Maryland has laws, regulations, and programs designed to protect the personal information of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, and human trafficking. These include address confidentiality programs, protective orders, and laws restricting the public dissemination of personal information. 

Topics on this page

• Maryland Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)
• Shielding Personal Information in Maryland
• Voter Registration Privacy
• Human Trafficking Protections

Maryland Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)

The Maryland Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is administered by the Office of the Secretary of State and provides an important service to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The Program has two components:

Substitute Address

If victims provide State or local government agencies with their actual address, it could become public information. The ACP provides a substitute address for victims who have moved or are about to move to a new location unknown to their abuser. The substitute address provided to a victim by the ACP has no relation to the victim’s actual address. The substitute address is managed by the Office of the Secretary of State and can be used for mail, voter registration, and interactions with state and local agencies. ACP participants should use the ACP substitute address every time they interact with State and local government agencies.

As an ACP participant, the victim has designated the Secretary of State as their agent for service of process and for receipt of mail. This means the Secretary of State accepts legal documents on their behalf. A participant may not avoid legal responsibilities by refusing to accept mail forwarded by the ACP. The ACP’s receipt of documents is considered the participant’s receipt of those documents. As such, a participant is legally responsible for obligations contained in all documents at the time of receipt by the ACP.

NOTE: A participant of the ACP may use their substitute address in court. The court may not require a program participant to submit any address that could be used to physically locate the program participant.

Read the Rule: Md. Rule 1-205.

Mail Forwarding

The ACP provides participants with a free confidential mail-forwarding service for first-class mail and legal papers. The ACP does not forward magazines or packages. The participant may also use the substitute address as a return address on mail sent. 

NOTE: It is important to understand that once enrolled in the ACP, first-class mail or legal papers will be delayed.

Eligibility 

The following individuals may apply to participate in the Program:
•    A person who is a victim of domestic violence or human trafficking.
•    A parent or guardian of a minor child who fears for the safety of the minor child; or 
•    The guardian of a disabled person, if the guardian fears for the safety of the disabled  person.
ACP enrollment is effective for 4 years, unless the participant withdrawals or the participant’s enrollment is cancelled by the program. Participants may re-enroll every 4 years if they still qualify for the program.

Read the Law: Md. Code, State Government, Title 7, Subtitle 3.

Shielding Personal Information in Maryland

Maryland law provides measures to protect the personal information of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and related crimes. Survivors can ask courts and public agencies to implement shielding provisions to ensure sensitive details such as addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses are not disclosed to respondents, opposing parties, or the public.

Protective and Peace Orders

When issuing protective or peace orders, courts may include confidentiality provisions to safeguard survivors’ personal information. This can include redacting addresses and contact details from court filings or proceedings, suppressing identifying information in publicly accessible court records, and offering secure filing options for survivors to confidentially submit their petitions. Survivors can also request that their contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, be kept private during court processes.

Shielding Court Records

Maryland law allows survivors to request the sealing or shielding of court records in cases involving domestic violence, protective orders, or peace orders. These measures ensure that sensitive information remains confidential and inaccessible to the public.

Shielding Property Records

Maryland law allows for the shielding of personal information in property records when individuals demonstrate a credible safety concern, such as being a survivor of domestic violence, stalking, or other crimes. Shielding does not eliminate the underlying record but restricts its accessibility to protect the requester’s safety.

Requests for shielding must be submitted to the clerk of the court where the property records are maintained. The request should include:

• A Real Property ACP Notice;
• The deed or other instrument to be recorded; and
• The required intake sheet.

The Real Property ACP Notice shall include:

1. The full legal name of the program participant, including middle name;
2. The program participant's ACP number;
3. The substitute address designated by the Secretary as the program participant's address;
4. A description of the property identical to the description given on the intake sheet required under § 3-104 of this subtitle; and
5. The signature of the program participant.

NOTE: the ACP Notice form may be requested from the ACP office (contact information for ACP office).
If approved, the individual’s name, address, or other identifiable information is shielded from public access.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-1510, Md. Code, Family Law, § 4-512, Md. Code, Real Property, § 3-115
Read the Rule: Md. Rule 16-915

Voter Registration Privacy

Survivors who enroll in the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) automatically receive protections for their voter registration information. While a participant may not use their substitute address for voter registration, the local board of elections may not make a participant’s address in voter registration records available to the public.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Election Law § 3-505, § 3-506, Md. Code, State Government, § 7-309.

Human Trafficking Protections

Survivors of human trafficking may file a motion to vacate certain criminal records if the offenses were a direct result of their victimization. The motion must:

1. be in writing;
2. be made within a reasonable period of time after the conviction;
3. describe the evidence and include copies of any documents showing that the movant is entitled to relief under this section;
4. be served on the State's Attorney in the jurisdiction where the conviction for the qualifying offense occurred; and
5. if the qualifying offense occurred within 5 years before the filing of the motion, be mailed to any victim or victim's representative at the victim's or victim's representative's last known address.

If the court grants the motion, the conviction is vacated and is no longer considered a conviction. 
Survivors may also petition for the expungement of certain misdemeanor convictions, including those related to prostitution offenses that may have been the result of human trafficking victimization.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Criminal Procedure § 8-302, Md. Code, Criminal Procedure, § 10-110.