Baltimore County, MD Privacy & Surveillance: Security Camera Rules (2026)

Baltimore County Code Section 13-11-301 establishes the Voluntary Security Camera Registration Program to promote public safety, deter crime, and assist police investigations by building a registry of property owners who choose to register their security cameras. Under Section 13-11-302, an owner of commercial or residential private property may voluntarily register one or more private security cameras on a county-provided form, listing contact information and camera locations; registrants acknowledge that police may use that contact information to request footage and data during an investigation. Section 13-11-303 requires the police department to keep registration records confidential to the extent the law allows, using the contact information only to request access to a registrant's footage in connection with a law enforcement investigation, not to view or pull footage directly.

Registration is not permanent: Section 13-11-304 expires each registration after two years so the registry stays current, though the owner may renew at that point. Section 13-11-305 authorizes the Director of the Office of Information Technology and the Chief of Police to adopt regulations carrying out the program. Because participation is optional and there is no permit, fee, or inspection tied to owning or installing a residential camera, homeowners in the county remain free to install cameras without any registration at all.