Lost & Found Services in Maryland

Maryland makes it a crime to obtain or keep control over property you know was lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake, once you know who the owner is. Penalties scale with the value of the property, up to a felony charge at $100,000 or more. This is the legal backbone that discourages people from simply pocketing what they find.

Once police take custody of property, the law requires notification to the owner, who then has up to 30 days to secure its release. This 30-day window is the closest thing Maryland has to a statewide found-property clock, though it governs the release process rather than setting one uniform holding period for every department.

Beyond § 3-505, each department runs its own claim process. Baltimore Police generally requires scheduling an appointment with about 5 days lead time. Maryland Capitol Police policy calls for holding property roughly 10 days past the date listed on a notification letter. Smaller jurisdictions, like Easton, have their own municipal code sections covering custody and disposition of abandoned, lost, or seized property. Always check with the specific department holding your item.

The Comptroller's Unclaimed Property program, searchable at claimitmd.gov, covers dormant financial assets like old bank accounts and uncashed checks reported by businesses. Maryland law treats this property as custodial, meaning there is no statute of limitations for the original owner or their heirs to claim it. It has nothing to do with a lost purse or laptop turned in to a police desk.

When property is connected to an open investigation, Maryland courts have recognized that police can hold it as long as reasonably necessary, with no set statewide time limit. This can extend well beyond the 30-day release window that applies to ordinary found property once an investigation is involved.