Bowie, MD

In the City of Bowie, every dwelling unit must have working smoke alarms in each story, including basements, and in every room used for sleeping, under City Code § 5-7. The alarms must…

Open burning of leaves, brush, and trash is tightly controlled in Prince George's County. Maryland's air rules ban open burning county-wide from June 1 through August 31 and require a…

All consumer fireworks are illegal in Prince George's County, including the sparklers and ground-based sparkling devices that Maryland allows statewide. Only a licensed shooter…

Prince George's County keeps liquid petroleum gas storage outside living spaces. Sec. 11-263 requires customer supply tanks to sit outside buildings with Fire Chief-approved valve…

Prince George's County lets homeowners run gas or propane fire pits at single-family houses and townhouses under Sec. 11-268(f), but only within limits. A pit used on a deck must sit…

When wildfire danger climbs, the Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources or the Governor may impose a burning ban under Natural Resources Article 5-720. Once that ban is in effect…

The City of Bowie exempts backyard compost sites from its sanitation rule against accumulated yard waste. Under City Code § 5-7, a compost pile of yard refuse, fruit or vegetable…

In the City of Bowie, § 22-18.2 caps grass and weeds at eight inches within the public right-of-way adjoining a property and bans letting growth spill onto the sidewalk, curb or…

In the City of Bowie, § 22-17 makes it unlawful to cut, belt, destroy or injure any tree or shrub on City streets, parks or other public places, or on private property, without the…

In the City of Bowie, § 22-18 requires property owners to trim trees and shrubs that hang over or obscure a sidewalk, street or traffic sign, keeping at least nine feet of clearance…

When a Tree Conservation Plan is required for development in Prince George's County, every required planting must use native plant species rather than ornamental or exotic stock. The…

Prince George's County pays $2 per gallon of stored capacity for rain barrels and cisterns under its Stormwater Management and Residential Resilience Retrofit Program, up to a $6,000…

Prince George's County has no permanent lawn-watering schedule. Water is supplied by WSSC Water, and in humid Maryland outdoor watering is unrestricted in normal conditions. Watering…

In the City of Bowie, 'nighttime' runs 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and Chapter 13 tightens the property-line noise ceiling for residential land during those hours to 50 dBA, down from 60…

The City of Bowie caps outdoor noise by numeric decibel level under City Code § 13-2: 60 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime for residential land use, 67/62 dBA for commercial, and a flat…

The City of Bowie bans loudspeakers, radios, phonographs and other sound amplifiers used to advertise a business or draw public attention to a property, at any hour, under City Code §…

City Code § 13-3.A(8) limits construction, demolition, excavation and repair noise in the City of Bowie to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on…

The City of Bowie exempts lawn care and snow removal equipment, including leaf blowers, from its noise ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 9:00…

The City of Bowie requires vehicle exhaust to run through a working muffler under City Code § 13-3.A(5) and caps car stereo and sound-amplification noise so it is not plainly audible…

Bowie treats a dog that will not stop barking as a public nuisance under § 4-13 of the Animal Control chapter: keeping any animal so it disturbs the peace, comfort or health of a City…

Prince George's County's noise ordinance does not reach aircraft at all: County Code § 19-123(b)(6) exempts 'aircraft and related airport operations at airports licensed by the…

In residential zones in the City of Bowie, City Code § 26-4 caps what can be parked on the lot to one unoccupied camping vehicle and one watercraft-and-trailer combination per…

In the City of Bowie, § 14-10 of the City Code bars parking anywhere that blocks a driveway, fire hydrant, crosswalk or intersection, and § 14-10A requires cars on a one-way street to…

In the City of Bowie, parking in a space marked by signs or curb painting as a fire or emergency lane is unlawful under City Code § 14-10U, and it's one of the costliest street-parking…

In residential zones and on residentially improved property in the City of Bowie, § 26-3A of the City Code bars storing, parking or repairing an oversized commercial vehicle, one over…

The City of Bowie has no blanket overnight parking ban; instead, City Code § 14-13A bars leaving any vehicle on a City street or public space for more than 72 continuous hours without…

