Residential Real Property - Local Limits on Summoning Law Enforcement or Emergency Services

Emergency-call protections for Maryland renters and homeowners

Beginning July 1, 2025, Maryland counties and municipalities cannot label residential property a nuisance based on a set number of emergency-service requests. They cannot penalize property operators, owners, owner-occupants, or tenants for their own or someone else’s requests. Covered services include police, fire, rescue, ambulances, and mobile crisis teams. Local rules tied to these requests are presumed prohibited if they authorize fines, dwelling repossession, or lease termination or nonrenewal. The same presumption applies to rental-license revocation, suspension, or nonrenewal. Affected people can use this protection as a defense against enforcement or bring a claim for damages. A court ruling in their favor may award reasonable damages, attorney’s fees, court costs, rental-license reinstatement, and other appropriate relief. Exceptions cover residential security alarms, property conditions and upkeep, including vacant buildings, and parking enforcement. Another exception covers calls about gatherings or excessive noise that involve no criminal offense and are intended to harass or knowingly false. The protections exclude short-term rental units providing housing for less than 31 consecutive days. That rental definition does not include hotels, motels, boarding houses, student group housing, fraternity or sorority houses, or similar housing.