# Maryland SB 0703: Caroline County - Regulation of Animals - Dogs

Maryland SB 0703, Caroline County - Regulation of Animals - Dogs, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 340); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0703-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland SB 0703
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Caroline County - Regulation of Animals - Dogs
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-06
- Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 340
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Counties - Local Laws, Applicants and Applications, Caroline County, Dogs, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Rules and Regulations
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (165 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Caroline County drops state dog license requirements: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, state law ends Caroline County’s annual licensing requirement for dogs at least 6 months old. This removes the state requirement to apply by July 1, pay license fees, and keep a tag on the dog. County commissioners can still set local licensing rules, so local costs and d…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-13 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 120 | 0 | 20 |
| 2026-03-19 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 45 | 0 |   |

## Actions (13)

- 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 340
- 2026-04-13: Returned Passed (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (120-0) (House)
- 2026-04-11: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2026-04-11: Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-03-26: Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-03-20: Referred Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-03-19: Third Reading Passed (45-0) (Senate)
- 2026-03-17: Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2026-03-17: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-03-16: Favorable Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: First Reading Finance (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_340_sb0703t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-17: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0703t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-02-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0703f.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_340_sb0703t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0703t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0703f.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)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0703-2026RS (as of 2026-10-19).