In the City of Bowie, two or more inches of snow or ice on City streets automatically triggers a snow emergency under Bowie City Code § 14-18, banning all street parking until the…

In the City of Bowie, no abandoned vehicle may sit on a City street for any period under Bowie City Code § 14-13, and an inoperative vehicle exposed to public view on a residential lot…

In the City of Bowie, residents can petition the City Council to create a residential permit parking district under Bowie City Code § 14-24, but only after gathering signatures from at…

The City of Bowie bars parking or storing any motor vehicle, watercraft, trailer, motor home or camping vehicle on a residential lot's deck, patio, porch, walkway, sidewalk, sport…

In the City of Bowie, a property already operating under an approved special exception zoning use, such as a church, school or commercial site, can add electric vehicle charging…

In Prince George's County the Director designates loading zones and passenger loading zones and posts signs stating their hours under Section 26-124. Standing in a loading zone is…

Maryland Transportation Article Title 21, Subtitle 10A governs nonconsensual towing from a parking lot, defined as a privately owned facility of 3 or more spaces that is accessible to…

The City of Bowie has designated its entire corporate area a bird sanctuary under § 4-3 of the City Code. Inside that sanctuary it is unlawful to trap, hunt, shoot or otherwise kill…

Bowie's own Animal Control chapter does not set numeric limits on backyard chickens or livestock; instead, § 4-4 sends every keeper straight to Prince George's County's zoning code…

Bowie has no breed-specific ban; instead § 4-1 defines a vicious animal by conduct, any dog or other animal that has attacked, bitten or injured a person, animal or livestock without…

Bowie prohibits any owner from letting a dog or other animal run loose within the City: § 4-6 of the Animal Control chapter declares any animal at large a nuisance and holds the owner…

Bowie's Animal Control chapter names cats directly in three places: § 4-7 requires every cat over four months old to carry a current rabies vaccination, requires a female cat in heat…

Under Prince George's County Code § 3-128(c), any impounded animal that isn't already microchipped must be chipped, at the owner's expense, before it leaves the Animal Services and…

Prince George's County Code § 3-128(c) requires every impounded dog, cat, or ferret to be spayed or neutered before the Animal Services and Adoption Center releases it back to its…

Prince George's County requires anyone operating a pet grooming establishment to hold an annual grooming establishment license before opening, under County Code § 3-167. The license…

Prince George's County treats veterinary hospitals and clinics as an Animal Care Use under the Zoning Ordinance, permitted by-right in some zones and only by special exception in…

Prince George's County does not ban retail sale of dogs and cats, but the General Code's Section 3-170 sets detailed animal-welfare and consumer-protection standards for pet shops and…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance permits beekeeping by right as an accessory use in every Rural, Agricultural, and Residential zone, from the ROS and AG Zones through RSF-95…

Prince George's County bars residents from keeping most wild, exotic, poisonous, or native wildlife species as pets. County Code § 3-176 prohibits unlicensed wild or dangerous animals…

Prince George's County limits large accumulations of animals through the hobby-permit cap and prohibits animal cruelty and neglect. Keeping five or more animals without a permit or in…

In the City of Bowie, fences and walls over six feet tall are barred from any required yard and must meet the same setback rules as main buildings. Corner lots carry added setbacks…

Bowie bars fences in the front yard between a home's front building line and the street, so most residential front fences simply are not permitted at all. The one carve-out is for…

In the City of Bowie, a retaining wall taller than six feet cannot stand inside any required yard and must meet the same setback distances that apply to a main building on the lot. The…

The City of Bowie treats taller fences, electric fences, and barbed or razor wire atop a fence or wall as security exceptions, not standard options. A landowner who needs heightened…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance allows fences on the shared property line and requires the finished side to face outward. Fence style, materials, and color must be uniform…

In the City of Bowie, a storage shed or other accessory building is capped at 200 square feet of combined floor area and one story or 15 feet in height, and it needs whatever permits…

The 2022 Zoning Ordinance has no 'tiny house' use, and a manufactured home, recreational vehicle, or travel trailer may not be used as a dwelling except a limited transient use. A…

