# Anne Arundel County Rent Court: A Landlord's 2026 Guide to Filing in Annapolis and Glen Burnie

Where Anne Arundel County landlords file FTPR cases, current fees, Annapolis rental licensing, hearing logistics, and the notice-to-warrant timeline.

- Published: 2026-09-17
- Author: Jordan Walsh
- Canonical: https://www.evictpro.us/blog/anne-arundel-county-rent-court-guide

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Anne Arundel County is one of the few Maryland jurisdictions where
"which courthouse?" is a real question. The county runs two District
Court locations, Annapolis and Glen Burnie, and both hear
landlord-tenant cases. Add the City of Annapolis rental licensing
overlay, which applies inside city limits but not in the rest of the
county, and it's easy for a landlord with properties in Severna Park,
Pasadena, and downtown Annapolis to trip on a detail that has nothing
to do with whether the rent is actually owed.

This guide covers where to file, what it costs under the current fee
schedule, the licensing rules that can sink a case before the judge
reaches the merits, and what the timeline looks like from notice to
warrant.

  - **2**: District Court locations (Annapolis and Glen Burnie)
  - **$50**: FTPR filing fee (+ $5 per tenant service fee)
  - **45-75**: days, notice to eviction (typical uncontested case)

> Anne Arundel County rent court runs on the same statewide FTPR machinery as everywhere else in Maryland. What changes here is the geography: two courthouses, one city licensing regime, and a county licensing rule that only touches multi-unit buildings.

**The short version:**
  Serve the free 10-day Notice of Intent (DC-CV-115) first. File DC-CV-082 with the
  District Court location serving your property: 251 Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis or 7500
  Governor Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie. The filing fee is $50 plus a $5 service fee
  per tenant of record. If the property is inside Annapolis city limits, you need a
  current city rental operating license; a county Multiple Dwelling License applies to
  buildings with two or more units. Expect roughly 45 to 75 days from notice to eviction
  in an uncontested case.

## The Two Courthouses

"Rent court" is the informal name for the District Court of
Maryland's landlord-tenant docket. In Anne Arundel County (District
7), that docket runs at two locations, and the
[Maryland Courts directory](https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/directories/annearundelANNAPOLIS)
confirms both hear landlord-tenant cases:

- **Annapolis (location 07-01)**: 251 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD
  21401. Phone: 410-260-1370. Open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through
  Friday, except legal holidays. This is the Robert F. Sweeney
  District Court building near the state government complex.
- **Glen Burnie (location 07-02)**: 7500 Governor Ritchie Highway,
  Glen Burnie, MD 21061. Phone: 410-260-1800. Same hours. Directory
  page:
  [mdcourts.gov/district/directories/annearundelGLENBURNIE](https://www.mdcourts.gov/district/directories/annearundelGLENBURNIE).

Which one you file in depends on where the property is located within
the county, not where you live or where your business is registered.
The split between the two locations is administrative and can change,
so the reliable move is to **call the clerk at either location and
confirm which courthouse serves your property's address** before you
drive over with a completed complaint. Filing at the wrong District
Court location within the correct county is usually fixable; filing
in the wrong county entirely is a dismissal.

Both locations publish weekly dockets online through the Maryland
Courts directory pages, which is useful for estimating how crowded
your hearing block will be.

## Before You File: The Statewide Prerequisites

Anne Arundel County follows the standard Maryland FTPR sequence. The
case starts long before the courthouse:

1. **Serve the 10-day Notice of Intent (DC-CV-115).** Under
   [Md. Code, Real Property § 8-401](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=8-401&enactments=false),
   a landlord must give written notice of intent to file at least 10
   days before filing the complaint. The notice period must fully
   run: day 10 is the earliest valid filing day. EvictPro generates a
   compliant DC-CV-115 [free, with no account required](/notice-of-intent).
2. **Confirm your licensing status** (covered in detail below),
   because the complaint form makes you plead it under oath.
3. **Update the rent ledger through the filing date.** The amount on
   the complaint must be what is actually outstanding when you file,
   not the amount on the notice. Subtract partial payments. Cap late
   fees at 5% of monthly rent.
4. **Gather the lease and proof of notice service.** Bring both to
   the filing window and the hearing.

