Housing

SB 937, the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act, prohibits landlords from requiring or considering a prospective tenant's criminal history before making a rental offer. Landlords may only review criminal history after extending a conditional offer and must allow tenants to provide evidence about inaccuracies, rehabilitation, or mitigating factors. The bill also bans upfront criminal history checks, restricts discriminatory housing ads, and makes violations enforceable under Maryland's consumer protection laws. It directly affects all residential landlords and tenants with past criminal records in Maryland.

HB 1267 requires local zoning authorities to maintain specific zoning classifications for two federal properties: the Patuxent Research Refuge and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The bill mandates that any portion of these properties sold, leased, or transferred by the federal government must retain a zoning classification restricting uses to open space, reserved open space, or resource conservation - prohibiting commercial, industrial, or residential development. This applies to the Patuxent Refuge under Section 4-217 and to Beltsville Agricultural Research Center property under Section 25-211 of Maryland law. The law takes effect June 1, 2026, and permanently prohibits local zoning exceptions for these properties.

HB 735 delays Maryland's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Assistance Program implementation until 2029 (from 2024) and requires two key studies. The Comptroller's Office must study outreach methods to help eligible low-income residents claim the state EITC by December 31, 2030. The Department of Service and Civic Innovation must also recommend ways to assist low-income residents in claiming tax credits and accessing support. This bill directly affects Marylanders who qualify for the EITC but may not have claimed it, without changing the credit amount or eligibility rules.

HB 243 modifies Maryland's requirements for local governments' comprehensive and general plans. It adds new mandatory elements like Resilience, Place, and Ecology while replacing older terms (e.g., "Water Resources" becomes "Equity"). The bill requires charter counties and other local jurisdictions to include these updated elements in their plans, detailing goals for economic, social, and environmental development. State agencies must also provide data and guidance to help local governments meet these new standards. This affects how local governments structure long-term planning for land use, housing, transportation, and community facilities.

HB 774 allows counties in Maryland to adopt local laws requiring landlords to have a valid reason (like nonpayment of rent or lease violations) to terminate residential leases or evict tenants who remain after their lease ends ("holdover tenancies"). Landlords in counties with such laws must disclose whether they are subject to these rules in lease agreements and provide specific ownership details (including how many properties they own) if claiming an exemption. The bill also requires the state housing office to create standardized forms for this disclosure and to clarify when landlords must prove "good cause" in court. This directly affects landlords and tenants in counties that implement these local good cause eviction protections.