# Maryland HB 0220: Environment - Water - Individual Submeters

Maryland HB 0220, Environment - Water - Individual Submeters, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 262); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0220-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0220
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Environment - Water - Individual Submeters
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-10-30
- Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 262
- Sponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Environment, Real Property, Apartments, Committees and Commissions, Complaints, Condominiums, Consumer Protection, Counties -see also- Chartered Counties; Code Counties; etc., Disclosure, Environment, Department of the, Environmental Matters -see also- Conserv; Nat Resrce; Pollut, Equipment -see also- Charging; Med. Equip.; MV Equip; etc., Fees -see also- Attys' Fees; Devt Fees & Taxes, Housing and Community Development, Department of, Housing -see also- Apartments; Condos; Mobile & Manuf Homes, Landlords and Tenants, Leases and Rent, Mobile and Manufactured Homes, Notices, Prices -see also- Consumer Price Index, Public Works, Board of, Records -see also- Land Records; Vital Records, Residential Property -see also- Apartments; Condominiums, Time, Utilities -see also- Recycl; Refuse; Sewage; Teleph; Water, Washington Suburban Sanitary District, Water -see also- Coastal Bays; Riv,Str,Lks; Wastewater; etc., Weights and Measures
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (126 yes, 45 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Occupants can check and challenge water bills: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, apartment and mobile home park owners, operators, managers, and contractors must keep submeter billing records. Records must include provider charges from the preceding two years, plus monthly unit charges and collected revenue for the current and prior calendar years. Th…
- Limits protect occupants from water overcharges: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, submetered water and sewer charges must reflect actual provider costs, shared among units by measured use. Bills cannot pass along costs from owner-responsible maintenance problems or leaks, common areas, or nonresidential use. Any added billing and administration fee is…
- Renters get advance water billing disclosures: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, landlords requiring third-party payments for submetered water or sewer service must explain that duty in a written lease. Tenants must receive a copy of each bill at least 20 days before payment is due. Before the initial lease, landlords must disclose the unit’s total bi…
- Individual water meters with accuracy safeguards: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, Maryland property owners, operators, managers, and contractors can install submeters in apartments and mobile home parks not directly metered. These meters measure each unit’s water use, allowing separate usage-based bills instead of pooled charges. Covered apartment buil…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michele Guyton (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-09 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 31 | 11 | 2 |
| 2026-02-20 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 95 | 34 | 3 |

## Actions (16)

- 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 262
- 2026-04-09: Returned Passed (House)
- 2026-04-09: Third Reading Passed (31-11) (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Third Reading Passed (95-34) (House)
- 2026-02-18: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-02-18: Floor Amendment {573625/1 (Delegate Korman) Adopted (House)
- 2026-02-17: Motion Special Order until 2/18 (Delegate Buckel) Adopted (House)
- 2026-02-17: Favorable with Amendments {223026/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-02-16: Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation (House)
- 2026-01-19: Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-01-14: First Reading Environment and Transportation (House)
- 2025-10-30: Pre-filed (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_262_hb0220t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-02-18: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0220t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0220f.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_262_hb0220t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0220t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0220f.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-HB0220-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).