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Maryland source record

Every source behind the Maryland guide

7 primary records, quoted verbatim and checked against 25 named presence or absence conditions that must pass against the live government text. Open the record, read the words the publishing body actually used, and confirm the current rule for yourself.

Last full re-fetch September 15, 2026

What each source establishes

The Maryland guide rests on the source-backed rules this site can verify for the state: which simplified procedure exists and what it limits, what the court charges, how the person administering the estate may be paid, and the statutory creditor-deadline clocks the official text states.Every published rule below is quoted in the publisher’s own words rather than summarised.

Simplified-procedure rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§5-601. (a) If the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle. (b) If, before the filing of an initial account in administration proceedings instituted under Subtitle 3 or Subtitle 4 of this title, the property of the decedent subject to administration in Maryland is established to have a value of $50,000 or less as of the date of the death of the decedent, the estate thereafter may be administered in accordance with the provisions of §§ 5-602 through 5-607 of this subtitle.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-601

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • small-estate ordinary and spouse thresholds
  • net secured-debt value basis
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Simplified-procedure rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-602

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§5-602. A petition for administration of a small estate may be filed by any person entitled to administration pursuant to § 5-104 of this title and shall contain, in addition to the information required by §§ 5-201 and 5-202 of this title: (1) A statement that the petitioner has made a diligent search to discover all property and debts of the decedent; (2) A list of the known property and its value; (3) A list of the known creditors of the decedent, with the amount of each claim, including contingent and disputed claims; and (4) A statement of any legal proceedings pending in which the decedent was a party.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-602

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • small-estate petition requirements
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Simplified-procedure rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-702

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§5-702. An election for modified administration may be filed by a personal representative of an estate within 3 months from the date of appointment, if: (1) All residuary legatees of a testate decedent and the heirs at law of an intestate decedent are limited to: (i) The decedent's personal representative; (ii) Individuals or entities exempt from inheritance tax in the decedent's estate under § 7-203(b), (e), and (f) of the Tax - General Article; and (iii) Trusts under which each person who has a current interest in the trust is an individual or entity exempt from inheritance tax in the decedent's estate under § 7-203(b), (e), and (f) of the Tax - General Article; (2) The estate is solvent and sufficient assets exist to satisfy all testamentary gifts; (3) A verified final report under modified administration is filed within 10 months from the date of appointment; (4) Final distribution

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 5-702

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • modified administration eligibility and timing
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Executor compensation rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§7-601. (a) (1) A personal representative or special administrator is entitled to reasonable compensation for services. (2) If a will provides a stated compensation for the personal representative, additional compensation shall be allowed if the provision is insufficient in the judgment of the court. (3) The personal representative or special administrator may renounce at any time all or a part of the right to compensation. (b) (1) Unless the will provides a larger measure of compensation, on petition filed in reasonable detail by the personal representative or special administrator the court may allow the commissions it considers appropriate.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-601

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • commission ceiling schedule
  • property-subject-to-administration base and will override
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Court cost rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 2-206

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

Probate fees shall be assessed on the value of the probate estate at the following rates: If the Value of the Probate But Less The Fee Estate Is Than Is At Least (i) ��� -- $50,000 $0 (ii) ��� $50,000 $100,000 $100 (iii) ��� $100,000 $500,000 $200 (iv) ��� $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,000 (v) ��� $1,000,000 $2,500,000 $2,000 (vi) ��� $2,500,000 $5,000,000 $5,000 (vii) ��� $5,000,000 $7,500,000 $7,500 (viii) ��� $7,500,000 $10,000,000 $10,000 (ix) ��� $10,000,000 -- $10,000 plus .02% of excess over $10,000,000 (3) Except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, for purposes of determinations under paragraph (2) of this subsection, the value of a probate estate is the amount, as reflected in the administration accounts filed in the proceedings, that equals: (i) The sum of: 1. The value of all inventories filed in the proceedings; 2. All principal and income receipts; and 3.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 2-206

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • graduated probate-fee bands
  • regular-estate accounting basis
  • modified-administration basis
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Creditor deadline rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-103

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§7-103. (a) (1) After the appointment of a personal representative, the register shall have a notice of the appointment published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of appointment once a week in 3 successive weeks, announcing the appointment and address of the personal representative, and notifying creditors of the estate to present their claims. (2) The personal representative shall file or have filed with the register a certification that a notice has been published. (b) The notice of appointment shall be substantially in the following form: "To all persons interested in the estate of.......................: This is to give notice that the undersigned, ......... whose address is ......... was, on ........., appointed personal representative of the estate of ......... who died on ...... (with) (without) a will.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 7-103

