Circuit Court Clerks and Registers of Wills – Maximum Salary

SB 471 updates salary rules for Maryland circuit court clerks and registers of wills by replacing fixed salary amounts with a new formula tied to the state's Standard and Bargaining Salary Scale. Specifically, it sets their maximum annual salary at Grade 26, Step 20 of this scale (currently $146,500), determined by the Board of Public Works based on workload and fees collected. The bill removes Baltimore City’s outdated $12,000 minimum salary requirement for registers of wills. Crucially, salary changes during an official’s term do not apply to them - only taking effect at the start of the next term. This applies to all clerks and registers elected or appointed after the bill’s effective date of October 1, 2026.