Prince George's County, MD Privacy & Surveillance: Security Camera Rules (2026)

Under County Code § 18-122, the Prince George's County Police Department and the Office of Community Relations jointly run a Private Security Camera Incentive Program that pays residents, businesses, and nonprofits to add outdoor cameras in the County's highest-crime blocks. To qualify, the property must sit inside a 'priority area' the Chief of Police identifies from crime data and republishes every year. Applicants must agree in writing that the camera will not be used to intentionally record specific people engaged in lawful activity on a neighbor's property the applicant does not own, and business or nonprofit recipients must post a sign telling visitors a camera is in use.

The rebate or voucher can only offset what was actually spent: up to $200 toward the purchase of a security camera and up to $100 toward a year of subscription monitoring service. Households are capped at one subsidized camera; businesses can claim up to two. The County Office of Finance disburses the money, and payouts run only as far as the Council appropriates funds each budget cycle, so the program can run out of money before a fiscal year ends. The Office of Finance may also pursue federal or state grants to keep the fund stocked.

The whole program has to operate consistent with the County's Community Inclusiveness provisions in Subtitle 2, Division 46, and the County Executive's office must report to the Council every year on how many rebates and vouchers went out, their dollar total, and whether the cameras are reducing crime. A 'security camera' under the section means an outdoor system with functioning digital video recording, and 'business' borrows the definition from County Code § 10A-101(a)(4).