# How to Fill Out DC-CV-082: A Field-by-Field Maryland Filing Guide for 2026 A landlord's field-by-field walkthrough of Maryland's DC-CV-082 (Complaint for Summary Ejectment) — every field, every common error, and the procedural traps that dismiss FTPR cases at the bench. - Published: 2026-04-25 (updated 2026-05-13) - Author: Jordan Walsh - Canonical: https://www.evictpro.us/blog/dc-cv-082-how-to-fill-out --- DC-CV-082 is the form that starts a Maryland Failure to Pay Rent (FTPR) case. It's a single sheet, but it's the single sheet that gets your case dismissed faster than anything else if you fill it out wrong. Self-filed FTPR cases see materially higher dismissal rates than represented cases, and almost all of those dismissals trace back to a defective notice or a wrong number on this form. This is the field-by-field walkthrough — what every section means, what number goes where, and the specific errors that wreck cases before the judge ever hears the merits. - **$50-$60**: filing fee ($60 in Baltimore City (DCA-109 Rev. 03/2026)) - **Higher**: DIY dismissal rate (vs represented cases) - **3**: Top dismissal causes (every preventable) > The form isn't hard. The form is unforgiving. Every field has a right answer and a wrong answer, and the wrong answer dismisses you. **The short version:** DC-CV-082 is one form with nine sections. Match plaintiff to deed, list every tenant, copy the property address from the lease exactly, claim only filing-date amounts (not notice amounts), cap late fees at 5%, certify notice service, and ask for both possession and money judgment. Get those right and the form moves cleanly through filing. Miss any of them and you're refiling in three weeks. DC-CV-082's official title is **Complaint for Summary Ejectment**. It's authorized by [Md. Code, Real Property § 8-401](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-401&enactments=false) and administered by Maryland District Court. The current PDF lives at [mdcourts.gov/.../dccv082.pdf](https://www.mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/district/forms/civil/dccv082.pdf). Always download a fresh copy — the form is revised periodically. ## Before You Open the Form DC-CV-082 is the second step, not the first. Don't fill it out until you have: - **A served, compliant 10-day Notice of Intent** — see [Maryland's 10-Day Notice Requirement](/blog/maryland-10-day-notice). The notice clock must have fully run before you file. - **Your rental registration current** (Baltimore City) — expired registration is an automatic dismissal at the bench, regardless of how clean the form is. - **Your lead paint certificate current** (pre-1978 properties) — same automatic dismissal rule. - **A signed lease** — bring the original to the filing window and the hearing. - **An updated rent ledger** — payments received, dates, balance outstanding through the filing date. If any of those are missing, fix them before you walk into the clerk's office. Filing without prerequisites is a guaranteed dismissal that costs you the filing fee and 2-4 weeks of refile delay. ## DC-CV-082 — Field by Field ### Section 1 — Court Selection Pick the District Court that serves the property's municipality. This is jurisdictional — filing in the wrong court is dismissal, not transfer. - **Baltimore City** properties → District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City, Rent Court Division, 500 N. Calvert Street (relocated from 501 E. Fayette Street effective October 14, 2025). - **Baltimore County** properties → District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County (Towson, Catonsville, Essex, or Dundalk depending on property location). - **Other counties** → District Court for the county where the property is located. The form lists every county and city by checkbox. Match the property address, not your business address. ### Section 2 — Plaintiff (Landlord) Information Use your **legal name as it appears on the deed** or your registered business name. If the property is held by an LLC, the LLC is the plaintiff — not you personally. - **Name:** full legal name or business name - **Address:** the address where you receive legal mail (often your business address, not the property) - **Phone:** a working number the court can reach during business hours If you're using an agent (property manager, attorney, or platform- based filing service), the agent is listed in the agent designation field — not the plaintiff field. The plaintiff is always the legal owner of the rent claim. **LLC vs personal name mismatch:** If your lease lists you personally as the landlord but the property deed shows an LLC, you have a standing problem before the form is even filed. Reconcile lease and deed before serving the notice — fixing it after filing typically requires dismissal and refile. ### Section 3 — Defendant (Tenant) Information List **every tenant on the lease** as a named defendant. If you have two tenants on the lease and only file against one, the judgment against that one is unenforceable as to the other — and the non-named tenant has a defense. - **Full legal name** — exactly as on the lease, including middle initial if used - **Service address** — typically the rental property unit - **Unit number** — required if the property is multi-unit; missing unit numbers are a common dismissal cause If tenants are identified on the lease only as "John Smith and all other adult occupants," list John Smith plus each adult occupant you can identify by name. "All other occupants" alone is not sufficient under Maryland practice. ### Section 4 — Property Address Match the lease exactly, including: - **Street address** with unit/apartment number - **City** (Baltimore City, not "Baltimore" if it's the city; the county is different) - **ZIP code** If the lease lists the address one way and you write it differently on DC-CV-082, the judge will sometimes treat that as a defective identification