Baltimore County, MD Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

A resident who wants the county to investigate a specific rental problem files that complaint with the Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections, and § 35-5-103(c)(3) gives the Code Official express authority to enter and inspect the structure or premises to investigate it. The section names three complaint categories the Code Official can act on this way: an unauthorized rooming and boarding house as defined in the Zoning Regulations, a failure to maintain the minimum fire safety facilities and equipment required under § 35-5-213 and § 35-5-213.1, or an unauthorized alteration to, or discrepancy in, the number of bedrooms reported for a licensed residential rental property compared with State Department of Assessments and Taxation records.

If the tenant or property owner refuses the Code Official entry after a complaint like this is filed, § 35-5-103(c)(3)(ii) lets the county go to court for an order compelling entry rather than force its way in. Complaints about broader maintenance defects, such as a failing furnace, a leaking roof, or a plumbing failure, are handled instead under the general inspection powers in § 35-5-103(c)(1)-(2), which the Code Official exercises with tenant permission or, for a suspected unsafe-structure violation, only after obtaining a court order.