Converting a garage into living space in Prince George's County requires DPIE building permits and must meet the 2022 Zoning Ordinance. Because accessory dwelling units are not…

Registering a short-term rental with DPIE requires proof of ownership, a homestead tax credit copy, insurance and safety attestations, a list of hosting platforms, and written notice…

Prince George's County exempts settlement occupancy arrangements from its short-term rental licensing rules entirely. When a buyer or seller of a home enters a formal Settlement…

A short-term rental hosting platform that collects a booking fee for an unlicensed Prince George's County host is directly liable for a $1,000 civil fine per violation, and the same…

Prince George's County can suspend or revoke a short-term rental license immediately once the property becomes a 'nuisance' under County Code Sec. 5-174(i), defined as three or more…

Short-term rental stays in Prince George's County owe the county hotel/motel occupancy tax, currently 7% of gross room charges (up to a 10% ceiling), under Subtitle 10, Division 8…

Prince George's County caps short-term rentals at 90 days per calendar year when the property is unoccupied by the owner and 180 days per year when owner-occupied, and no single rental…

Prince George's County limits every short-term rental to a total of eight guests at any one time, and no more than three guests per bedroom. Only registered short-term rental guests…

Prince George's County may immediately suspend or revoke a short-term rental license if operation causes a nuisance or adverse effect on public welfare, including excessive noise. A…

Whether the host is present sets the annual cap in Prince George's County: an owner-occupied rental (host present the entire time) may operate up to 180 days per year, while an…

Prince George's County allows short-term rentals only in the host's permanent residence. Applicants must attest the unit is their primary residence and provide proof of ownership plus…

Prince George's County short-term rental hosts must obtain liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 and provide a copy of a current, valid policy. A hosting platform's liability…

Prince George's County requires every short-term rental host to attest, as part of the license application, that the property offers at least one off-street parking space for every…

Prince George's County requires every outdoor pool, spa, or hot tub, public or residential, to be surrounded by a compliant barrier under Section 4-209 of the County Code. The barrier…

Prince George's County requires a DPIE building permit to construct almost any residential swimming pool. Section 4-244 exempts only small prefabricated above-ground pools under 24…

Prince George's County zoning caps how much traffic a home-based business can generate. Under Sec. 27-5203(b)(6) of the Zoning Ordinance, a home occupation cannot bring significantly…

A home occupation in Prince George's County may show no exterior evidence of the business other than a single permitted sign, under Zoning Ordinance Section 27-5203(b)(6)(D). The…

Family child care in a Prince George's County home is licensed by the Maryland State Department of Education, Office of Child Care under COMAR 13A.15. A provider must hold a…

Prince George's County allows home occupations as an accessory use under Zoning Ordinance Section 27-5203(b)(6). The business must stay within the dwelling, use no more than 25 percent…

Selling homemade food from a Prince George's County home follows Maryland's cottage food law (COMAR 10.15.03), overseen by the Maryland Department of Health. A cottage food business…

Maryland has no microenterprise home kitchen permit. The word microenterprise does not appear anywhere in COMAR 10.15.03, the chapter that governs food service facilities, and the four…

The City of Bowie collects mixed, single-stream recycling from every home on a set day each week without residents needing to request it. City Code § 10-6C requires recyclables to go…

The City of Bowie collects bagged grass, leaves and bundled branches from every home each Wednesday without a special request. City Code § 10-6A caps branches at three inches in…

Dumping trash, junk or other refuse on another person's land or on any public street in the City of Bowie is unlawful under City Code § 15-5. A violation is a municipal infraction…

In the City of Bowie, refuse and household trash must be set out at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, but no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening before, under City…

City of Bowie residents must use covered refuse containers between 10 and 32 gallons, made of metal or plastic with handles, weighing no more than 50 pounds when filled, under City…

Bowie requires refuse containers to be stored in an enclosed structure or at the rear of the residence under City Code § 10-4, with narrow exceptions for attached homes with no side…

Bowie caps residential dumpster bags and roll-off dumpsters used for household moves or renovation projects at 45 days per calendar year on private property, with no protruding into…

