# Maryland HB 0149: Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians

Maryland HB 0149, Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-12 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 422) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0149-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0149
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-10-31
- Last action: 2026-05-12, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 422
- Sponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Public Safety, Apartments, Building Maintenance and Repair, Certifications, Codes -see also- Annotated Code of Md; Building Codes, Construction, Contractors -see also- Construct; Electricians; etc., Equipment -see also- Charging; Med. Equip.; MV Equip; etc., Evaluations and Reviews, Fees -see also- Attys' Fees; Devt Fees & Taxes, Fire Protection, Inspections -see also- Motor Vehicle Inspection, Investigations and Inquiries -see also- Crim Bckgrnd Invest, Job Training -see also- Continuing Ed; Vocational Rehab, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Public Officials -see also- Atty Gen; Compt; Coun Admin; etc, Residential Property -see also- Apartments; Condominiums, Rules and Regulations, Safety -see also- Occupational Safety, Standards and Best Practices
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (295 yes, 13 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger smoke alarm standards statewide: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, smoke alarms must meet NFPA 72 and be listed to UL 217. Alarms must sense visible or invisible smoke and sound a warning loud enough to alert people.
- Stronger fire rules for rental high-rises: mixed, high. Starting July 31, 2025, residential rental high-rises must install smoke detectors in every interior public corridor using NFPA placement rules, and counties cannot require other system upgrades just to issue that permit. Starting October 1, 2026, if permitted renovation work costs at least 40% of…
- Licenses for fire alarm technicians and companies: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, the State creates a licensing program for fire alarm system technicians and companies. Rules define who needs a license, set technical standards, and require liability insurance. Fees must cover, but not exceed, the State's direct and indirect licensing costs. The program…
- State fire marshal roles and training: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, counties and cities can name assistant State Fire Marshals only with the State Fire Marshal's approval or by requesting the State Fire Marshal to designate. If no assistant is named, the State Fire Marshal does the work for that area. The State Fire Marshal sets minimum t…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-10 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 126 | 6 | 4 |
| 2026-04-09 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 42 | 0 | 2 |
| 2026-03-18 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 127 | 7 | 2 |

## Actions (17)

- 2026-05-12: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 422
- 2026-04-10: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2026-04-10: Third Reading Passed (126-6) (House)
- 2026-04-10: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-09: Third Reading Passed (42-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable with Amendments {113928/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-03-18: Third Reading Passed (127-7) (House)
- 2026-03-17: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-03-17: Favorable with Amendments {173928/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-03-16: Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters (House)
- 2026-01-28: Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-01-23: Reassigned to Economic Matters (House)
- 2026-01-14: First Reading Environment and Transportation (House)
- 2025-10-31: Pre-filed (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-05-12: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_422_hb0149e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-10: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-17: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law)
- SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law)
- SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)
- SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law)
- SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law)
- HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_422_hb0149e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0149f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS)
- [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS)
- [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS)
- [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS)
- [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS)
- [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0149-2026RS (as of 2026-10-19).