Which Maryland county is my address in?

A mailing address is built for delivering mail. The town name and ZIP code tell the Postal Service which post office serves a street. They were never drawn to follow county or city lines, and around Central Maryland they often cross them.

That matters at settlement, because the government that taxes the land decides what is paid, not the post office. Baltimore City is its own jurisdiction, separate from Baltimore County. Each Maryland county, and Baltimore City, sets its own recordation tax rate, property tax rate and homestead cap; most also charge their own transfer tax; and each records deeds at its own Circuit Court. An incorporated city adds another layer. Annapolis and Laurel, for example, each charge a city property tax, and the county rate charged inside each city is lower than the county rate outside it. Once you know the county, find it on our areas we serve page.

Below are four Central Maryland addresses that often cause this confusion, then a quick way to check any address yourself.

Four Central Maryland addresses that mislead

Laurel: one town name, three counties

The City of Laurel lies in northern Prince George’s County, next to the Howard and Anne Arundel lines. The “Laurel, MD” postal area is much larger, and its homes outside the city can be in Prince George’s, Anne Arundel or Howard County. The county decides the county transfer tax: 1.4% on the Prince George’s side, 1.25% on the Howard side, and 1% on the Anne Arundel side for a price under $1,000,000 (1.5% of the whole price at $1,000,000 or more). Recordation tax differs too: $2.75, $2.50 and $3.50 per $500, in the same order.

Then there is the city line. The City of Laurel keeps a Master Address List and says any address not on it is outside city limits. For FY2027 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), a home inside the city pays a city rate of $0.71 and a county rate of $0.867 per $100 of assessed value, plus the state’s $0.112, and the city’s 10% homestead cap applies to the city tax. Our Laurel guide covers each county in turn.

Brooklyn Park: a Baltimore address on an Anne Arundel home

Brooklyn Park is an unincorporated part of Anne Arundel County. Many of its homes carry a “Baltimore, MD 21225” address, the same ZIP code used by Brooklyn, the Baltimore City neighborhood across the line. The two sides are taxed very differently. Baltimore City charges a 1.5% transfer tax and $5.00 of recordation tax per $500. Anne Arundel charges 1% and $3.50 per $500. An estimate that goes by ZIP code can be off by thousands of dollars. See our Brooklyn Park guide.

Plenty of Baltimore County homes also have a “Baltimore, MD” address. They pay Baltimore County’s 1.5% transfer tax, with the first $22,000 of the price exempt when the home will be the buyer’s principal residence, and $2.50 of recordation tax per $500, not the city’s rates.

“Annapolis” homes outside the city

Annapolis is an incorporated city, but the Annapolis ZIP codes (21401, 21403, 21405 and 21409) reach well past its limits. For FY2027 (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), a home inside the city pays city $0.738, county $0.577 and state $0.112 per $100 of assessed value. A home just outside pays the full county rate of $0.968 plus the state rate, and no city tax. The homestead caps differ as well: inside the city, the city tax is capped at 10% a year, while the county’s 2% cap covers the county share of the bill on both sides of the line. Anne Arundel’s county transfer and recordation taxes apply on both sides of the city line. See our Annapolis guide.

Hanover: one ZIP code, two counties

Hanover is unincorporated, so it has no town tax, and the community itself is in Anne Arundel County. The 21076 ZIP code does not stop at the county line, though: the Howard County school system’s Hanover Hills Elementary has a Hanover 21076 address. A Howard home pays 1.25% county transfer tax, $2.50 per $500 of recordation tax and a Howard property tax bill. Our Hanover guide has the detail, and the Ellicott City guide covers the Howard and Baltimore County line along the Patapsco.

How to check which county your address is in

1. SDAT Real Property Data Search. The state’s assessment search makes you pick a county before it will search, then looks up a street address, account number or map reference. It does not search by ZIP code or town name, which is why it settles the question: if the address comes up under the county you chose, that county taxes the home. If not, try the neighboring county. If nothing is found, leave out directions such as “N” and endings such as “Rd”.
2. The property tax bill. The bill comes from the county, or Baltimore City, that taxes the home. A city or town charge on the bill means the home is inside that municipality.
3. The deed. The seller’s deed names the county whose land records it was recorded in.
4. A town’s own list. For Laurel, the city’s Master Address List and boundary map show whether a property is inside the city.

Agents should run this check before writing the contract, because some required contract notices depend on the county. If the records disagree, or you are not sure, ask us before the contract is signed.

What the county changes at settlement

Transfer and recordation tax

When the deed is recorded, the state transfer tax, any county transfer tax and the county’s recordation tax are paid. The state transfer tax of 0.5% is the same in every county. Most counties, and Baltimore City, add their own transfer tax. Recordation tax is charged on each $500 of the price, with part of $500 counted as a full $500, at the county’s own rate. Each county’s rates are side by side under Facts and sources at the end of this page.

A worked example. The estimator above opens on Anne Arundel County at its median sale price of $509,990. At that price the three taxes total $11,219.85, or about $5,609.92 each if buyer and seller share them equally. To price one Laurel-addressed house on three sides of a county line, type a price into the box first, then switch the county to Prince George’s and then Howard; the box keeps a price you have typed. For a 21225 home, compare Anne Arundel with Baltimore City. In the city, a buyer who will live in the home pays no city recordation tax on the first $22,000 of the price, whatever the price, but gets the same $22,000 off city transfer tax only when the price is under $250,000. The buyer signs a statement under oath to claim it.

