HB 1071 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Environment - Stormwater Management for Agritourism

HB 1071 requires Maryland's Department of the Environment to create regulations and a model ordinance for local stormwater management programs to enforce rules on agricultural land. It mandates that local programs must work with soil conservation districts to implement these rules and specifies that farm-related uses (like on-farm processing) must be clearly distinguished from commercial development in stormwater regulations. The bill also adds flexibility for enforcing stormwater management on agricultural land, rather than applying standard commercial development rules. This directly affects farmers, local governments, and soil conservation districts by changing how agricultural land is regulated under stormwater management.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 10, 2026 Signed Apr 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Environment - Stormwater Management - Agricultural Land Third - Environment - Stormwater Management for Agritourism · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand its scope from general agricultural land to specifically include agritourism operations. The changes add new definitions for agritourism and require the Department of the Environment to establish best management practices for stormwater runoff on these sites, such as using pastures for water treatment.
Scope change
The bill's applicability was expanded to include agritourism facilities on agricultural land, which were not explicitly covered in the original version.
DEFINITION

Added a requirement to define 'agritourism' in consultation with the Department of Agriculture.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific requirements for stormwater management plans for agritourism, including standard plans for temporary parking and the use of pastures or cropland for runoff treatment.

Mandated that Montgomery County and the Montgomery Soil Conservation District review and improve their processes for approving stormwater plans specifically for agritourism by December 31, 2026.

SCOPE

Updated the bill title and purpose statement to explicitly include 'Agricultural Land for Agritourism' instead of just 'Agricultural Land'.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Apr 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 14
executive
Apr 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation
lower
Mar 5, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (125-7-10)
house of delegates
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
First Reading Environment and Transportation
lower
8 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors