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Legal Information: Maryland

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of August 19, 2024

Do I have to register my protective order in Maryland in order to get it enforced?

Maryland state law gives full protection to an out-of-state protection order as long as it has been filed with the local court or as long as you can show the officer a copy of the order that appears to be valid.1 Maryland does not have a registration process in place, so your order does not have to be entered into the state or federal registry in order to be enforced by a Maryland police officer.2 It is important to know, however, that the protections that are allowed under Maryland state law are the ones that will be enforced.3 For more information, you may want to get advice from an attorney who is familiar with foreign protection orders. You can find legal referrals on our MD Finding a Lawyer page.

1 MD Code, Family Law § 4-508.1(b), (c)
2 MD Code, Family Law § 4-508.1(c)
3 MD Code, Family Law § 4-508.1(b)

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