Who pays

The default rules on who pays come from state law, so they are the same across Maryland. When the contract is silent, the law presumes the buyer and seller split the transfer and recordation taxes evenly, and many contracts change that. There is one big exception. When every buyer is buying a first Maryland principal residence and will move in, each giving a statement under oath (a co-maker or guarantor of the loan who will not live there does not spoil this), the state transfer tax falls to 0.25% and is the seller’s to pay. The seller also pays the county transfer and recordation taxes in that sale, unless the contract expressly puts them on the buyer. With Anne Arundel, Howard or Prince George’s chosen in the estimator, tick its first-time buyer box to see the difference.

Title insurance, the settlement fee, lender charges, recording fees, and property tax and association prorations come on top. Our instant quote estimates the full cost, and our guide to Maryland closing costs by county compares county taxes side by side.

Property tax and the homestead credit

The year’s property tax is usually split by date at settlement, so the jurisdiction’s rate feeds straight into the settlement statement. The homestead credit limits how fast the taxable assessment on a main home can rise. It does not carry over from seller to buyer: the buyer has to apply. The person running the settlement must give the buyer a copy of the application, and SDAT mails one after the deed is recorded. Each county sets the cap on its own tax: 2% in Anne Arundel, 5% in Howard, 3% in Prince George’s, 4% in Baltimore County and 4% in Baltimore City. A city sets its own cap on the city tax, such as 10% in Annapolis and 10% in Laurel.

Contract notices

Every Maryland contract to sell real property must carry the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays critical area notice. Residential contracts must also carry a military installation notice, except in seven counties, Howard among them. Howard County has no critical area land. Anne Arundel contracts need extra county items, such as a disclosure of certain county or state enforcement actions against the property. Prince George’s adds two items of its own: a disclosure, on a home’s initial sale, of any deferred private water and sewer assessments recorded by covenant or declaration, and a statement of any development impact fee. A contract written for the wrong county can miss a required notice.

Recording at the right Circuit Court

Each deed is recorded in the land records of the county where the land lies, and the local taxes are paid to that county, or to Baltimore City:

• Anne Arundel County: Clerk of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Land Records Department, in Annapolis.
• Baltimore City: Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Land Records and Licenses Division, downtown. The checklist of the city’s Transfer and Recordation Tax Office calls for a current lien certificate with a sale deed, and for every lien on it to be paid in full before the deed is submitted. Our Baltimore City lien certificate guide explains the steps.
• Baltimore County: Clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Land Records Indexing and Recording Division, in Towson. The county’s Office of Budget and Finance collects the county taxes before the Clerk records the deed, and its deed rules call for a lien certificate with a deed that changes ownership.
• Howard County: Clerk of the Circuit Court for Howard County, Land Records and Licensing Department, in Ellicott City. Before the Clerk records it, the deed goes to the county Department of Finance, which collects the county transfer and recordation taxes; the state transfer tax and recording fees are paid to the Clerk.
• Prince George’s County: Clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Land Records Division, in Upper Marlboro.

So a Brooklyn Park deed goes to Annapolis, not downtown Baltimore, and a Howard-side Laurel deed goes to Ellicott City.

From contract to settlement

Whatever the county, the settlement date comes from the contract.

1. Contract and deposit. The buyer’s deposit is held in escrow as the contract provides. Our post on escrow accounts explains how escrow works.
2. Title search. The search covers the land records of the county where the property lies, along with that county’s tax and lien records (and the city’s, inside a city), to find anything that must be cleared before settlement.
3. Loan. With a mortgage, the lender usually orders an appraisal. For most home loans, the lender must give the buyer the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing.
4. Funds. We email wire instructions. Before you send any money, confirm them by calling our office at (410) 768-2300, the number on this website, not a number from an email. Our wire fraud warning explains why.
5. Settlement and recording. Everyone signs, the taxes are paid, and the deed is recorded at the right courthouse.

Our buyer’s checklist and seller’s checklist cover your side of each step.

How a Maryland settlement works covers each of these steps in more detail.

Title issues near county and city lines

Old plats. On older lots, fences and sheds do not always match the recorded lines. A survey can find this while there is still time to fix it.

Associations. Homeowners association rules travel with the land, not the mailing address. The seller owes the buyer the association’s disclosure documents, and a buyer who receives them late has a few days to cancel. The association’s statement of any balance due is normally obtained before settlement so the balance can be paid from the sale.

Estates. If the owner has died, the deed is usually signed by the estate’s personal representative, who must be appointed first. Ask us early, because the estate’s paperwork can affect the settlement date. Transfers through inheritance are covered on our deeds and family transfers page.

Wells, septic and the waterfront. Homes outside public water and sewer may need a water test or septic inspection. The critical area generally takes in land within 1,000 feet of the landward edge of tidal waters and tidal wetlands, and it limits building and clearing there. An owner’s title policy is optional in Maryland. Its premium is paid once, at settlement, and it can protect you against covered title defects that a search could not find.

How Maryland First Title helps

Maryland First Title has provided attorney-led title and settlement services in Maryland since 1994, and we handle settlements across the state. Every settlement turns on the jurisdiction: the title search is made in that county’s records, the taxes are figured at its rates, and the deed is recorded at its Circuit Court. Settle at our Glen Burnie office at 306 Crain Hwy N, or our attorney settlement agents will travel to you at no extra cost; weekend and after-hours times are by appointment. We handle residential settlements, sales by owners without a listing agent and purchases by buyers without a buyer’s agent.