## Licensing in Anne Arundel County: Two Different Regimes

This is the part of the guide that is genuinely local, and it is
where prepared landlords separate from unprepared ones.

### City of Annapolis: rental operating license required

If the property sits inside Annapolis city limits, Chapter 17.44 of
the city code requires a current **rental operating license** before
the unit can be rented. Licenses are issued through the city's
Department of Planning and Zoning, renewed annually, and tied to an
annual inspection. The city's program details, application, and
current fees are posted at
[annapolis.gov/1065/Rental-Licenses](https://www.annapolis.gov/1065/Rental-Licenses).
The standard license fee has been posted at $120 per unit per year;
confirm the current fee schedule with the city before budgeting,
since municipal fees change.

### Anne Arundel County: Multiple Dwelling License for 2+ units

Outside Annapolis, Anne Arundel County does not impose a general
rental license on single-family rentals. It does require a
**Multiple Dwelling License** for buildings with two or more rental
units, rooming houses, and similar properties, issued through the
county Department of Inspections and Permits (details at
[aacounty.org](https://www.aacounty.org/inspections-and-permits/licenses/faqs)).
Non-resident owners of licensed multiple dwellings must designate a
resident agent for service of process. Short-term rentals have their
own separate county license.

### Why licensing shows up in rent court

The DC-CV-082 complaint asks, in its property section: "Is the
property required to be licensed in order to operate as a rental
property?" and requires the license number and expiration date if
yes. That question is not decorative.
[Md. Code, Real Property § 8-406](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=8-406&enactments=false)
requires a landlord in a jurisdiction with a rental licensing
requirement to plead, and at trial prove, that the property is
licensed, exempt, or unlicensed for one of a short list of excusable
reasons. An Annapolis landlord with a lapsed city license, or a
multi-unit county landlord without a Multiple Dwelling License, can
be barred from summary ejectment until the license is cured. Check
the expiration date before you file, not at the hearing.

## Filing DC-CV-082: Fees and Mechanics

The complaint form is the same statewide. Our field-by-field
walkthrough is here:
[How to Fill Out DC-CV-082](/blog/dc-cv-082-how-to-fill-out). The
Anne Arundel specifics:

- **Filing fee: $50** for a summary ejectment (Failure to Pay Rent)
  complaint, per the current
  [District Court cost schedule, DCA-109 (Rev. 03/2026)](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/court-forms/dca109.pdf).
  The fee is non-refundable.
- **Service fee: $5 for each tenant of record**, collected at filing
  under the same schedule.
- **Tenant Holding Over (DC-CV-080): $56. Breach of Lease
  (DC-CV-085): $56.** Different case types, different forms, same
  courthouse.
- **Payment**: clerks accept cash, check, or money order; some
  accept card. Bring a backup payment method.

List every tenant on the lease as a defendant, copy the property
address exactly as the lease states it, and claim only the
filing-date balance. Those three habits prevent the majority of
preventable dismissals.

**File in Anne Arundel County without the courthouse trip**: https://www.evictpro.us/pricing

## Hearing Day in Annapolis or Glen Burnie

Landlord-tenant dockets in both locations are typically heard in
blocks, with many cases called the same morning or afternoon. A few
practical notes:

- **Arrive early.** Security screening lines at both courthouses can
  run long on docket days, and a case called while you are in line
  can be dismissed for failure to appear.
- **Bring the full file**: signed lease, rent ledger through the
  hearing date, proof of the 10-day notice and its service, your
  license documentation (Annapolis rental operating license or
  county Multiple Dwelling License where applicable), and a
  government ID.
- **Be ready for the amount conversation.** Judges verify the claim
  against the ledger. If the tenant paid anything since filing, know
  the exact updated balance.
- **Check the current schedule.** Docket days, remote hearing
  options, and courtroom assignments change; confirm with the clerk
  or the posted weekly docket rather than assuming last year's
  pattern holds.

