Law Day – Office of Administrative Hearings

In connection with the Law Library’s celebration of Law Day, we will be publishing a series of eight posts that focus on the basics of the Maryland court system and legal research.

The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) was created in 1990 through the Administrative Procedure Act, which provides for the resolution of contested agency actions through an impartial administrative hearing process. This means that Marylanders may contest actions of Maryland state agencies through OAH. In Maryland, administrative agencies may include “any agency, board, department, district, commission, authority, commissioner, official, the Maryland Tax Court, or other unit of the State or of a political subdivision of the State and the Client Protection Fund of the Bar of Maryland.”* Examples of Maryland agencies include the Motor Vehicle Administration, Workers’ Compensation Commission and Maryland Insurance Administration. The hearing process is overseen by an Administrative Law Judge, who is an attorney trained to hear these types of matters and is independent from the Maryland agencies. To learn more about OAH and the administrative hearing process, check out this FAQ page.

OAH Library – At OAH’s main office in Hunt Valley, Maryland, the OAH has a library that is open to the public. The library’s collection includes OAH decisions, published state agency policies and other materials. Please note that in order to see an OAH decision, library users must first make a written public information request and receive approval for that request before visiting the library. For more information, please see the library’s website. Note that some decisions may not be available because they may contain confidential or privileged information.

Appealing an Administrative Decision – If you are looking to appeal an administrative decision, read this article published on the People’s Law Library, which provides an overview of the process for appealing an administrative decision. In addition, check out the Law Library’s Administrative Appeals wiki page, which includes links to useful resources and a sample form with a guide. If you have more questions, please contact us!

Foreclosure Mediation – The Administrative Law Judges at OAH also conduct mediations referred to the OAH by the Circuit Court pursuant to Maryland’s Foreclosure Mediation Law.  If you want to learn more about foreclosure mediation provided by OAH, check out this page.
*Maryland Rule 2-701.

Additional Law Library Resources – Check out these materials, which are available at the Law Library.

• West’s Maryland Digest 2d, 1 Md. D. 2d., Administrative Law, Key Numbers 651-821
• West’s Maryland Law Encyclopedia, 1 M. L. E., Administrative Law and Procedure §§ 64-82
• Maryland Civil Procedure Forms 3rd ed. / Robert D. Klein (LEXIS, 2000) –  Title 7- Chapter 200
• Practice Manual for the Maryland Lawyer 4th ed.  / Jack L. B. Gohn, Esq. (MSBA, 2012) – §2- Chapter 8: “Challenges to Agency Action”.
• Principles and Practice of Maryland Administrative Law / Arnold Rochvarg, M. (Carolina Academic Press, 2011)
• Pleading Causes of Action in Maryland 5th ed. / Paul Mark Sandler & James K. Archibald  (MSBA, 2013)
• Appellate Practice for the Maryland Lawyer: State and Federal 3rd ed. / Paul Mark Sandler & Andrew D. Levy, eds. (MICPEL, 2007) – Chapter 22: “Appeals From Administrative Agencies” by Honorable Paul W. Grimm & Robert B. Levin
• Judicial Review of Agency Decisions / Alan M. Wilner, (MICPEL, 1997)