Bowie collects bulk household trash such as furniture, mattresses and yard toys with regular trash pickup under City Code § 10-3E, while metal items and up to four tires per year go…

The City of Bowie provides mixed single-stream recycling collection to every home without special request, covering plastic, metal and glass containers, paper and cardboard under City…

Prince George's County has no ordinance forcing households to sort food scraps from the trash. County Code Sec. 21-142(i) instead directs the Department of the Environment to run and…

In the City of Bowie, private grills in city parks are limited without a permit: cooking surfaces over six square feet or specialized equipment like oil fryers and steamers require a…

The City of Bowie generally bans open storage of household items in yards, but City Code § 5-7 carves out patio heaters, firepits and grills: they may sit outside without violating the…

Reserving a City of Bowie park facility, such as a pavilion, ball field, or amphitheater, for a group event requires a use permit under § 17-3, with fees set annually in the City…

The City of Bowie requires a temporary use permit before anyone erects a carnival, fair or similar amusement, filed with the City Manager at least 30 days ahead. Chapter 3 of the Bowie…

Any parade, festival, or public event that requires closing a Prince George's County road needs written permission from the Director of Public Works and Transportation under Code Sec…

Anyone who wants to close a Prince George's County road for a block party or other event needs written permission from the Director of Public Works and Transportation at least 10…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance lets restaurants add or expand outdoor dining without meeting standard setback, build-to-line, or parking minimums, but any dining space added…

In City of Bowie parks, drinking alcohol without a valid City permit is prohibited, and unauthorized sale of alcohol is banned under § 17-2G. Groups may apply in writing for a special…

City of Bowie park rules ban skateboards, in-line skates, bicycles, and scooters on benches, retaining walls, curbs, stairs, and the amphitheater stage under § 17-2DD(1). Skateboard…

In the City of Bowie, smoking is banned on all City property, parks, buildings and other City-owned or City-occupied facilities and their abutting sidewalks and parking lots, under…

In the City of Bowie, urinating or defecating outside a City-provided restroom in any park, parking lot or vehicle there is classified as disorderly conduct under Bowie City Code §…

Prince George's County Code Sec. 14-139.03 defines loitering to include blocking a public street or sidewalk after a police officer's warning, or refusing to leave a posted private…

City of Bowie parks close to the public from sunset to sunrise under § 17-2W. No one may be on park property during those overnight hours unless the specific park facility is…

Prince George's County Code Sec. 14-102 bars anyone under 17 from being in a public place from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. on weeknights, extended to 11:59 p.m. on Friday and Saturday…

Anyone conducting door-to-door peddling or soliciting in the City of Bowie needs a license under § 18-2, obtained from the City Manager for a $25 fee after a background review…

In the City of Bowie, a code enforcement officer, a City employee the City Manager authorizes to issue citations, opens a municipal infraction case either from personal observation or…

Prince George's County does not publish a fixed response-time guarantee for illegal-dumping complaints; instead, Sec. 13-279 requires the Department of the Environment to report…

Since January 1, 2013, City Code § 5-7 has required every Bowie dwelling with a fossil-fuel heater or appliance, a gas- or wood-burning fireplace, or an attached garage to have working…

City Code § 5-10 lets the City Manager or a designated representative inspect any dwelling, rooming unit, commercial building, or premises in the City of Bowie to check compliance with…

In the City of Bowie, a City building permit is required for construction beyond any Prince George's County permit whenever city standards are stricter, per City Code § 5-4. Permit…

City Code § 5-7 requires every rental dwelling unit in the City of Bowie to have a working entrance door lock. The entrance door to an individual rental unit must carry locking devices…

Prince George's County adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code by reference and requires a permit before any electrical work begins. The permit must be posted at the job site, and the…

Prince George's County does not issue its own plumbing permits; Section 4-202 of the County Code adopts the WSSC Plumbing and Fuel Gas Code to govern all plumbing installation…

Prince George's County tightens the International Energy Conservation Code's commercial provisions in Code §§ 4-257, 4-258, and 4-261: window solar heat gain in Climate Zone 4 drops…

Prince George's County Code § 4-203 sends elevator regulation to the state rather than duplicating it locally: every elevator, escalator, and conveying system must meet the Maryland…

