Howard County, MD Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

110 defines a nuisance as any property condition that poses an actual or potential threat to health, any activity on the property that poses such a threat, or any activity that interferes with another's proper use or enjoyment of property, and lists examples including water pollution, contaminated or abandoned wells, overflowing sewage, insect, vermin or rodent infestation, unclean animal or poultry facilities, air pollution, improper refuse disposal, and hazards from lead paint or lead paint dust. A resident affected by a suspected nuisance can complain to the Board of Health or Health Department, and the Health Officer must investigate on receiving a complaint from at least two people, or can open an investigation without waiting for a complaint.

110(e) authorizes either a written notice ordering the condition corrected within a stated time, with a right to appeal, or a civil citation issued directly to the owner or renter. An aggrieved owner has 15 days to appeal the Health Officer's decision to the Board of Health, which must schedule a hearing within 10 days of the appeal and rule within 15 days of the hearing. 00. If an owner refuses to correct a declared nuisance, the Health Officer can ask a court for permission to enter the property, abate the condition directly, bill the owner for the cost plus administrative fees, and place a lien on the property enforceable the same way as a lien for unpaid county taxes.