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Last Page Edit 10/24/08
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Searching for Maryland Statutes When You Don’t Have a Citation Many public libraries in Maryland subscribe to the Annotated Code of Maryland in print. This print version of the Code is the version you should use if possible for two reasons: (1) It is the official version, the one most accepted by Maryland's courts; and (2) at the end of each statute section, the Code's editors list, summarize, and provide citations to cases that have interpreted that statute section. These case annotations will give you a head start on finding cases related to your problem.
Here are the steps for using the Annotated Code of Maryland in print:
1. Look up words related to your problem in the subject index.
2. Look up the code sections cited after each of the words you looked up.
3. Each of those code sections will appear in a hardbound volume. The hardbound volume may
be several years old, so you need to update it. The first step in updating a statute is to look for a soft pamphlet in the back of the hardbound volume. This soft pamphlet is called a pocket part.
4. If you find a pocket part, look for your section number in it. If you find your section in the pocket part, read for changes made to the section since the hardbound volume was published.
5.
If you don’t find a pocket part, look for a soft supplemental pamphlet sitting next to the hard volume on the shelf. If you find a supplemental pamphlet, check it for changes to your section.
6. After you check the pocket part or supplemental pamphlet, you still have to look for pamphlets at the end of the code called “Advance Sheets” or “Advanced Legislative Service.” These pamphlets are published monthly to show any changes made since the pocket parts to each code volume were published. The advance sheets update the entire code, not just one volume. They are usually shelved right before the index volumes.
The unannotated
Maryland statutory code is available free on the web through the Maryland State Law
Library website
. Unfortunately, because it is "unannotated" it will not give you any summaries of or citations to cases that discuss the statutes you find. If you don't have access to a public library or your local branch library doesn't subscribe to the Annotated Code of Maryland, however, it is better than nothing. To search this free, unannotated version of the Maryland
Code, first click “Sources of Law” to select that page, then click on
"via the Maryland General Assembly website", then enter the article
and section.
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| Source: Sara Kelly, law librarian with the University of Maryland School of Law, created this section as a public service. Updated by the Maryland State Law Library (MSLL). |
Last Review Date 10/24/08 (PLL/M.A.J.) |
| Is this legal
advice? This site offers legal information, not legal advice. We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information and to clearly explain your options. However we do not provide legal advice - the application of the law to your individual circumstances. For legal advice,
you should consult an attorney. See our section on Finding Legal Help.
About this website. The Maryland State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, sponsors this site. The website was developed (1999-2007) as part of an access to justice initiative by the Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) in collaboration with a number of legal services providers serving low and moderate income Marylanders. In the absence of file-specific attribution or copyright, the Maryland State Law Library may hold the copyright to parts of this website. You are free to copy the information for your own use or for other non-commercial purposes with the following language “Source: Maryland's People’s Law Library – www.peoples-law.org. © Maryland State Law Library, 2007.” |
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