Md. Code, General Provisions § 4-358
This is the official text of Md. Code, General Provisions § 4-358, part of Maryland’s Code, General Provisions — contains definitions and provisions of general application across Maryland law.
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.
§4–358.
Official statutory text
(a) Whenever this title authorizes inspection of a public record but the official custodian believes that inspection would cause substantial injury to the public interest, the official custodian may deny inspection temporarily.
(b) (1) Within 10 working days after the denial, the official custodian shall petition a court to order authorization for the continued denial of inspection.
(2) The petition shall be filed with the circuit court for the county where:
(i) the public record is located; or
(ii) the principal place of business of the official custodian is located.
(3) The petition shall be served on the applicant, as provided in the Maryland Rules.
(c) The applicant is entitled to appear and to be heard on the petition.
(d) If, after the hearing, the court finds that inspection of the public record would cause substantial injury to the public interest, the court may issue an appropriate order authorizing the continued denial of inspection.
(b) (1) Within 10 working days after the denial, the official custodian shall petition a court to order authorization for the continued denial of inspection.
(2) The petition shall be filed with the circuit court for the county where:
(i) the public record is located; or
(ii) the principal place of business of the official custodian is located.
(3) The petition shall be served on the applicant, as provided in the Maryland Rules.
(c) The applicant is entitled to appear and to be heard on the petition.
(d) If, after the hearing, the court finds that inspection of the public record would cause substantial injury to the public interest, the court may issue an appropriate order authorizing the continued denial of inspection.
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.