Certificate of Service — Maryland

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

State of Maryland

COURT CAPTION

Circuit Court:

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR [____________________] COUNTY, MARYLAND

________________________________________,
                              Plaintiff,

v.                                              Case No.: [____________________]
                                                Judge: [________________________]
________________________________________,
                              Defendant.

District Court:

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND FOR [____________________] COUNTY
LOCATED AT [____________________]

________________________________________,
                              Plaintiff,

v.                                              Case No.: [____________________]

________________________________________,
                              Defendant.

Court of Special Appeals / Supreme Court of Maryland:

IN THE [COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS / SUPREME COURT] OF MARYLAND

________________________________________,
                              Appellant,

v.                                              No.: [____________________]

________________________________________,
                              Appellee.

(Maryland's highest court is the Supreme Court of Maryland (formerly the Court
of Appeals); intermediate appellate court is the Appellate Court of Maryland
(formerly the Court of Special Appeals). Select the appropriate caption.
Delete captions not used.)

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, [________________________________], hereby certify that pursuant to Maryland
Rule 1-321 and Maryland Rule 20-205, on [__/__/____], I served a true and
correct copy of the following document(s):

Document(s) Served:

1. [________________________________]
2. [________________________________]
3. [________________________________]
   (add rows as needed)

upon all parties or their counsel of record as identified below, by the method(s)
indicated.

SECTION I — PARTIES / COUNSEL SERVED

Party / Counsel No. 1

Method of Service (check all that apply):

☐ MDEC Electronic Service — Md. Rule 20-205 — Filed and served through the
Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) system; service takes place when the
submission is received by MDEC (at the time of filing) for all registered
MDEC participants. The MDEC system automatically notifies registered
participants of the filing, which constitutes service.

• MDEC Submission Reference No.: [________________________________]
• Date/Time of MDEC Acceptance: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Electronic Mail (Email) — Md. Rule 1-321(a) — Served by email with consent
of the receiving party per Maryland Rule 1-321(a).

• Email address(es) served: [________________________________]
• Date/Time Transmitted: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• ☐ Consent on file; date of consent: [__/__/____]
• ☐ Delivery / read receipt obtained

☐ Hand Delivery

• Person who received delivery: [________________________________]
• Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• Location: [________________________________]

☐ U.S. First-Class Mail, Postage Prepaid

• Mailed from: [________________________________], Maryland
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]
• Note: Under Md. Rule 1-203(c), 3 additional days are added to any response
  period triggered by service by U.S. Mail.

☐ Certified Mail / Return Receipt Requested

• USPS Tracking No.: [________________________________]
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Commercial Carrier (Overnight)

• Carrier: [________________________________]
• Tracking No.: [________________________________]
• Date Tendered: [__/__/____]

☐ Facsimile — Served by fax with consent of the receiving party.

• Fax Number: ([____]) [____]-[________]
• Date/Time of Fax Transmission: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM
• ☐ Fax transmission confirmation sheet retained

☐ Other (describe): [________________________________]

Party / Counsel No. 2

Method of Service (check all that apply):

☐ MDEC Electronic Service

• MDEC Submission Reference No.: [________________________________]
• Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Electronic Mail (Email)

• Email address(es): [________________________________]
• Date/Time Transmitted: [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

☐ Hand Delivery

• Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________]
• Location: [________________________________]

☐ U.S. First-Class Mail

• Mailed from: [________________________________], Maryland
• Date Mailed: [__/__/____]

☐ Certified Mail

• USPS Tracking No.: [________________________________]

☐ Commercial Carrier

• Carrier: [________________] Tracking No.: [________________]

☐ Facsimile

• Fax No.: ([____]) [____]-[________]
• Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________]

☐ Other: [________________________________]

(Duplicate Party / Counsel block as needed for additional parties)

SECTION II — MULTIPLE-PARTY SERVICE TABLE

(Use when serving three or more parties; attach continuation sheets if needed)

SECTION III — NON-MDEC / SELF-REPRESENTED PARTY SERVICE

Parties who are not registered MDEC users (including most self-represented
litigants) will not receive auto-service through MDEC. Manual service is
required. Courts may reject filings if a required certificate of service is
missing or incomplete per Maryland Rule 1-321.

☐ The following party is a Non-MDEC User or self-represented and was served
by conventional means:

• Party Name: [________________________________]
• Last Known Address: [________________________________]
• City, State, Zip: [________________________________]

• Method of Service:
  ☐ U.S. First-Class Mail — Date Mailed: [__/__/____]
  ☐ Hand Delivery — Date/Time: [__/__/____] at [________]
  ☐ Certified Mail — Tracking No.: [________________________________]
  ☐ Email (with consent per Rule 1-321(a)) — Date: [__/__/____]
  ☐ Facsimile (with consent) — Date/Time: [__/__/____]

• Notes: [________________________________]

SECTION IV — MANDATORY CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE NOTICE

Maryland courts may reject filings if there is no certificate of service
where one is required (per MDEC Policies and Procedures, consistent with Md.
Rule 1-321). In addition to the signature and redaction certification, ensure
this certificate is included with all applicable filings.