Prince George's County Code § 4-245 requires an automatic fire sprinkler system throughout every new one- and two-family dwelling, including modular and manufactured homes installed as…

Prince George's County's Housing Code requires interior walls, windows, and doors to stay clean and sound, with peeling, chipping, or flaking paint repaired or removed. Sec. 13-120…

Prince George's County regulates child care facilities under County Code Sec. 5-119 and Sec. 5-126, enforced by the County Health Officer. A 'child care facility' is any operation…

The City of Bowie requires a rental license before anyone may rent out a dwelling unit for compensation, under City Code § 5-9. Owners apply to the City for a license or temporary…

The City of Bowie's Housing and Property Maintenance Code, City Code §§ 5-7 and 5-11, sets the minimum habitability floor for every dwelling, rental or owner-occupied. A structure that…

Each year, Prince George's County's DPIE must publish the countywide annual rent increase allowance by May 1st, ahead of its July 1st effective date, under Code Sec. 13-144(c). The…

Prince George's County limits how much a landlord can raise rent on a regulated unit at lease renewal to the lesser of CPI-U plus 3% or 6% per year, under Code Sec. 13-144(a). Senior…

For failure to pay rent, Maryland now requires a 10-day written cure notice before filing summary ejectment (Real Property § 8-401). To evict for a lease breach, the landlord must give…

Maryland's Real Property Article sets statewide minimum notice periods, court procedures, and tenant protections that govern every residential eviction, with local jurisdictions…

Maryland adopted a statewide landlord-entry statute effective October 1, 2025. Under Real Property § 8-221, landlords must give at least 24 hours' written notice and may enter only…

Maryland caps late-rent penalties at 5% of the delinquent rent. Under Real Property § 8-208, a lease may not impose a late fee greater than 5% of the overdue rent for the rental…

To end a month-to-month tenancy in Maryland, either party must give 60 days' written notice before the period expires under Real Property § 8-402. Weekly tenancies require 7 days'…

Maryland caps most security deposits at one month's rent for leases entered on or after October 1, 2024, down from the old two-month limit. Landlords must return the deposit with…

Maryland requires 20 years of adverse possession before a squatter can claim land. Under Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-103, an owner must file to recover possession or enter the…

Every licensed rental in the City of Bowie is subject to periodic inspection under City Code § 5-9D. Entry can require a judicial warrant if the owner or tenant insists, and…

Prince George's County's Code Official must inspect rental housing 'in response to citizen or official complaints' under Code Sec. 13-110, and DPIE additionally must inspect every…

City Code § 5-11 lets the City of Bowie condemn and placard any building found damaged, decayed, unsanitary, unsafe, or vermin-infested as unfit for human habitation. The City Manager…

In the City of Bowie, every owner or lessor of residential or commercial property abutting a paved sidewalk or driveway in the public right-of-way must clear away snow and ice within…

The City of Bowie bans dumping refuse, brush or grass clippings on any vacant lot, easement or open space under § 10-1, and separately declares grass, weeds, briars and brush over…

In the City of Bowie, planting invasive bamboo, including running species in the genus Phyllostachys, has been prohibited since Ordinance No. O-7-25 took effect on September 3, 2025…

In the City of Bowie, every exterior property area must stay free of rodent infestation under City Code § 5-7. Where rodents are found, the owner must exterminate them promptly using…

Bowie does not post inspection grade placards; instead, Chapter 20 bars a restaurant, eating house, or ice cream parlor from opening at all until it holds a sanitary certificate from…

Prince George's County requires every food service facility to keep a certified food service manager on staff. Sec. 12-114 mandates at least one certified employee and, absent a narrow…

Prince George's County requires every vending machine on County-owned property to display nutritional labeling that meets federal FDA standards, and to price healthier items at or…

In the City of Bowie, household generators are exempt from Chapter 13's noise limits only during an emergency or for routine testing or maintenance performed between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00…

A bar, restaurant or nightclub in the City of Bowie may not let unreasonably loud noise, including from a patio or outdoor seating area, escape the premises between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00…

