maryland Courts directs a person opening a case to submit the Request for Waiver of Costs and Notice Regarding Restricted Information MDJ-008 with the complaint. The court decides the request.Sources:Filing Fee Waivers, CC-DC-089 - Request for Waiver of Costs

Official forms

Open the official forms portal.

  • Maryland's Family Law Court Forms index lists current custody and family form titles and revision dates, and Maryland Guide & File offers a custody interview. For service, parenting-plan, support, response, default, or later-case documents outside this opening-package route, use the current official index, form finder, or family court help center.Sources:Family Law Court Forms, Maryland Guide & File

Free court self-help

Find court self-help near you.

  • Maryland Courts legal-help directory

    Area served: Maryland directory of court-help and free or low-cost legal-help resources.

    The court directory links to legal-services programs, court help centers, and law libraries.Sources:Finding Legal Help

    Eligibility: The court says most free or low-cost legal programs require income-based qualification; contact a program directly.

  • Maryland Court Help Centers

    Area served: Most Maryland circuit-court locations have a walk-in family court help center.

    Centers provide family-law process and form help but do not provide court representation.Sources:Family Court Help Centers

    Eligibility: Center access and sign-up procedures vary by location.

Fee waivers

A person who cannot prepay court filing costs may ask the court for a waiver; the court decides whether to grant it.Sources:Filing Fee Waivers

Who may qualify

  • The court considers Maryland Legal Services Corporation income guidelines and may consider other factors when deciding a request for prepaid-cost waiver.Sources:Filing Fee Waivers

What to do

  1. File the current waiver request with the complaint

    Maryland Courts instructs a person opening a case to complete the Request for Waiver of Costs and Notice Regarding Restricted Information MDJ-008 with the complaint; a judge reviews the request.Sources:Filing Fee Waivers, CC-DC-089 - Request for Waiver of Costs

Official fee-waiver forms

Key statute or rule

Attorney cost benchmark

Lawyer fees vary by county, experience, services, and the facts of a case. This state benchmark is context for planning, not a quote.

State and local details to confirm

  • Maryland Courts says every county has a family services coordinator and that local programs may include classes, mediation, custody evaluations, and child-access services.Sources:Child Custody

Part of Family Law in Your State.