Kent County Bankruptcy Records Search
Bankruptcy records for Kent County residents are filed at the federal level with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division. Kent County is a small Eastern Shore county, and all Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter 13 filings by its residents and businesses are docketed at the Baltimore federal courthouse. These records include the original petition, schedules of assets and debts, creditor matrices, court orders, and the discharge or dismissal notice. They are public records and can be accessed through PACER, a free phone search, or in person at the Baltimore courthouse.
Kent County Overview
U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Baltimore Division
Kent County is served by the Baltimore Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland. The courthouse is the Garmatz Federal Courthouse, located at 101 W. Lombard Street, Suite 8530, Baltimore, MD 21201. The phone is (410) 962-4295. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The intake counter is closed from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM each day. If you are traveling from Chestertown or elsewhere in Kent County, plan your visit around these hours to avoid a wasted trip.
All bankruptcy cases from Kent County are assigned to judges in the District of Maryland. The filing process is the same for Kent County residents as for anyone else in the state. You submit the petition and schedules along with the required filing fee. The court assigns a case number, schedules the meeting of creditors under 11 U.S.C. Section 341, and assigns a trustee. The trustee reviews the schedules and may request additional documents. The full process typically takes a few months for Chapter 7 and three to five years for Chapter 13.
Filing fees are set at the federal level. Chapter 7 costs $338. Chapter 13 costs $313. Chapter 11 costs $1,738. These fees are paid to the federal court, not to Kent County or any state agency. You can pay online at pay.gov or in person at the Baltimore courthouse. Low-income Chapter 7 filers can apply for a fee waiver using the application form available on the court's website.
| Baltimore Division |
Garmatz Federal Courthouse 101 W. Lombard Street, Suite 8530 Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: (410) 962-4295 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (intake closes 1-2 PM) |
| Chapter 7 Fee | $338 |
| Chapter 13 Fee | $313 |
| Chapter 11 Fee | $1,738 |
How to Find Kent County Bankruptcy Records
PACER is the go-to system for searching federal bankruptcy records. Register at pacer.uscourts.gov for free. Once logged in, search the District of Maryland by name, case number, or partial Social Security number. Every document in every case is available in PACER. The charge is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document. If your total charges in a quarter stay under $30.00, you owe nothing. This makes PACER effectively free for most users who do light searching.
The PACER Case Locator at pcl.uscourts.gov lets you search nationwide across all federal districts. It is useful if you do not know whether a Kent County person filed locally or in another state. The locator gives you the court and case number; you then use PACER to get the full record from that specific court.
VCIS is the free 24-hour phone service. Dial 1-866-222-8029 any time. The automated system searches by name or case number and gives you basic status information at no cost: whether a case exists, which chapter was filed, and whether it is open or closed. This works well when you just need to confirm a filing without pulling full documents.
The Maryland Judiciary Case Search covers state courts only. It does not show federal bankruptcy records. But it does show civil judgments, liens, and other state court actions that can tie to a bankruptcy. Use both systems together for a complete view of a Kent County person's legal and financial history.
The Kent County clerk office contact page is shown in the image below. It connects to state court contact information for Chestertown.
The Kent County court directory at courts.state.md.us/courtsdirectory/kent lists the Circuit Court clerk's address, phone, and services available in Chestertown.
The Kent County Circuit Court Government Center in Chestertown handles state court records that may supplement a federal bankruptcy case search for Eastern Shore filers.
Kent County Circuit Court Clerk
The Kent County Circuit Court Clerk is Sherise L. Kennard. The office is at the Kent County Government Center in Chestertown, Maryland. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Circuit Court is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which also includes Caroline, Cecil, Queen Anne's, and Talbot Counties.
This office does not hold federal bankruptcy records. What it does maintain matters for related research. The clerk's office handles civil actions, criminal matters, juvenile cases, land records, business licenses, marriage licenses, civil ceremonies, and notary oaths. If you are researching a Kent County resident who filed for bankruptcy, the state court civil records may show creditor judgments that preceded the federal filing. Those judgments sometimes appear as liens recorded in the land records office as well.
