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COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN MARYLAND
Since the nineteenth century, most Maryland counties have been governed by County Commissioners
Today, with a Board of County Commissioners serving executive and legislative functions, twelve
counties continue this form Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Fredenck, Garrett,
Queen Anne's, St Mary's, Somerset, and Washington
In recent decades the citizens of several counties have adopted alternative modes of government
Eight counties, Montgomery (in 1948), Baltimore (in 1956), Anne Arundel and Wicomico (in 1964),
Howard (in 1968), Pnnce George's (in 1970), Harford (in 1972), and Talbot (in 1973) have adopted
charter governments with special departments and officers that perform functions formerly exercised
by the Board of County Commissioners Three additional counties, Kent in 1970, Allegany in 1974,
and Worcester in 1976, have adopted the optional powers of home rule as provided in Article XIF of
the Constitution and Article 25B of the 1957 Code For provisions relating to the counties that do not
fall into these categories, see Article 25 of the Code as amended Even in these counties, however, most
of the traditional offices remain, and though many of them are not regulated by charter they work side
by side with the new departments (Const 1867, Art XIA, Code 1957, Art 25A, as amended) For
this reason the officers of all counties, regardless of the type of county government, are listed accord-
ing to function rather than according to the legal or administrative relationships their charters have
created
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METHODS OF APPOINTMENT
JUDICIAL OFFICERS
Circuit Court Resident Judges Elected by the
voters of the First, Second, and Eighth Judicial
Circuits and in other circuits by the voters of the
county for fifteen-year terms (Const 1867, Art
IV, sees 19-26, Courts Art, sees 1-501 through
1-503)
Circuit Court Clerks Elected by the voters of the
county for four-year terms (Const 1867, Art IV,
sec 25, Courts Art , sees 2-201 through 2-206)
District Court Judges Appointed by the Governor
with the advice and consent of the Senate for ten-
year terms or until mandatory retirement is
reached at the age of seventy The Distnct Court
system replaced the previously existing justices of
the peace, county trial magistrates, people's
courts, the Municipal Court of Baltimore City,
and other courts of limited jurisdiction (Const
1867, Art IV, sec 41-D, Courts Art , sees 1-601
through 1-605)
District Court Administrative Clerks Appointed by
the chief judge of the Distnct Court upon the
recommendation of the administrative judge of
the Distnct (Const 1867, Art IV, sec 41-F,
Courts Art , sec 2-602)
District Court County Clerks Appointed by the
chief judge of the Distnct Court upon the recom-
mendation of the administrative Judge of the Dis-
tnct (Courts Art , sec 2-601) |
Orphans' Court Judges Elected by the voters of
Baltimore City and each county for four-year
terms, except in Montgomery and Harford
counties where the Circuit Court judges perform
that function The Governor designates the chief
judge (Const 1867, Art IV, sees 20, 40, Code
1957, Art 93)
Registers of Wills Elected by the voters of the
county for four-year terms (Const 1867, Art IV,
sec 41, Code 1957, Art 93)
Sheriffs Elected by the voters of the county for
four-year terms (Const 1867, Art IV, sec 44,
Code 1957, Art 87, Courts Art, sees 2-301
through 2-309)
State's Attorneys Elected by the voters of the
county for four-year terms (Const 1867, Art V,
sec 7-12)
District Public Defenders Appointed by the Public
Defender with the approval of the Board of
Trustees of the Public Defender System (Code
1957, Art 27A, sec 3)
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
A CHARTER COUNTIES OF
MARYLAND
County Executives Elected by the voters for four-
year terms (Const 1867, Art XI-A, sec 3) Of
the charter counties, Wicomico and Talbot only
have no elected County Executive The executive |
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