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Maryland · Eastern Shore · #737
Wicomico County, Maryland
At the center of Maryland's Eastern Shore, Salisbury is the regional hub for the Delmarva Peninsula - the healthcare, higher education, and commercial center for a multi-state region of poultry farms, crab pots, and the Chesapeake Bay culture that defines the lower Eastern Shore's identity.
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Office: Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services – coordinates a comprehensive all-hazard emergency operational plan and provides 911 dispatch; includes an Emergency Management Division that manages Homeland Security grant funding and maintains the county’s Emergency Mobile Command Unit.
Sheriff: Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) – Salisbury, MD; Sheriff Michael A. “Mike” Lewis; established in 1867; serves roughly 400 square miles and 102,000+ residents with 91 deputies and 51 civilian personnel; divided into a Special Operations Bureau (Budget/Finance, Internal Affairs, Human Resources, Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, Special Investigations) and a Field Operations Bureau.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-13 and US-50 serve Salisbury, the county seat, on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore (Delmarva Peninsula).
Notes: Wicomico County features over 1,500 acres of parks/trails and more than 1,000 miles of waterways along the Wicomico and Nanticoke Rivers.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wicomico County Circuit Court – Salisbury, MD.
Notes: Wicomico County is genuinely a birthplace of the modern American broiler-chicken industry and remains its headquarters today. Perdue Farms, one of the nation’s largest poultry, meat, and grain companies (roughly $8 billion in annual sales), was founded in Salisbury in 1920 by Arthur W. and Pearl Perdue and remains headquartered there. The broiler industry itself originated on the nearby Delmarva Peninsula in the 1920s (pioneered by Cecile Steele of Delaware), and Wicomico County became – and remains today – the top chicken-producing county in Maryland, historically ranking among the top ten nationally.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Wicomico County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via wicomicocounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Wicomico Public Library – confirm current address/phone via wicomicolibrary.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The free Salisbury Zoo, Arthur W. Perdue Stadium (home of the Delmarva Shorebirds), and Salisbury University’s campus are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Perdue Farms and broiler-industry heritage is one of the most distinctive local agricultural/business facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Wicomico County Department of Planning, Zoning and Community Development – confirm current contact via wicomicocounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Humane Society of Wicomico County (HSWC) – 5130 Citation Dr, Salisbury, MD 21804 | (410) 749-7603; founded in 1968 by a group of concerned residents; serves all of Wicomico County for animal intake with no location restrictions on adoptions; operates an on-site spay/neuter clinic (also offered to the public at low cost) and provides emergency boarding for victims of domestic abuse, fire, and medical emergencies, plus the capability to set up off-site emergency shelters during evacuations. Hours: Tue-Fri 9:30 AM-5 PM, Sat 11 AM-4 PM, closed Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Wicomico County Department of Public Works – confirm current contact via wicomicocounty.org.
NOTES: Wicomico County is the fifth county in the fourth and final batch of the Maryland v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Perdue Farms and broiler-industry heritage is one of the most distinctive local agricultural/business 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 Wicomico County
Wicomico County’s Salisbury holds the Delmarva Peninsula’s most complete regional economy – its TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Medical Center is the primary hospital for patients across a wide region of Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Salisbury University provides higher education with about 8,000 students. The county’s poultry industry – the Eastern Shore is one of the most intensive broiler chicken production regions in the world, and Perdue Farms is headquartered nearby in Salisbury – creates significant agricultural employment and processing activity.
The Chesapeake Bay’s influence on the county’s culture – blue crabs, rockfish, watermen traditions, skipjack boats – is genuine despite the county’s more inland position relative to the bay itself. Ward Brothers Museum preserves the Crisfield-area decoy carving tradition that is one of the Chesapeake’s most distinctive folk art forms.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Maryland assesses property at 100% of full market value on a three-year cycle. Property owners may appeal to the Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board within 45 days of notice. Maryland has an estate tax above $5 million; no Maryland inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Wicomico County Department of Aging
P.O. Box 870, Salisbury, MD 21803
Phone: (410) 548-4860
Senior Services
Wicomico County Department of Aging
P.O. Box 870, Salisbury, MD 21803
Phone: (410) 548-4860
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)
101 N. Division St., Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 543-6551
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wicomico County Register of Wills (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
Wicomico County Historical Society confirmed as a dedicated local resource.
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
Wicomico County Register of Wills Wicomico County Courthouse, 101 North Division Street, Room 102, Salisbury, MD 21801 (410) 543-6635
Wicomico County was founded 1867, named for the Wicomico River, on the Delmarva Peninsula. Its seat, Salisbury, is also its largest city.
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
201 Baptist St., Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 548-4891
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
125 N. Division St., Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 548-4022
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Wicomico County Health Dept
(410) 749-1244
Dept of Social Services
(410) 572-4700
MD Medicaid
(800) 492-5231
Peninsula Regional Medical Center
peninsula.org (Salisbury — major regional hospital; Level II Trauma; dominant medical facility for the lower Eastern Shore of MD, DE, and VA)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Wicomico County Health Department – confirm current phone via wicomicocounty.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Salisbury
Population: 105,000
Area: 377 sq mi
Established: 1867
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Wicomico County facilities via Amazon.
