Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-8A-17.1

This is the official text of Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-8A-17.1, part of Maryland’s Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings — governs court structure and civil procedure.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§3–8A–17.

Official statutory text

§3–8A–17.1.

(a) (1) At any time after a petition alleging that a child has committed a delinquent act is filed with the court under this subtitle, the court on its own motion, or on motion of the child’s counsel or the State’s Attorney, shall stay all proceedings and order that the Maryland Department of Health or any other qualified expert conduct an evaluation of the child’s competency to proceed if the court finds that:

(i) There is probable cause to believe that the child has committed the delinquent act; and

(ii) There is reason to believe that the child may be incompetent to proceed with a waiver hearing under § 3–8A–06 of this subtitle, an adjudicatory hearing under § 3–8A–18 of this subtitle, a disposition hearing under § 3–8A–19 of this subtitle, or a violation of probation hearing.

(2) An evaluation ordered under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be performed by a qualified expert.

(3) This subsection may not be construed to prohibit the State or the child from calling other expert witnesses to testify at a competency hearing.

(b) Any motion questioning the child’s competency to proceed, and any subsequent legal pleading relating to the child’s competency to proceed, shall be served on the child’s counsel, the State’s Attorney, the Department of Juvenile Services, and the Maryland Department of Health.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Maryland?

Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.