HB 149 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians

HB 149 would establish new requirements for fire safety in Maryland. It creates a process for counties to designate assistant fire marshals (with State Fire Marshal approval) and sets certification standards for these roles. The bill mandates smoke detectors in all residential high-rises by July 2025 and requires sprinklers during major renovations of such buildings starting October 2026. It also requires the State Fire Prevention Commission to adopt certification rules for fire alarm system technicians. These changes directly affect local fire officials, high-rise residential property owners, and fire safety technicians.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Oct 31, 2025 Signed May 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

Third - Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians → Enrolled - Fire Prevention - Assistant Fire Marshals, Residential Rental High-Rise Property Fire Safety Equipment, and Fire Alarm System Technicians · 3 edits · Jan 23, 2026

MINOR

The bill was enrolled and finalized, transitioning from a draft to an enacted law. Substantive changes include clarifying the definition of a 'high-rise building' to specifically require occupiable floors over 75 feet above vehicle access, and reorganizing the requirements for Assistant State Fire Marshals to explicitly mandate the adoption of regulations for training, certification, and eligibility standards.

Scope change

The scope of the high-rise building definition was narrowed and clarified to focus on occupiable floor height relative to fire department vehicle access, rather than just total building height or stories. The scope of fire marshal oversight was expanded by requiring the State Fire Marshal to adopt specific regulations for assistant fire marshals.

DEFINITION

The definition of a 'high-rise building' was modified to specify that it applies where the floor of an occupiable story is greater than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access, replacing previous criteria based on stories or total height.

REQUIREMENT

Requirements for Assistant State Fire Marshals were modified to explicitly require the State Fire Marshal to adopt regulations establishing standards for training, certification, and eligibility, replacing a clause that suggested individuals must have already completed specific NFPA standards.

TECHNICAL

The document status was updated from a pre-filed draft to an enrolled bill, indicating the legislation has passed all legislative stages and is ready for the Governor's signature.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 21, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 26, 2026

How they voted

44–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 49

Mar 21, 2026

D Democratic36

31 Yea 5

86% Yea

R Republican13

13 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 12, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 422

executive

Apr 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Enrolled

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Introduced

House Concurs Senate Amendments

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 26, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (127-6-9)

house of delegates

Mar 21, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (44-0-5)

senate

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 Economic Matters

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Environment and Transportation

lower

Oct 31, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors