An affidavit of residency in Maryland is a sworn, notarized statement declaring that you live at a specific address in the state. You’ll most often need one to enroll a child in public school, to claim the Homestead Property Tax Credit, or to verify your address for a government filing when your standard documents don’t line up. Because the affidavit is signed under oath, a false statement is perjury under Maryland law and carries up to 10 years in prison.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 9-101
When You Need One
Public School Enrollment
Enrolling a child in a Maryland public school is the most common trigger. Districts have to confirm that students actually live within their boundaries before assigning seats, so they ask for both a residency form and supporting proof. Montgomery County Public Schools, for example, requires a copy of a current property tax bill, a current lease, or (if your lease is more than a year old) the lease together with a current utility bill.2Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS Form 560-33 – Student Residency Verification Other county school systems use comparable forms.
Homestead Property Tax Credit
Maryland’s Homestead Property Tax Credit caps the annual assessment increase you pay taxes on, but only for the one property you actually use as your principal residence.3Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Homestead Tax Credit The application requires a signed declaration under penalties of perjury that the property is your principal residence.4Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Application for Homestead Tax Credit Eligibility The process exists to stop owners from improperly claiming the credit on rental properties or second homes.
Voter Registration and Principal-Residence Verification
Registering to vote in Maryland requires U.S. citizenship and Maryland residency.5Maryland State Board of Elections. Voter Registration The Department of Assessments and Taxation can also request a sworn affidavit about your residency for voting, driver’s license address, and income tax filing when verifying a homeowner’s principal residence. These situations usually arise when your records don’t match cleanly, such as after a recent move or a name change.
One boundary worth knowing: the Motor Vehicle Administration itself doesn’t ordinarily use a sworn affidavit. When you apply for a driver’s license or ID card, the MVA asks for two documents showing your name and Maryland address as proof of residency.6MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Get a Maryland Driver’s License or ID Card A notarized affidavit only comes into play if you lack conventional proof and are specifically directed to provide one.
Shared Housing Situations
Living with a friend or relative whose name is on the lease or deed changes the process. School districts treat shared housing as its own category and require verification from both you and the person whose home you share.
Prince George’s County Public Schools requires a separate Shared Housing Affidavit that both the parent or guardian and the homeowner or renter must sign and have notarized.7Prince George’s County Public Schools. Shared Housing Affidavit You have to declare that the address is your principal residence, defined as where you vote, hold your driver’s license, and file taxes. The homeowner or renter has to confirm that you live there full-time and that the arrangement wasn’t made primarily so your child could attend a particular school. They also supply a current property tax bill, lease, or other proof of their own occupancy.
Shared housing affidavits must be renewed every year, and you’re required to notify the school within one week if you move.7Prince George’s County Public Schools. Shared Housing Affidavit Montgomery County uses its own Shared Housing Disclosure Form (MCPS Form 335-74) for the same purpose.2Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS Form 560-33 – Student Residency Verification
An important exception: under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, schools cannot delay or deny enrollment for a student experiencing homelessness because of missing residency documents. If your child lacks stable housing, the school has to remove enrollment barriers rather than demand standard proof.
What to Gather Before You Sign
Most residency affidavits ask for the same core information: your full legal name as it appears on your government ID, the complete street address of your Maryland residence, and how long you’ve lived there. Pull your supporting documents together before you fill anything out, because an incomplete package will bounce back.
The specific documents accepted vary by agency, but the ones most commonly requested include:
- A current property tax bill, which shows ownership and address directly.
- A current lease agreement showing both landlord and tenant signatures. If the lease is more than a year old, some agencies want a current utility bill alongside it.2Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS Form 560-33 – Student Residency Verification
- Current utility bills (electric, gas, or water) showing your name and address.
If any of your supporting documents are in a language other than English and you’re submitting them to the MVA, the original has to come with an English translation. The translation must come from an MVA-approved provider or court translator, the embassy of the issuing country on official letterhead, or a state-contracted translator, and must include the translator’s printed name, phone number, and signature.8MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Interpreter and Translator Provider Requirements
Getting the Affidavit Notarized
An affidavit carries legal weight because it’s sworn, and Maryland law requires that the notary perform the notarial act in your presence. Don’t sign ahead of time. Bring the unsigned form and your photo ID, then sign while the notary watches.
A Maryland notary can charge up to $8 for a standard in-person notarial act.9Maryland Secretary of State. Notary Division Banks, UPS stores, law offices, and libraries commonly offer notary services. Mobile notaries who come to you usually add a travel fee on top of the statutory cap.
If You Don’t Have a Photo ID
Maryland allows the use of a “credible witness” when you can’t present acceptable government-issued identification. The witness must personally know you, appear before the notary, present their own valid ID, and swear an oath confirming your identity. You and the witness need to be present together, and the notary records the witness’s identification details in their journal.
Remote Online Notarization
Maryland authorizes remote online notarization, which lets you appear before a notary through audio-visual technology instead of in person.10Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-214 The notary has to use a vendor authorized by the Maryland Secretary of State, and the entire session is recorded. Remote notarization can cost up to $30 per notarial act, compared with $8 in person.9Maryland Secretary of State. Notary Division
Not every agency accepts remotely notarized documents. Maryland law explicitly allows any person or entity to refuse one.10Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 18-214 Before paying the higher fee, confirm with the receiving agency that they’ll accept a remotely notarized affidavit.
Submitting the Affidavit
You’ll almost always get the affidavit form from the specific agency asking for it. Schools provide their own residency forms. The Department of Assessments and Taxation has its own homestead credit application. Don’t substitute a generic affidavit template when the agency has a standardized form, because missing disclosures or the wrong format will delay your filing.
For school enrollment, submitting the form in person at the school registrar’s office is the fastest path. Most offices can review your supporting documents on the spot and confirm enrollment. For the Homestead Tax Credit, applications go to the Department of Assessments and Taxation and can be filed with your local assessment office.
Keep a copy of every notarized affidavit you submit. Agencies can request re-verification, and having your own copy saves you from starting over.
Penalties for a False Affidavit
This is the part people underestimate. A signed affidavit is a statement under oath, and lying on one is perjury. Under Maryland Criminal Law ยง 9-101, anyone who willfully and falsely swears to a material fact in an affidavit required by state, federal, or local law faces a misdemeanor conviction punishable by up to 10 years in prison.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 9-101 That applies whether the affidavit is for school enrollment, a tax credit, or any other government purpose.
School districts stack their own consequences on top of criminal liability. Prince George’s County warns that a false shared housing affidavit can result in a civil penalty of three times the tuition owed, plus withdrawal of the child from the school.7Prince George’s County Public Schools. Shared Housing Affidavit Montgomery County similarly states that falsified information is grounds for enrollment denial and tuition liability for any period the student was a non-resident.2Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS Form 560-33 – Student Residency Verification Neighboring jurisdictions have pursued tuition recovery lawsuits in residency fraud cases, so the risk is not theoretical.