You may file this application online at onestop.md. Many formerly enslaved people and their descendants became landowners through the Homestead Act of 1862.A homestead exemption is a legal provision that shields a home from some creditors following the death of a homeowner's spouse or the declaration of bankruptcy. Next year marks the 160th anniversary of the Homestead Act, a law making free public lands available to homesteading under certain conditions. Maryland requires all homeowners to submit a onetime application to establish eligibility for the Homestead Tax Credit. The Homestead Tax Credit (HTC) limits the increase in taxable assessment each year to a fixed percentage. During 1861–1862 in the Western theater, the Union made permanent gains—though in the Eastern theater the conflict was inconclusive.