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • publication and claim notice
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Creditor deadline rule

Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 8-103

Maryland General Assembly · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

§8-103. (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided by statute with respect to claims of the United States or the State, a claim against an estate of a decedent, whether due or to become due, absolute or contingent, liquidated or unliquidated, founded on contract, tort, or other legal basis, is forever barred against the estate, the personal representative, and the heirs and legatees, unless presented within the earlier of the following dates: (1) 6 months after the date of the decedent's death; or (2) 2 months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of a notice in the form required by § 7-103 of this article or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within 2 months after the mailing or other delivery of the notice.

What was published from this source

  • MD Md. Code, Est. & Trusts § 8-103

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • general claim bar
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Maryland source decision map

How the Maryland records fit together

The source record is most useful when each citation has a job. This map links the Maryland procedure, cost, compensation, and deadline records to the decision each one can and cannot answer.

QuestionRecorded Maryland answerCarry into the case
What route is being screened?Small-estate administrationConfirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route.
What property and basis count?probate property within the rule's stated scope; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances.Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately.
What is the amount screen?$50,000Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut.
What is the time or deadline record?No waiting-period number verified; The general bar uses the earlier of a death-based outer period and an individual-notice period, while publication is weekly for three weeks and special claims have separate rules; one days value would misstate the framework.Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number.
What does the cost record establish?1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total.Ask the Orphans’ Court / Register of Wills about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
What does compensation use?The court-selected commission may not exceed 9% of the first $20,000 of property subject to administration plus $1,800 and 3.6% of the excess over $20,000. A will may provide a larger measure; the statute calls compensation reasonable and permits renunciation. It states no separate extraordinary-services percentage. The relevant base is gross probate property.Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate.

Decision boundary

What the Maryland source set does not silently decide

The Maryland records establish the rules listed above, but they do not turn a source citation into advice about title, family priority, tax filing, contested proceedings, or the exact clerk practice in every county. Those questions stay with the official court or a qualified adviser. The useful next step is to match the question to the citation rather than treating the longest quote as the answer to every estate problem.

Arithmetic illustration

See the Maryland amount screen without mistaking it for a result

The recorded Maryland ceiling is $50,000, and it is tested against probate property within the rule's stated scope, on a basis this site records as net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. Counted that way, $37,500 sits below the Maryland figure and $62,500 sits above it. Both are comparisons to a published number rather than legal outcomes: two estates holding the same total can land on opposite sides of this line, because what Maryland counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.

Illustrative counted amountComparison to the Maryland ceilingWhat it does not decide
$37,500Below $50,000Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties
$62,500Above $50,000Whether another statutory route or court process applies

Next evidence to collect

Open the quoted record for the row you rely on and check the publisher's current text before filing.

  1. Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
  2. Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
  3. Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
  4. Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.

Official material

Maryland publishes separate statewide packets for small estates and modified administration.

The Register of Wills receives filings and the Orphans’ Court exercises probate jurisdiction; the circuit court hears specified appeals.

Source trail

Records used by this Maryland map

What Maryland courts publish

The statutes on this page state the rule. These are the documents the court itself publishes. Every link is probed before release, and any link that stops resolving fails the build rather than staying on the page.

Limits on court material

  • Maryland publishes separate statewide packets for small estates and modified administration.
  • The Register of Wills receives filings and the Orphans’ Court exercises probate jurisdiction; the circuit court hears specified appeals.

Checking these Maryland records against the publishers

Every citation above links to the body that publishes it, and every quoted sentence is reproduced exactly, so a text search on the publisher’s own page should land on it. Where the publisher’s current wording differs from what is recorded here, the publisher governs and this page is wrong; naming the citation and the language you see maps the difference onto a specific condition rather than a general complaint. The full procedure, including how a source qualifies in the first place and what disqualifies one, is set out once on the methodology page instead of being restated on each of the254 state records.

These records cover the cost and route questions this site answers for Maryland. They do not cover intestate succession shares, spousal and family allowances, creditor priority, tax filing obligations, real-property transfer mechanics, or contested proceedings. Where an answer would require one of those, the site says so rather than estimating.

Return to the Maryland estate guide ·All 254 records ·Dataset overview and citation ·How sources are selected