If the tenant does not appear and your paperwork is clean, expect a
judgment for possession by default. If the tenant appears and
contests, the judge hears both sides the same day in most cases.

## After Judgment: Appeal, Redemption, Warrant

Winning the hearing is the midpoint, not the finish line. The
post-judgment sequence, covered in depth in
[What Happens After Filing an FTPR Case in Maryland](/blog/what-happens-after-filing-ftpr-maryland),
runs:

- **4-day appeal window.** The tenant can appeal to the Circuit
  Court. An appeal stays the eviction only if the tenant posts the
  required bond.
- **Right of redemption.** Until the eviction is physically
  executed, the tenant can cancel it by tendering the full
  court-determined amount in cash, certified check, or money order,
  unless the judgment was entered without right of redemption.
- **Warrant of restitution.** Section 8-401(f)(1)(i) sets a 7-day
  post-judgment wait, treated in practice as 7 business days under
  Md. Rule 1-203, before the warrant can be filed. Two 60-day clocks
  then apply: request the warrant within 60 days of judgment, and
  the sheriff must execute it within 60 days of issuance.
- **Sheriff scheduling and eviction day.** The Anne Arundel County
  Sheriff's Office executes warrants; lead times vary with the
  office's backlog.

End to end, a typical uncontested Anne Arundel County FTPR case runs
roughly 45 to 75 days from serving the notice to regaining
possession. Notice requirements for the scheduled eviction date vary
by county; see
[Maryland Eviction Notice Requirements by County](/blog/maryland-eviction-notice-requirements-by-county)
for where Anne Arundel County fits under the statewide framework.

## How EvictPro Handles Anne Arundel County Cases

EvictPro is built for exactly this kind of county: same statewide
law, locally specific execution. Whether you own one rental in
Pasadena or a portfolio spread across Annapolis, Glen Burnie, and
Odenton, the platform routes each case to the correct District Court
location, applies the current DCA-109 fee schedule, and runs the
compliance checks that Anne Arundel judges actually enforce:

- **Free 10-day Notice of Intent** (DC-CV-115), generated in
  minutes at [evictpro.us/notice-of-intent](/notice-of-intent). No
  account required.
- **Filing with Court: $99**, base court filing fee included, with
  Maryland's $5-per-tenant service fee billed at cost. Licensing
  status, notice day-count, tenant names, and ledger math are all
  validated before submission.
- **Court hearing representation: $249** if you want an experienced
  Maryland agent handling the docket appearance.
- **Warrant of Restitution (DC-CV-081): $199**, filed on the
  correct post-judgment timeline with the court fee included.
- **Sheriff scheduling ($49) and eviction day coordination
  ($225)** to close out the case.

If the tenant cures after filing, you are out $99 and the case is
resolved. An uncontested case through the warrant stage runs $298.
Every stage price is inclusive of the court fees for that stage, and
every filing, receipt, and proof of service lives in one case file
you can produce at the hearing.

**The Anne Arundel County checklist:**
  Confirm which courthouse serves the property (Annapolis 410-260-1370, Glen Burnie
  410-260-1800). Verify the Annapolis rental operating license or county Multiple
  Dwelling License is current if either applies. Serve the DC-CV-115 and let all 10 days
  run. File DC-CV-082 with $50 plus $5 per tenant. Bring lease, ledger, notice proof, and
  license documents to the hearing. After judgment: 4-day appeal window, 7-business-day
  warrant wait, two 60-day clocks.

**Not legal advice**: This article is general educational information about Maryland landlord-tenant law and procedure. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, court fees, and local rules change over time. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Maryland attorney or a qualified housing counselor.

