Allegany County, MD Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Chapter 375, the Livability Code, adopts the Maryland State Minimum Livability Code by reference under Public Safety Code § 12-203 of the Annotated Code of Maryland and applies to residential structures in the unincorporated part of Allegany County, though § 375-4 exempts owner-occupied single-family housing from its reach, so the complaint process under § 375-5 runs for rentals and other non-owner-occupied residential units. Under § 375-5A, the tenant, not a random third party, must put the alleged violation in writing to the local enforcement official for investigation, and the County Health Department can separately report a violation in writing if the occupant agrees.

Once that written notice comes in, § 375-5B has the local enforcement official or a County Inspector give the property owner notice of the inspection, and § 375-5C requires 30 days' advance notice describing the alleged violation and giving the owner a chance to examine and fix the problem before anyone walks the property. If the condition is not resolved by then, § 375-5D sends a joint inspection team from the County and the Health Department, with the County Sheriff available to assist on request, and any state-code violation found triggers a repair notice to the owner.

Section 375-5E gives the owner a further 60 days after that inspection to comply before the case is referred to the State's Attorney for Allegany County for misdemeanor prosecution, unless the inspection team finds satisfactory progress toward compliance.