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Maryland County
Worcester County, Maryland
Ocean City resort and Assateague Island wild ponies - from Ocean City (Maryland's premier beach resort, Ocean City's 10-mile boardwalk, amusement parks, and Atlantic Ocean beaches draw millions of visitors each summer making it one of the East Coast's most visited beach destinations and the economic engine of Worcester County) to Assateague Island National Seashore (the undeveloped barrier island just south of Ocean City is home to the famous wild ponies - descendants of Spanish shipwreck survivors or colonial-era horses turned loose to avoid livestock taxes - that roam the beach and dunes of one of the Mid-Atlantic's most beloved protected coastlines).
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Office: Worcester County Department of Emergency Services (DES) – 1 W. Market St., Room 1002, Snow Hill, MD 21863; combines the county’s 911 Center and Emergency Management Agency in one office; dispatches nine of ten county fire departments and six of seven EMS companies (Ocean City’s calls transfer to that town’s own dispatch center); maintains the Basic Emergency Operations Plan for the county.
Sheriff: Worcester County Sheriff’s Office – 1 West Market Street, Room 1001, Snow Hill, MD 21863 | (410) 632-1111 | Fax (410) 632-3070; Sheriff Matt Crisafulli, first elected in 2018; established when Worcester County was created from a section of Somerset County on December 10, 1742, with John Martin appointed first Sheriff (the original courthouse and Sheriff’s Office subsequently burned down twice, in 1834 and 1893); serves roughly 473 square miles and 46,500+ residents.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-113 and MD-90 serve Snow Hill, the county seat; US-50 leads to Ocean City, Maryland’s premier Atlantic beach resort.
Notes: Worcester County is Maryland’s only county with direct oceanfront, home to the state’s most visited coastal tourist destination.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Worcester County Courthouse – One West Market St, Snow Hill, MD.
Notes: Worcester County is home to the Maryland side of Assateague Island, a 37-mile barrier island famous for its genuine wild horses – feral descendants of livestock most likely brought by mainland farmers as early as 1669 to avoid fencing regulations and taxes (a romantic but unverified local legend attributes them to a 16th/17th-century Spanish shipwreck). The Maryland herd, managed by the National Park Service within Assateague Island National Seashore (established 1965) and the adjoining Assateague State Park, numbers roughly 80-90 horses, separated by a fence from Virginia’s Chincoteague herd of about 150.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Worcester County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via co.worcester.md.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Worcester County Library – confirm current address/phone via worcesterlibrary.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Assateague Island National Seashore and its wild horses, Ocean City’s boardwalk and beaches, and Pocomoke River State Park are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine wild-horse heritage of Assateague Island is one of the most beloved and nationally recognized local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Worcester County Development Review & Permitting Department – confirm current contact via co.worcester.md.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Worcester County Animal Control – 6113 Timmons Road, Snow Hill, MD 21863; the county’s official animal control agency, providing sheltering for stray and unwanted animals; enforces the county’s suitable-shelter ordinance requiring protection from weather.
Worcester County Humane Society (WCHS) – 12330 Eagles Nest Rd, Berlin, MD 21811 | (410) 213-0146 | Email: [email protected]; a private, no-kill 501(c)(3) formed in 1976, serving Ocean City, Berlin, and Ocean Pines; maintains a longstanding partnership with the Town of Ocean City, which provides the shelter’s building, electricity, and trash collection; funded primarily by private donations, fundraisers, and a thrift store (Worcester County itself provides no funding). Adoption fees $100 cats / $150 dogs.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Worcester County Department of Environmental Programs – confirm current contact via co.worcester.md.us.
NOTES: Worcester County is the sixth and final county in the fourth and final batch of the Maryland v2 A+ sourced redo – completing all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. The genuine wild-horse heritage of Assateague Island is one of the most beloved and nationally recognized local 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 Worcester County
Worcester County is Maryland’s only Atlantic Ocean county and the Ocean City beach resort capital – the massive summer resort economy of Ocean City and the wild ponies of Assateague Island make Worcester County Maryland’s most visited coastal county, while Snow Hill’s quiet colonial courthouse town provides a peaceful contrast to the boardwalk bustle just miles away.
Snow Hill (the county seat, population ~2,000) is Worcester County’s governmental hub while Ocean City drives the county’s massive tourism economy as one of the East Coast’s premier beach destinations.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Worcester County Assessor at One West Market Street, Snow Hill, MD 21863, phone 410-632-1196. MD assessed at percentage of full cash value.
Courts & Legal
Worcester County Circuit Court at One West Market Street, Snow Hill, MD 21863, phone 410-632-5500, 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)
One W. Market St., Snow Hill, MD 21863
(410) 632-5500
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Worcester County Register of Wills (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
“Other Wills in the Prerogative Court for Somerset and Worcester Counties, 1664-1775” is a specific published resource for this county’s colonial era.
Local societies
No dedicated Worcester 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
Worcester County Register of Wills Worcester County Courthouse, 1 West Market Street, Room 102, Snow Hill, MD 21863 (410) 632-1529
Worcester County is Maryland’s easternmost county, on the Atlantic coast including Ocean City, seated in Snow Hill.
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
One W. Market St., Snow Hill, MD 21863
(410) 632-1111
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
One W. Market St., Snow Hill, MD 21863
(410) 632-1457
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Worcester County Health Dept
(410) 632-1100
Dept of Social Services
(410) 632-4697
MD Medicaid
(800) 492-5231
Atlantic General Hospital
atlanticgeneral.org (Berlin — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Worcester County Health Department – worcesterhealth.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Snow Hill
Population: 52,000
Area: 473 sq mi
Established: 1742
Tier: 2
Public Records
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