of the premises and dismiss. ### Section 5 — Lease and Tenancy Information The form asks for: - **Type of lease** — written, oral, expired, or month-to-month - **Lease start date** (and end date if applicable) - **Monthly rent amount** — the contractual rent under the lease - **Rent due date** — the day of the month rent is due (typically the 1st) If the lease is expired and the tenant is holding over month-to-month, note that — the FTPR rules apply differently in holdover situations. ### Section 6 — The Unpaid Period This is the section landlords get wrong most often. The form asks you to specify: - **Start date** of the unpaid rent period (typically the rent due date of the first unpaid month) - **End date** of the unpaid rent period (the filing date or the rent due date for the last claimed month) - **Total rent claimed** The total claimed must equal **only what's actually outstanding on the filing date** — not the amount on your 10-day notice. If the tenant paid a partial amount during the notice period, subtract it from the claim. Over-claiming is the third most common dismissal cause statewide. Late fees can be included up to **5% of monthly rent** per the 2025 Tenants' Bill of Rights — see [Maryland's Tenants' Bill of Rights: Landlord Compliance Guide](/blog/maryland-tenants-bill-of-rights-landlord). Late fees over 5% will be reduced from the bench, and judges increasingly bias toward dismissal when the over-claimed amount is material. **The amount math:** Total claimed on DC-CV-082 = (unpaid rent for each month, summed) + (late fees ≤ 5% of monthly rent, if charged) − (any partial payments received during the notice period). Court costs are separate — they're requested in the prayer for relief, not added to the rent claim. ### Section 7 — Notice Information The form requires you to certify the 10-day Notice of Intent was properly served, including: - **Date the notice was served** - **Method of service** — personal delivery, posting, or certified mail - **Address served** — must match the property address This is the section where the judge cross-checks against your proof-of-service exhibit. Bring photos of posted notices, signed return receipts, or witness statements to the hearing — the form field alone isn't sufficient if the tenant contests service. The notice period must have **fully run** before filing. Day 10 is the earliest valid filing day. Day 9 is dismissal. ### Section 8 — Prayer for Relief This is what you're asking the court to do: - **Judgment for possession** of the rental property - **Money judgment** for the rent amount specified in Section 6 - **Court costs** — added to the money judgment if you prevail In Maryland FTPR practice, possession is the primary relief and the money judgment is essentially automatic on a judgment for possession. Don't skip it — landlords who only check "possession" forfeit the money judgment and lose the right to pursue collection later. ### Section 9 — Verification and Signature Sign and date. The form is sworn under penalty of perjury, so the factual statements in Sections 2-8 must be true to your knowledge. If your business is the plaintiff (LLC, partnership, corporation), the signer must have authority to act for the entity — typically a member, officer, or designated agent. The court won't validate authority on the spot, but a tenant's attorney can challenge it later if you signed without authority. ## What to Bring on Filing Day Walk into the clerk's office with everything in one folder: - **Completed DC-CV-082** (original signed) - **Filing fee** in cash, check, or money order ($50 in the counties, $60 in Baltimore City, per the current DCA-109 schedule) - **Original signed lease** - **Rent ledger** through filing date - **Proof of 10-day notice service** (photo, return receipt, witness statement) - **Current rental registration** (Baltimore City) - **Current lead paint certificate** (pre-1978 properties) - **Photo ID** Some clerks ask for the supporting documents at the filing window; others only want them at the hearing. Bring everything regardless — showing up prepared at filing prevents the trip back home for a missing document. **Skip the form-filling — file with one click**: https://www.evictpro.us/pricing ## The Top Five DC-CV-082 Errors That Get Cases Dismissed - **#1**: Defective 10-day notice (missing element / wrong service) - **#2**: Expired prerequisite (rental license / lead paint) - **#3**: Wrong amount claimed (notice amt vs filing amt) 1. **Defective 10-day notice.** Missing tenant name, wrong address, no cure deadline, improper service, or filing on day 9. The form is fine; the underlying notice isn't. 2. **Expired rental registration or lead paint certificate at filing** (Baltimore City). The form is fine; the prerequisites aren't. 3. **Amount on DC-CV-082 doesn't match filing-date balance.** Landlord wrote the notice-period total instead of subtracting partial payments received during the notice window. 4. **Tenant name mismatch between lease and form.** Lease says "Jonathan Smith"; form says "John Smith." Defective identification. 5. **Late fee over 5% of monthly rent.** Either reduces the judgment from the bench or — increasingly — dismisses outright when the over-claim is material. Every one of these is a compliance-layer failure, not a legal-merit failure. The landlord had a real claim. The form or the prerequisites killed it. ## How EvictPro Handles DC-CV-082 EvictPro's **Filing with Court** stage is $99 with the base court fee included (the $50-$60 the clerk collects for DC-CV-082). Maryland also charges a $5 service fee per tenant of record at filing (cost schedule DCA-109, plus $5 per location in Baltimore City), which is shown at checkout and billed at cost. What that $99 actually buys: - **Form prep with field-level validation.** Every field on DC-CV-082 is populated from your case file, then validated against the lease, the notice, the rent ledger, and the prerequisites before submission. - **Prerequisite checks.