Carroll County, MD Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Incorporated standard
- Md. Environment Art. Subtitle 8, COMAR 26.16.02
- Enforcement agency
- State agencies (Md. Dept. of the Environment)
- County role
- Cross-references state law in § 171.035(G)
- Related protection
- Retaliatory-eviction shield, § 171.005
Summary
Carroll County's Livability Code folds Maryland's lead-paint law into local rental standards: § 171.035(G) requires every premises to stay in compliance with the Environment Article, Subtitle 8, and COMAR 26.16.02's Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing rules, but hands enforcement of that specific requirement to state agencies rather than the county's own Building Official.
(G) Lead-based paint. All premises shall be maintained in compliance with Md. Code, Environment Article, Subtitle 8, and COMAR 26.16.02 (Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing). Enforcement of this provision shall be by applicable state agencies.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through July 30, 2026).
Full Breakdown
035, General Condition of Premises, is Chapter 171's catch-all maintenance standard, and subsection (G) is where the Livability Code addresses lead paint: rather than writing its own inspection or disclosure scheme, it cross-references Maryland's statewide program, Md. 02, and makes compliance with that state program a condition of meeting the county's General Condition of Premises standard. The section is explicit that enforcement of this provision is by applicable state agencies, which for Maryland's Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing program means the Maryland Department of the Environment, not the Carroll County Department of Citizen Services that enforces the rest of Chapter 171. 005 tells a tenant who files a Livability Code complaint that they are entitled to the retaliatory-eviction protections in Md. 035(G) incorporates.
Violations & Fines
Because § 171.035(G) assigns enforcement of the lead-paint standard itself to state agencies, a Carroll County lead-based-paint issue is pursued through the Maryland Department of the Environment's Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing program rather than through the county's own § 171.999 misdemeanor penalty; the county's general Livability Code penalties still apply to the rest of § 171.035's maintenance requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Carroll County have its own lead paint inspection program for rentals?
Who enforces lead paint rules in a Carroll County rental?
What protection do I have if I report a lead paint problem?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carroll County
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