Maryland consumer bankruptcy.

The Greenbelt Division sits at 6500 Cherrywood Lane, Suite 300, Greenbelt, Maryland. The Baltimore Division sits in the Garmatz Federal Courthouse at 101 West Lombard Street, Suite 8530, Baltimore, Maryland. Salisbury is a hearing location only, and no filing is made there. The court states that filings, including new petitions, may be made with the Clerk’s Office in either division.

The local rules and case notices identify the division and hearing location.

Case notices identify the assigned trustee and meeting details.

District of Maryland court locations
District of Maryland trustee contact information
U.S. Trustee credit counseling, District of Maryland
11 U.S.C. 528

Maryland generally bars the federal 522(d) exemption list when Maryland law governs. Under 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3)(A), domicile during the 730 days before filing controls; if domicile was not in one state throughout that period, the statute looks to the preceding 180-day period. Section 522(b)(3) permits the federal list if that domicile rule leaves the debtor ineligible for any exemption. Filing in Maryland alone does not decide which exemption law applies.

Section 11-504(b) exempts up to $5,000 in tools of a trade or profession under (b)(1), up to $1,000 in household furnishings and personal items under (b)(4), and up to $500 in a deposit account under (b)(5). The general exemption is (b)(6), which allows cash or property of any kind equivalent in value to $6,000 on a timely election, with the caveat that the cumulative value exempted under (b)(5) and (b)(6) together may not exceed $6,000. Section 11-504(f)(1)(i)1 adds up to $5,000 in personal property in a bankruptcy case. Section 11-504(h) exempts qualified retirement plan assets, subject to stated exceptions.

For proceedings filed on or after June 1, 2026, Chapter 400 sets Maryland’s owner-occupied residential exemption at $125,000 for an individual, with a $125,000 combined cap when multiple individuals claim the exemption for the same property in the same bankruptcy proceeding. Annual CPI adjustments, rounded to the nearest $25, begin in fiscal year 2028. Federal limits, including 11 U.S.C. 522(o) and (p), may also affect the available exemption.

Maryland uses its own Chapter 13 plan. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3015.1 permits a district to require a single local form in place of Official Form 113. Local Bankruptcy Rule 3015-1(a), version 25.01 effective December 1, 2025, states that a Chapter 13 plan must conform to Local Bankruptcy Form M, must be signed by the debtor, and is subject to Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-2(b). Rule 3015-1(b) requires a certificate of service on Local Bankruptcy Form M-1.

Credit counseling runs on a 180-day period. 11 U.S.C. 109(h)(1) requires an approved briefing during the 180-day period ending on the date the petition is filed, from an agency described in 11 U.S.C. 111(a). The U.S. Trustee Program publishes the approved agencies for the District of Maryland.

The meeting of creditors is held on Zoom. The U.S. Trustee Program page for the Greenbelt Division states that section 341 meetings are virtual for all Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases filed on or after September 1, 2023, with those Zoom meetings beginning October 10, 2023, and that Chapter 11 meetings remain telephonic. The Program publishes the format and the trustee login details by division, and the printed notice controls.

Md. Code, Cts. and Jud. Proc. 11-504
2026 Maryland Chapter 400, effective June 1, 2026
11 U.S.C. 522
11 U.S.C. 109
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 3015.1
District of Maryland Local Bankruptcy Rules
Local Bankruptcy Form M
Region 4 section 341 meetings, Greenbelt
District of Maryland filing fees

Filing requirements

• Confirm the division. The court publishes the counties each division serves. Filings, including new petitions, may be made with the Clerk’s Office in either division, but hearings follow the assignment.
• Determine which exemption law applies. Maryland generally bars the federal 522(d) exemption list when Maryland law governs. Under 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3)(A), domicile history determines which state law applies. Review that history and the federal fallback before selecting exemptions.
• Complete the credit counseling briefing. 11 U.S.C. 109(h)(1) requires an approved briefing during the 180-day period ending on the date the petition is filed. The U.S. Trustee Program publishes the approved agencies for the District of Maryland.
• File, then appear at the 341 meeting. The United States trustee convenes the meeting of creditors under 11 U.S.C. 341(a). For Chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases filed on or after September 1, 2023, the Greenbelt meetings are held on Zoom. The case notice gives the meeting date and login.

Further questions

• Which counties sit in Greenbelt, and which in Baltimore? The court’s locations page lists the Greenbelt Division as serving Allegany, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, and Washington Counties. It lists the Baltimore Division as serving Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. Salisbury is a hearing location only, with no filing.
• May a Maryland debtor use the federal exemptions? Maryland generally bars the federal 522(d) exemption list when Maryland law governs. Filing in Maryland alone does not decide which exemption law applies. Federal law examines domicile during the 730 days before filing and, if domicile was not in one state throughout that period, the preceding 180-day period. Section 522(b)(3) permits the federal list if its domicile rule leaves the debtor ineligible for any exemption. Address history and applicable law must be reviewed before selecting exemptions.
• Does Maryland use the national Chapter 13 plan form? No. District of Maryland Local Bankruptcy Rule 3015-1(a), version 25.01 effective December 1, 2025, states that a Chapter 13 plan must conform to Local Bankruptcy Form M, must be signed by the debtor, and is subject to Local Bankruptcy Rule 9011-2(b). Rule 3015-1(b) requires a certificate of service on Local Bankruptcy Form M-1. Official Form 113 is not the Maryland plan.
• Is Mr. Powell admitted to file in Maryland? Yes. Mr. Powell is admitted in the District of Columbia and Maryland, and to the Bar of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.