** Rental registration and lead paint certificate status verified before filing — not after a dismissed hearing. - **Amount reconciliation.** The total claimed is computed from the rent ledger as of the filing date, with partial payments automatically subtracted and late fees capped at 5%. - **Notice cross-check.** The 10-day notice service log is verified against the form — if the day count is off or a notice element is missing, the system flags before filing. - **County-specific filing.** Baltimore City rent court, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Prince George's — each county's filing process is mapped, and the case routes to the right District Court automatically. - **End-to-end audit trail.** Every filed form, payment receipt, and proof of service lives in the case file. When a tenant contests service or amount at the hearing, the proof is one click away. The base court fee is paid either way, and it's inside the $99 stage price (only Maryland's $5-per-tenant service fee is itemized at cost). The value is the compliance layer that catches the defective notice, the expired registration, the wrong amount, the name mismatch, the over-claimed late fee — all five top dismissal causes — before submission. **One prevented dismissal typically covers the entire stage cost on that case**, and the math gets stronger across a portfolio: at one property or fifty, every dismissal you avoid is $50-$60 in filing fee saved and 2-4 weeks of lost rent recovered. **See stage-by-stage pricing**: https://www.evictpro.us/pricing **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:** - [Maryland Warrant of Restitution Timeline](/blog/maryland-warrant-of-restitution-timeline) - [The Maryland FTPR Process, Step by Step](/blog/ftpr-maryland-process-step-by-step) - [How to Evict a Tenant in Maryland — The Complete 2026 Guide](/blog/how-to-evict-tenant-maryland) - [Maryland's 10-Day Notice Requirement: What Landlords Need to Know in 2026](/blog/maryland-10-day-notice) - [What Does a Baltimore Eviction Actually Cost in 2026?](/blog/baltimore-eviction-cost) - [Maryland's Tenants' Bill of Rights: Landlord Compliance Guide](/blog/maryland-tenants-bill-of-rights-landlord) **See the live data:** - [Maryland Eviction Data Dashboard](/tools/maryland-eviction-data) — see how many DC-CV-082-derived warrants get executed vs cancelled across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions, refreshed daily from Open Data Maryland. Ready to file a clean DC-CV-082? Start with the Notice of Intent — free, ten minutes, every required element covered: **Generate your 10-day Notice of Intent now**: https://www.evictpro.us/notice-of-intent ## Frequently asked questions ### What is DC-CV-082? DC-CV-082 is the Maryland District Court's Complaint for Summary Ejectment — the form a landlord files to start a Failure to Pay Rent (FTPR) case. It's required in every Maryland county. The form captures the landlord, the tenant(s), the property, the unpaid period, the rent owed, and the relief requested. The current version is published at mdcourts.gov. ### Where do I get the DC-CV-082 form? The official PDF is hosted at mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/import/district/forms/civil/dccv082.pdf. Always download the latest version directly from mdcourts.gov rather than reusing an old copy — the District Court updates form fields and instructions periodically. Many county clerks also keep printed copies at the filing window. ### How much does it cost to file DC-CV-082 in Maryland? Under the current court cost schedule (DCA-109, Rev. 03/2026), the summary ejectment filing fee is $50 in every county and $60 in Baltimore City, plus a $5 service fee per tenant of record. Maryland's full fee schedule is published at mdcourts.gov/courts/feeschedules. The DC-CV-082 fee is paid at the clerk's office at the time of filing; counties accept cash, check, or money order. Some clerks accept card. ### What's the most common reason a DC-CV-082 gets dismissed? Defective notice service is the top cause statewide — the 10-day Notice of Intent under Md. Code, Real Property § 8-401(c) was missing a required element, served the wrong way, or the case was filed before day 10 expired. Second is expired rental registration or lead paint certificate at filing in Baltimore City. Third is claiming an amount on the form that doesn't match what's actually outstanding on the filing date. ### Can I file DC-CV-082 electronically in Maryland? Maryland's Electronic Courts (MDEC) supports e-filing for civil cases in most jurisdictions, but Baltimore City rent court has historically required in-person filing (currently at 500 N. Calvert Street, relocated from 501 E. Fayette Street effective October 14, 2025). Check your specific District Court's current filing rules before assuming e-filing is available — even within the same county, FTPR may have different filing requirements than other civil case types. ### Do I need a lawyer to file DC-CV-082? No. Maryland District Court allows landlords to self-represent in FTPR cases. Self-filed cases see materially higher dismissal rates than represented cases (driven by procedural errors on the form or the underlying notice), so the practical question is whether you want to spend the time mastering the form or use a platform like EvictPro that handles DC-CV-082 prep, validation, and filing as part of a $99 inclusive stage price. ### How is the rent amount on DC-CV-082 calculated? Claim only rent that's actually outstanding on the filing date — not the amount on the original 10-day notice. If the tenant paid a partial amount during the notice period, subtract it. Late fees may be included only up to 5% of monthly rent under Maryland's 2025 Tenants' Bill of Rights. Court costs are added to the prayer for relief and recovered separately if the judgment is entered in your favor.