☐ I confirm this certificate is included with the filing.
☐ If no certificate of service is required for this type of document, state
reason: [________________________________]

SECTION V — PERSONAL IDENTIFIER REDACTIONS — RULE 1-322.1

Maryland Rule 1-322.1 requires redaction of certain personal identifiers from
court filings, including:

• Social Security numbers — use last 4 digits only
• Financial account numbers — use last 4 digits only
• Tax identification numbers
• Driver's license numbers
• Dates of birth — use year only (unless minor's age is relevant to the claim)
• Alien registration numbers
• Home addresses of victims or witnesses in criminal cases

☐ I confirm that this filing complies with Maryland Rule 1-322.1 regarding
personal identifier redactions.

SECTION VI — TECHNICAL FAILURE — MDEC (RULE 20-203)

If MDEC experiences a technical failure at the time of attempted filing or
service, document the failure and seek appropriate relief:

☐ MDEC technical failure encountered on [__/__/____] at [________] ☐ AM ☐ PM

• Description of failure: [________________________________]
• Steps taken (e.g., screen capture retained, clerk contacted): [____________]
• Alternative service method used during failure: [________________________]
• Md. Rule 20-203 relief sought: ☐ Yes ☐ No

SECTION VII — BALTIMORE CITY / MAJOR COUNTY NOTES

Baltimore City Circuit Court. The Circuit Court for Baltimore City
(formerly known as the "City" not a "County") has its own clerk's office
and MDEC procedures. Note that Baltimore City is an independent city and
not part of any Maryland county. MDEC is operational for Baltimore City
Circuit Court civil cases.

Montgomery County. The Circuit Court for Montgomery County is a high-
volume court with specific standing orders and procedures. Confirm current
local requirements.

Prince George's County. Similarly, confirm any local standing orders
or special requirements for the Circuit Court for Prince George's County.

State's Attorneys / Government Parties. When serving the State's Attorney
or other government parties, confirm service addresses under Md. Rule 1-321
and any applicable notice provisions in the Maryland Rules or statutes.

SECTION VIII — TIME COMPUTATION / MAIL RULE

Under Maryland Rule 1-203(c), when a party must act within a prescribed period
after service and service is made by U.S. Mail, three (3) additional calendar
days are added to the prescribed response period. This addition does not apply
to MDEC electronic service.

Example: A 15-day response period triggered by mail service becomes
18 days from the date of mailing.

If the final day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday in Maryland, the
deadline extends to the next court day under Md. Rule 1-203(a).

DECLARATION

I solemnly affirm under the penalties of perjury that the contents of this
Certificate of Service are true to the best of my knowledge, information,
and belief.

Date: [__/__/____]

_____________________________________________
[________________________________]
Maryland Attorney I.D. No.: [____________________]
[________________________________] (Firm Name)
[________________________________] (Street Address)
[________________________________] (City, State, Zip)
Telephone: ([____]) [____]-[________]
Facsimile:  ([____]) [____]-[________]
Email:      [________________________________]
Attorney for [________________________________]

PRACTITIONER NOTES

1. MDEC — Service Timing. Under Md. Rule 20-205, service through MDEC takes
place when the submission is received by MDEC, which occurs at the time of
filing. This is different from some other systems that measure service from the
time the recipient opens the notification.

2. MDEC Mandatory E-Filing. MDEC has been rolling out to Maryland courts over
several years. Confirm whether MDEC is mandatory for your specific court,
jurisdiction (circuit vs. district), and case type. District Court has separate
e-filing procedures. The Maryland Courts website maintains a current list of
MDEC-enabled courts.

3. Affirmation Language. Maryland certificates of service traditionally use
"I solemnly affirm under the penalties of perjury" rather than "I declare under
penalty of perjury." Use the Maryland-specific affirmation language in this
certificate.

4. Facsimile Service. Maryland Rule 1-321 permits service by fax with
consent. Retain the fax transmission confirmation sheet confirming successful
transmission, including the date, time, and number of pages.

5. Rule 20-203 — Technical Failure. If MDEC is unavailable, document the
failure and contact the clerk's office. Rule 20-203 provides relief from deadlines
caused by MDEC technical failures. Do not simply miss a deadline without first
seeking relief.

6. Personal Identifier Redactions — Rule 1-322.1. Maryland courts take
redaction requirements seriously and may reject non-compliant filings. Review
every document before filing to ensure compliance with Rule 1-322.1.

7. Baltimore City Distinction. Baltimore City is a legally independent city,
separate from Baltimore County. Filings in Baltimore City courts use "Circuit
Court for Baltimore City" or "District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City,"
not "Baltimore County." Double-check the correct jurisdiction designation.

8. District Court Service. Maryland District Court handles civil cases under
the jurisdictional limit ($30,000 as of recent updates). District Court has
its own MDEC rollout timeline and procedures. Confirm current availability.

Sources and References

• Maryland Rule 1-321 Service and Certificates (Peoples Law Library): https://www.peoples-law.org/service-and-certificates-service
• MDEC Policies and Procedures: https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/mdec/pdfs/manualh5.pdf
• MDEC E-Service Information: https://www.courts.state.md.us/sites/default/files/import/mdec/updates/20220315importantinfoeservice.pdf
• Maryland Rule Title 20 (MDEC): https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/mdec/pdfs/rulestitle20.pdf
• Maryland Courts E-Filing: https://www.mdcourts.gov/mdec/efilingattyfaqs