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Maryland County
Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Bay Bridge gateway and Chesapeake watermen heritage - from Queen Anne's County's position as the first Eastern Shore county beyond the Bay Bridge (the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge - universally known as the Bay Bridge - connects Annapolis to Queen Anne's County, making the county the literal gateway to Maryland's Eastern Shore and positioning it as the first stop for millions of Bay Bridge crossers heading to Ocean City and the Delmarva Peninsula) to the county's Chesapeake Bay watermen heritage (the county's extensive Chester River and Eastern Bay shoreline has supported generations of watermen harvesting blue crabs, oysters, and rockfish in the Chesapeake's most productive waters).
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services (DES) – 100 Communications Drive, Centreville, MD 21617 | (410) 758-4500 | Fax (410) 758-2086; unites Communications, EMS, Support Services, Special Operations, and the Office of the Fire Marshal under one department, each led by an Assistant Chief with equal decision-making authority; also handles all 911 dispatch for the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff: Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff – 505 Railroad Avenue, Centreville, MD 21617 | (410) 758-0770 (24/7); patrols roughly 392 square miles serving about 48,000 residents from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Delaware state line; accepts unwanted medication (pills, liquids, illegal drugs) for disposal 24/7/365, and participates in spring/fall National Drug Takeback Day; maintains volunteer Auxiliary Deputy and Bike Patrol programs.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-301, US-50, and MD-18 serve Centreville, the county seat; the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (US-50/301) connects the county to Maryland’s Western Shore.
Notes: Queen Anne’s County, established in 1706 and named for Queen Anne of Great Britain, is roughly 27% water – spanning much of the northern portion of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Queen Anne’s County Courthouse – 100 Courthouse Square, Centreville, MD; genuinely the oldest courthouse still in continuous use in the state of Maryland, built 1791-1796 after the county seat moved from Queenstown to Chester Mills and finally to Centreville.
Notes: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, connecting Queen Anne’s County (Kent Island) to Maryland’s Western Shore, is one of the most heavily traveled – and, during summer beach traffic, most notorious – bridge crossings on the East Coast.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Queen Anne’s County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via qac.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Queen Anne’s County Free Library – confirm current address/phone via qacpl.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic Queen Anne’s County Courthouse, Kent Island’s Chesapeake Bay waterfront, and Terrapin Nature Park are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “oldest courthouse still in use in Maryland” status is one of the more distinctive local government-history facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Queen Anne’s County Department of Planning and Zoning – confirm current contact via qac.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Queen Anne’s County Animal Services (Animal Control) – 201 Clay Drive, Queenstown, MD; confirm current phone via qac.org; provides comprehensive medical care, an enrichment program, and a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program to manage the feral cat population; also patrols the county for stray/unleashed animals.
Humane Society of Queen Anne’s County, Inc. – P.O. Box 335, Centreville, MD; a private nonprofit animal welfare organization serving the county.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Queen Anne’s County Department of Public Works – confirm current contact via qac.org.
NOTES: Queen Anne’s County is the sixth and final county in the third batch of the Maryland v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “oldest courthouse still in use in Maryland” status is one of the more distinctive local government-history facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Queen Anne's County
Queen Anne’s County is the Eastern Shore’s Bay Bridge gateway and Chester River watermen county – the county’s position as the first Eastern Shore land beyond the Bay Bridge and its Chesapeake Bay watermen traditions define a community experiencing steady growth as Baltimore-Washington commuters and retirees discover the Eastern Shore’s rural character and water access.
Centreville (the county seat, population ~5,600) is Queen Anne’s County’s governmental hub on the Chester River, while the Bay Bridge communities of Stevensville and Chester serve as the county’s primary commercial corridor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Queen Anne’s County Assessor at 107 N. Liberty Street, Centreville, MD 21617, phone 410-758-0414. MD assessed at percentage of full cash value.
Courts & Legal
Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court at 100 Court House Square, Centreville, MD 21617, phone 410-758-1773, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK (Land Records & Court Filings)
100 Courthouse Square, Centreville, MD 21617
(410) 758-1773
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Queen Anne’s County Register of Wills (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
“Index to Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, Wills” is a specific published resource for this county.
The Queen Anne’s County Courthouse (1791-96), the oldest courthouse still in use in Maryland, is a significant landmark within the Centreville Historic District (NRHP).
Local societies
No dedicated Queen Anne’s County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Queen Anne’s County Register of Wills Liberty Building, 107 North Liberty Street, Suite 220, Centreville, MD 21617 (410) 758-0585
Queen Anne’s County was founded 1706, named for Queen Anne, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Its seat, Centreville, holds the oldest courthouse still in use in Maryland (1791-96); Stevensville is the county’s largest community.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Maryland is NOT a Uniform Probate Code state – it follows its own framework under the Maryland Estates and Trusts Article, administered through the Register of Wills rather than a traditional probate court in most cases.
Small Estate Administration – for a gross probate estate of $50,000 or less, or $100,000 or less if the surviving spouse is the sole heir or legatee. Filed as a Petition for Administration of a Small Estate. There is no filing fee for small estates opened on or after October 1, 2022. Small estates typically close in 2 to 4 months.
Modified Administration – available for Regular Estates when the residuary legatees consist of the personal representative and non-taxable recipients of property (spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings), the estate is solvent, and all consent. The personal representative must elect this within 3 months of appointment, files a verified Final Report within 10 months, and must complete final distribution within 12 months of appointment.
Regular Estate (Administrative Probate) – required when probate assets exceed $50,000 (or $100,000 with spouse as sole heir). Requires a formal Inventory (due within 3 months) and Account (first account due within 9 months, can be filed as early as 6 months), with a fee based on estate value.
Judicial Probate – conducted by the Orphans’ Court rather than administratively through the Register of Wills, required when the will’s validity is questioned, the will is damaged, or more than one qualified person petitions to serve as personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a Petition for Administration (Form 1103, plus Schedule B/Form 1137 as needed) with the Register of Wills in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death.
The Register of Wills reviews the petition and, following the statutory order of priority, appoints a personal representative and issues Letters of Administration.
Notice to creditors is published by the Register in a newspaper; creditors have 6 months from the date of death (or 2 months after being mailed notice, whichever is later) to file a claim, or they’re barred from collecting.
The personal representative pays valid debts, files the required Inventory and/or Account (or Final Report under Modified Administration), pays any inheritance tax due, and distributes the remaining assets – the surviving spouse or domestic partner is entitled to a $10,000 family allowance, and $5,000 for each unmarried minor child.
What it costs
No filing fee for small estates opened on or after October 1, 2022.
Regular estates pay a probate fee based on the total gross estate value, per a published fee schedule.
Maryland imposes both a state estate tax (threshold around $5 million) and a separate inheritance tax.
Maryland does not require an attorney for probate, but complex or contested estates commonly benefit from one.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
505 Railroad Ave., Centreville, MD 21617
(410) 758-0770
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 Courthouse Square, Centreville, MD 21617
(410) 758-1776
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Queen Anne's County Health Dept
(410) 758-0720
Dept of Social Services
(410) 819-4400
MD Medicaid
(800) 492-5231
Chester River Health Foundation
chesterhospital.org (Chestertown, Kent County — accessible regional hospital)
University of Maryland Shore at Easton
umms.org/shore (Talbot County — accessible regional hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Queen Anne’s County Health Department – (410) 758-0720.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Centreville
Population: 52,000
Area: 372 sq mi
Established: 1706
Tier: 2
Public Records
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Search public records for Queen Anne's County residents.
