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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0425*
SENATE BILL 425
P1, P3 6lr3027
CF HB 576
By: Senator Jennings
Introduced and read first time: January 30, 2026
Assigned to: Budget and Taxation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
State Archives – Record Services – Fees 2
FOR the purpose of authorizing the State Archives to establish certain fees relating to 3
certain records by regulation; and generally relating to fees established by the State 4
Archives. 5
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 6
Article – State Government 7
Section 9–1007(c), 9–1009(d), 9–1011(c), and 9–1015(e) 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – State Government 12
Section 9–1009(a), 9–1011(a), and 9–1015(a)(1) and (8) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
Article – State Government 18
9–1007. 19
(c) (1) The State Archivist may establish BY REGULATION reasonable fees for 20
the care and preservation of records and other services provided by the Archives. 21
(2) Fees may be in the form of: 22
2 SENATE BILL 425
(i) a percentage not to exceed 2% of an existing fee charged at the 1
time of the creation of a record in any form or format; or 2
(ii) a flat rate subscription charge for a publication of the Archives. 3
(3) Of the fees collected, 7% shall be deposited in the Archives Endowment 4
Account of the State Archives Fund established under § 9 –1013 of this subtitle as an 5
educational and entrepreneurial reserve. 6
9–1009. 7
(a) The Archives may: 8
(1) repair and preserve the records under the supervision of the Sta te 9
Archivist, as provided in the State budget; 10
(2) make a copy of any record in the Archives; and 11
(3) certify the copy. 12
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Archives 13
may [charge] ESTABLISH BY REGULAT ION a reasonable f ee for providing a copy of a 14
record and for certifying the record. 15
(2) If, with the written approval of a judge of a circuit court, the clerk of 16
court asks for a copy of a land record that a court has transferred to the Commission or 17
Archives, the Archi ves shall provide, without charge, a micrographic copy of the land 18
record. 19
9–1011. 20
(a) The Archives is the central depository for and custodian of each deed, title 21
insurance policy, and other record that relates to real property acquired by the State. 22
(c) (1) The Archives shall receive, index, and file durable –backed, microfilm 23
aperture card copies or electronic images of plats showing property or rights –of–way 24
acquired or conveyed by the State Roads Commission and the State Highway 25
Administration. 26
(2) (i) The Archives electronically shall post an image of each plat on 27
the Archives website (http://www.plats.net) for the county where the property or 28
right–of–way is located. 29
(ii) The posted image shall conform to a generally accepted archival 30
standard in quality and permanence. 31
SENATE BILL 425 3
(iii) The image shall include or be linked to a certification by the State 1
Archivist that the image is an authentic representation of the plat received by the Archives. 2
(iv) Such certification by the State Archivist shall constitute a 3
recordation of the plat. 4
(v) The Archives may [charge] ESTABLISH BY REGULAT ION a 5
reasonable fee to the State Roads Commission, the State Highway Administration, and the 6
courts to recover the cost of electronically posting and maintaining the images of plats. 7
(vi) The Archives may [charge] ESTABLISH BY REGULAT ION a 8
reasonable fee, not to exceed $3, to the public for the cost of reproducing a copy of a plat 9
under this subsection. 10
9–1015. 11
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 12
(8) “Vital record” means a record of birth, death, marriage, absolute 13
divorce, or marriage annulment required by law to be filed with the Department. 14
(e) The Archives may [charge] ESTABLISH BY REGULATION a reasonable fee to 15
cover the expense of copying vital records or indexes to a vital record, to make extracts from 16
restricted vital records or to undertake a search for vital records. 17
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 18
October 1, 2026. 19