In the City of Bowie, thumping bass from car stereos, home speakers or parties counts as unlawful noise even if lyrics are unintelligible. City Code § 13-1 defines "plainly audible"…

Loud loading, unloading or box-breaking noise from delivery trucks and dumpsters at night is banned in the City of Bowie under City Code § 13-3.A(7). "Nighttime" runs 9:00 p.m. to 7:00…

Running a noise-creating blower, power fan or small internal combustion engine, the kind used in HVAC and similar mechanical equipment, without a muffler is banned in the City of Bowie…

Prince George's County treats a car alarm or horn sounded on private property as an illustrative violation of its noise ordinance. County Code § 19-122(c)(1) bars sounding a horn or…

Chapter 21B requires new and redevelopment projects in Bowie to control stormwater runoff using environmental site design to the maximum extent practicable, restoring pre-development…

Bowie enforces its own soil erosion and sediment control chapter for any land grading in the City, adopting the Maryland Standards and Specifications for Soil Erosion and Sediment…

Bowie will not issue a stormwater management permit for a project whose facilities sit in the 100-year floodplain unless the developer first dedicates land or grants an easement broad…

In the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area buffer, Prince George's County caps community pier and marina slip counts by shoreline length or lot count and requires marinas to meet state…

New or substantially improved buildings in the Prince George's County floodplain must have their lowest floor at or above the county's "flood protection elevation," which adds one to…

The City of Bowie bars anyone from erecting or maintaining a building, facility, equipment, tent, or other shelter or obstruction on, under, or over any alley, street, road, sidewalk…

In the City of Bowie, Chapter 22 bars obstructing sidewalks with merchandise, wares, tents, or other objects under §§ 22-10 and 22-11. The City Manager can permit limited exceptions…

The City of Bowie has no separate food-truck ordinance; mobile food vendors fall under Chapter 18, Peddlers and Solicitors, which requires a City Manager license before selling…

Getting a food truck licensed in Prince George's County means clearing both the Health Department and the Fire/EMS Department. Sec. 12-115 requires a complete application with vehicle…

Prince George's County bans most sales from the roadway or right-of-way, but carves out specific food items, including baked goods, fruits and vegetables, fish, cooked meat, candy…

Bowie's Beautification and Tree Preservation chapter defines specimen trees as historic or unique trees over 100 years old, but the code stops at identification and advisory action…

Bowie defines street trees as vegetation between property lines on either side of a street or within a dedicated landscape easement, and delegates the actual planting guidelines to the…

Prince George's County's Woodland and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Ordinance forces a mandatory variance review before a development can clear trees, plants, or vegetation on state or…

Bowie's code does not set a citywide light-trespass standard for homes or businesses; the only glare rule on the books sits inside Chapter 3's temporary-use-permit standards for…

A digital billboard in Prince George's County cannot shine more than 0.3 foot candle above ambient light and must carry a light-sensing device that automatically dims the display as…

The 2022 Zoning Ordinance requires all exterior luminaires, including security lighting, to be full cut-off fixtures directed downward, with no light directed above a horizontal plane…

In the City of Bowie, the Police Department runs speed monitoring cameras in school zones and posted residential speed zones under Bowie City Code § 14-17B, mailing civil citations to…

Prince George's County makes it illegal to stop, stand, or park a vehicle in a bike lane or bikeway. County Code Section 26-127.04(b)(11) folds bike lanes into the same…

Maryland runs two separate schemes. A golf cart may be driven unregistered, but only on a county or municipal highway the governing body has actually designated for carts, only where…

Temporary yard sale signage is exempt from a sign permit under the 2022 Zoning Ordinance (Sec. 27-61502(c)(6)). No dedicated size or duration is set, so signs should stay on private…

Political campaign signs are exempt from a sign permit but must sit at least 10 feet behind the street line and 50 feet from the nearest intersection corner. They may go up no more…

Digital billboards are banned countywide except as replacements for existing nonconforming billboards, and even then only outside Residential, Transit-Oriented, and MU-PD zones, with a…

Prince George's County exempts temporary holiday string lighting and displays from a sign permit, but only if they come down within 45 days of the holiday or civic event and are not…