Kent County is a small county with a smaller volume of cases than urban Maryland counties. The clerk's office often provides more direct, personalized service as a result. Staff can assist you in locating records, making copies, and understanding what documents are available. Standard copy fees apply across Maryland: $0.50 per page for plain copies, and $5.00 plus copy fees for certified copies. A $40 recording surcharge applies to each new instrument filed in the land records system.
| Clerk | Sherise L. Kennard |
|---|---|
| Address | Kent County Government Center, Chestertown, MD |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Judicial Circuit | 2nd Judicial Circuit (Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot) |
| Website | mdcourts.gov/clerks/kent |
Maryland Judiciary Case Search
The Maryland Judiciary Case Search at casesearch.courts.state.md.us is the state's free online court records system. It covers all Maryland circuit courts, district courts, and the Court of Special Appeals. You can search by name or case number. Results show civil cases, criminal cases, and traffic matters. This system does not include federal bankruptcy filings, but it does show related state-level activity such as creditor suits, default judgments, and property attachment orders that sometimes accompany or follow bankruptcy cases.
For Kent County residents, this search covers Chestertown and all other areas of the county. State court records in MDEC (Maryland Electronic Courts) are available through this portal. Some older records may not be in the online system, in which case you would need to contact the Kent County clerk directly. For land records and property-related research, MDLandRec.net is the right starting point.
The image below from the Maryland Legal Aid website explains free legal help available to Kent County residents with bankruptcy or debt-related issues on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Maryland Legal Aid, reachable at mdlab.org or by calling (866) MD-LAW-4U, provides free legal services for qualifying Kent County residents dealing with bankruptcy.
Residents of Kent County who need help understanding their bankruptcy options can call Maryland Legal Aid at (866) MD-LAW-4U or visit mdlab.org to learn more about free assistance.
Kent County Land Records
Property records for Kent County are available online at no cost through mdlandrec.net. A free account is needed to access the system. Recorded documents include deeds, mortgages, and liens. This is the right place to start if you are researching a Kent County bankruptcy that involves real property. You can check whether a mortgage is recorded, whether any judgment liens exist, and whether any property transfers occurred before or after the bankruptcy filing.
In-person access to land records is available at the Kent County Government Center during regular business hours. The land records office is part of the Circuit Court clerk's office. Standard copy fees and the $40 recording surcharge apply. If you are researching an older property with pre-digital records, in-person access is often the only option. Call the clerk's office at the main circuit court number to confirm what is available online versus what requires a visit to Chestertown.
Legal Help for Kent County Bankruptcy
Kent County is on Maryland's Eastern Shore, where in-person legal aid offices are fewer than in urban parts of the state. Maryland Legal Aid covers the Eastern Shore and can be reached at (866) MD-LAW-4U. Their website at mdlab.org lets you apply for help online and find out what services are available in your area. They handle questions about bankruptcy eligibility, the types of debt that can be discharged, and how to work with the federal court process.
The People's Law Library at peoples-law.org/where-file-bankruptcy is a free online resource that walks through the entire bankruptcy process in Maryland. It covers which chapter is right for different situations, how to fill out the required forms, and what happens after you file. For Kent County residents without easy access to an attorney, this guide is one of the most useful free tools available.
The image below is from the People's Law Library bankruptcy section. It explains the Maryland filing process, including details that apply to Kent County cases filed in the Baltimore Division.
The People's Law Library bankruptcy guide at peoples-law.org/where-file-bankruptcy is a free, plain-language resource for Kent County residents looking to understand the bankruptcy filing process in Maryland.
Use the People's Law Library as a starting point for self-help research, then contact Maryland Legal Aid if you need free personalized assistance with your Kent County bankruptcy case.
Cities in Kent County
Kent County is a small Eastern Shore county. Chestertown is the county seat and largest community. No cities in Kent County meet the population threshold for a dedicated bankruptcy records page. All Kent County residents, regardless of which town or area they live in, file bankruptcy cases through the Baltimore Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland.
Communities in Kent County include Chestertown, Rock Hall, Betterton, Galena, and Worton. None of these have separate county-level court facilities. All state court matters are handled at the Kent County Government Center in Chestertown.
Nearby Counties
Kent County borders Cecil County to the north, Queen Anne's County to the south, and Caroline County to the southeast. If you are not sure which county your address falls in, contact the relevant clerk office to confirm before filing any state court documents.