**Related reading:**

- [How to Fill Out DC-CV-082: A Field-by-Field Maryland Filing Guide](/blog/dc-cv-082-how-to-fill-out)
- [What Happens After Filing an FTPR Case in Maryland](/blog/what-happens-after-filing-ftpr-maryland)
- [Maryland Eviction Notice Requirements by County](/blog/maryland-eviction-notice-requirements-by-county)
- [Maryland's 10-Day Notice Requirement](/blog/maryland-10-day-notice)
- [How Long Does an Eviction Take in Maryland?](/blog/how-long-does-eviction-take-in-maryland)

Ready to start an Anne Arundel County case the compliant way? Begin
with the notice that the statute requires first:

**Generate your 10-day Notice of Intent free**: https://www.evictpro.us/notice-of-intent

## Frequently asked questions

### Where is rent court in Anne Arundel County?

Anne Arundel County has two District Court locations, and both hear landlord-tenant cases: the Annapolis courthouse at 251 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-260-1370) and the Glen Burnie courthouse at 7500 Governor Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 (410-260-1800). Both are open 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. Call the clerk before filing to confirm which location serves your property's part of the county.

### How much does it cost to file a Failure to Pay Rent case in Anne Arundel County?

Under the current District Court cost schedule (DCA-109, Rev. 03/2026), the summary ejectment (Failure to Pay Rent) filing fee is $50 in every Maryland county except Baltimore City, which includes Anne Arundel County. Maryland also charges a $5 service fee for each tenant of record. Tenant Holding Over and Breach of Lease complaints each cost $56 to file in Anne Arundel County.

### Do I need a rental license to file for eviction in Anne Arundel County?

It depends on where the property sits. The City of Annapolis requires a rental operating license for rental units inside city limits under Chapter 17.44 of the city code. Anne Arundel County requires a Multiple Dwelling License for buildings with two or more rental units, but does not impose a general county-wide license on single-family rentals. Either way, Md. Code, Real Property section 8-406 requires you to plead your licensing status on the DC-CV-082 complaint, and an unlicensed landlord in a jurisdiction that requires a license can be barred from summary ejectment.

### How long does an eviction take in Anne Arundel County?

A typical uncontested Failure to Pay Rent case runs roughly 45 to 75 days from the 10-day Notice of Intent to the physical eviction. The sequence is: 10-day notice, filing DC-CV-082, a hearing usually set within a few weeks, a 4-day appeal window after judgment, the warrant of restitution request (7 days after judgment, treated in practice as 7 business days), and sheriff scheduling. Contested cases, appeals, and continuances extend the timeline.

### Can my tenant stop the eviction by paying after judgment?

Usually yes. Maryland's right of redemption under Real Property section 8-401(h) lets a tenant cancel the eviction by tendering all past-due rent, court-determined late fees, and court costs in cash, certified check, or money order at any time before the eviction is actually executed. The exception is a judgment entered without right of redemption, which requires 3 prior FTPR judgments against the tenant in the prior 12 months (4 in Baltimore City) and must be requested on the complaint at filing.

### Do I need a lawyer to file in Anne Arundel County rent court?

No. Maryland District Court allows landlords to self-represent in Failure to Pay Rent cases, and many Anne Arundel County landlords do. The risk is procedural: defective notices, licensing pleading errors, and wrong amounts are what dismiss cases, not the merits. If you own through an LLC or other entity, confirm current representation rules with the clerk before your hearing date.

### Which forms do I need for an Anne Arundel County eviction?

For nonpayment of rent: the DC-CV-115 Notice of Intent to File a Complaint for Summary Ejectment (served first, with a 10-day notice period), then the DC-CV-082 Complaint for Summary Ejectment, and after judgment the DC-CV-081 Petition for Warrant of Restitution. All current versions are published at mdcourts.gov. Holdover and breach-of-lease cases use DC-CV-080 and DC-CV-085 instead of DC-CV-082.