Prince George's County regulates homeowners associations, condo associations and co-ops through a 15-member Commission on Common Ownership Communities, created by County Code §…

Every HOA, condo association and co-op in Prince George's County must register with the Office of Community Relations by December 31 each year and disclose its elected leadership…

Before an HOA dispute in Prince George's County can go to court, residents must exhaust their association's own remedies, then file with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities…

Prince George's County doesn't referee your HOA's covenants directly, but a rental license can still die because of them. Under Sec. 13-183, once a Common Ownership Community documents…

Prince George's County runs a Commission on Common Ownership Communities to mediate HOA disputes, but Sec. 13-316 draws a hard line: a disagreement over an assessment that was already…

Maryland Real Property § 14-130 makes clothesline bans unenforceable on single-family property: no covenant, declaration, bylaw, rule, lease, or rental agreement may prohibit a…

Maryland Real Property § 2-125 stops a covenant, declaration, contract, security instrument, or condominium or homeowners association bylaw from imposing unreasonable limitations on…

Maryland Real Property § 11B-111.8 voids any homeowners association covenant, declaration provision, bylaw, or rule that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing or…

Maryland Real Property § 14-128 guarantees every homeowner and tenant the right to display one portable, removable flag of the United States at the home they live in, and it voids any…

Maryland Real Property § 11B-111.10 bars a homeowners association board from imposing a fine, suspending voting, or infringing any other right of a lot owner or occupant for a rules…

A Maryland homeowners association has no lien of its own. Real Property § 11B-117(b) sends it out to the Maryland Contract Lien Act at Real Property Title 14, Subtitle 2, and…

Prince George's County requires every towing company to hold a Department of the Environment license, with a separate Level 2 category for non-consensual tows from private property…

Prince George's County charges tobacco shops, electronic cigarette shops, retail tobacco businesses and convenience stores holding a state tobacco retail license a $5,000 Special…

Prince George's County requires anyone buying used goods for resale, including pawnbrokers, to hold an annual Secondhand Dealer or Pawn Dealer's License from the Director of…

Prince George's County requires a police-issued premises license for any adult entertainment club, plus separate licenses for every entertainer and manager. Clubs must close between…

Operating a massage establishment in Prince George's County without a license from the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement is unlawful. Annual license fees run…

Prince George's County caps the number of pawn dealer licenses at 31 countywide and requires every secondhand or pawn dealer to be licensed by DPIE, keep detailed transaction records…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance bars tattoo and body-piercing establishments outright from every Rural and Agricultural and Residential base zone. Table 27-5101(c) marks the…

Prince George's County Code § 2-524 bars County agents and agencies from stopping, detaining, or arresting anyone based on immigration status alone, and from letting ICE use County…

Prince George's County refunds up to $200 toward a residential security camera and $100 toward its monitoring subscription under the Police Department's Private Security Camera…

A Prince George's County farm or forestry operation that has run for at least a year without being a nuisance, and that follows generally accepted agricultural practices, cannot be…

Land inside a Prince George's County Agricultural Preservation District keeps a guaranteed right to run farm machinery at any reasonable hour, follow good husbandry practices, and sell…

Developers who sign a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit agreement in Prince George's County can build 20% more for-sale housing than their zone otherwise allows, plus get fee waivers and…

Prince George's County's Historic Preservation Commission can classify a property as a Historic Site or Historic District when it carries cultural significance, such as a tie to a…

Prince George's County requires a DPIE building permit for solar energy systems under Section 4-210 of the County Code, which layers the 2021 International Fire Code and NFPA 70 and…

Maryland Real Property § 2-119 bars any deed covenant, declaration, contract, security instrument, or condominium or homeowners association bylaw from imposing unreasonable limitations…

Prince George's County's Subtitle 27 Zoning Ordinance caps lot coverage in the RSF-65 zone, the single-family detached zone that governs most standard-lot subdivisions, at 35% of net…

Prince George's County limits principal structures in the RSF-65 zone, its standard single-family subdivision zone, to 40 feet under Section 27-4202(e); detached accessory buildings…

In Prince George's County's RSF-65 zone, the standard single-family subdivision zone, Section 27-4202(e) sets minimum yard depths of 25 feet in front, 8 feet on each side, and 20 feet…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance treats a qualified data center as a principal use with its own site plan, buffer, and screening standards. In the RR Zone the use needs at…

Before Prince George's County will permit a qualified data center, Subtitle 27's Zoning Ordinance requires a professional acoustical study proving the facility will not exceed the…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance keeps outdoor cannabis grower operations 300 feet from residential zones, M-NCPPC parkland, and pre-existing schools or licensed childcare…

Prince George's County's Zoning Ordinance keeps a Cannabis Dispensary at least 100 feet from residential zones, 500 feet from schools, childcare, and parks, and 1,000 feet from any…

The Cannabis Reform Act, codified in Title 36 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article, allows adults 21 and older to cultivate up to two cannabis plants per household and…

Maryland reserves exclusive authority over commercial UAS operations under Courts 14-301, requiring operators to follow FAA Part 107 certification, registration, and operational limits…

Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Section 14-301 expressly preempts local drone regulation, reserving exclusive authority over unmanned aircraft systems to the state and federal…

Maryland requires earned sick and safe leave statewide and is implementing the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program for paid family leave.

Maryland issues Wear and Carry Permits through the State Police and prohibits concealed carry in many sensitive locations across the state.

Maryland preempts local firearms regulation under Criminal Law § 4-209, which reserves to the State the purchase, sale, transfer, ownership, possession, and transportation of handguns…

Maryland law names the only places a casino may ever legally operate: one site each in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Allegany, and Worcester counties, in Baltimore City, and in Prince George's…

Maryland regulates charitable bingo and raffles county by county, not through one statewide code. Criminal Law Title 13, "Gaming, Local Provisions," gives each jurisdiction its own…

Maryland exempts small-stakes social play from its gambling ban through the "home game" law at State Government § 9-1C-01. Adults 21 and older may host mah jong or card games with…

Maryland legalized sports wagering in 2021 under State Government § 9-1E-01 et seq., requiring anyone who operates or facilitates sports betting to hold a license from the Lottery and…

Maryland runs sobriety checkpoints and the General Assembly has legislated about them exactly once. Transportation section 25-114 defines a "checkpoint" as a predetermined fixed…

Maryland has no statute granting a right to record the police. What governs instead is the Maryland Wiretap Act at Courts and Judicial Proceedings sections 10-401 through 10-410, which…

Maryland has never enacted a general stop-and-identify statute. A full-text search of the Annotated Code returns nothing for "stop and identify," "produce identification," or "refuses…

Maryland wrote its search rule into the code when it legalized adult cannabis use. Criminal Procedure section 1-211 forbids a law enforcement officer from initiating a stop or a search…

Maryland was among the first states to ban expanded polystyrene foam food service products statewide, prohibiting their sale and use at restaurants, schools, and food packagers under a…

Maryland prohibits the sale of any tobacco or electronic smoking device to anyone under age 21 under Health-General Article 16.7A.

Maryland lets you add auxiliary lighting, but it counts the lamps and measures the mounting height. Transportation Article § 22-217 allows one spot lamp, no more than two fog lamps…

Maryland has no dash camera statute at all, so a dash cam is governed by the general windshield-obstruction rule at Md. Transp. § 21-1104. Subsection (c)(1) makes it an offense to…

Lane splitting is expressly illegal in Maryland. Transportation Article § 21-1303(d) says a person may not operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or…

Maryland attacks registration plate covers from three directions. Transportation Article § 13-411.1 defines a plate cover by what it is designed to do, then bans selling one, offering…

A radar or laser detector is lawful in a private vehicle in Maryland. The Transportation Article devotes an entire title to vehicle equipment, Title 22, and across its sections from §…

Maryland bans studded tires on its highways as a baseline rule, then carves out five counties. Under Transportation Article § 22-405.2(c), owners of vehicles registered in Allegany…

Maryland caps aftermarket window tint at 35% light transmittance, and on a Class A passenger car that limit applies to every window on the vehicle, rear glass included. Light trucks…