Howard County, MD Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 17.1004
- Enforcing office
- Office of Consumer Protection
- Complaint referral
- § 17.1005 to other County units
- Landlord duty
- Must open records for inspection
- Office power
- Can subpoena landlord or tenant
Summary
Howard County tenants file rental-housing complaints with the Office of Consumer Protection, not a separate inspections hotline. County Code § 17.1004 gives the Office jurisdiction to receive, investigate, and conciliate landlord-tenant complaints, subpoena records, and inspect a landlord's rental files to enforce the county's Landlord-Tenant Subtitle.
Sec. 17.1004. - Office of consumer protection—Powers and duties.(a)In General. This subtitle shall be administered by the Office of Consumer Protection.(b)Complaints.(1)The Office has jurisdiction over all complaints filed under this subtitle except for those complaints that are referred to another County unit under section 17.1005 of this subtitle.(2)The Office may receive, investigate, and conciliate complaints, initiate its own investigations, and enforce this subtitle to the same extent provided to the office by subtitle 4 of this title.(3)In connection with this authority:(i)Landlords shall make available to the Office for inspection at reasonable times all rental housing records necessary for the Office to enforce this subtitle or investigate a matter under this subtitle; and(ii)The Office may issue a subpoena to compel a landlord or tenant to produce relevant documents, papers, books, records, or other evidence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 91 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
1004(a). 1004(b)(2) lets it receive, investigate, and conciliate complaints, open its own investigations, and enforce the subtitle to the same extent the Office already has under Subtitle 4 of Title 17, the county's general consumer-protection law. 1004(b)(3)(ii) lets the Office subpoena a landlord or tenant to produce relevant documents, papers, books, or records. 1004(c) authorizes the Office to run landlord-and-tenant education programs through public hearings, meetings, or distributed publications. 1005(a) sends complaints entirely outside the Office's jurisdiction to whichever County, State, or federal unit actually has authority over that violation.
A tenant with a habitability problem, such as an unabated rodent-infestation citation against the landlord's agent, can rely on this complaint process to get the Office involved, separate from filing directly with the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits for a code inspection.
Violations & Fines
Refusing to make rental-housing records available to the Office of Consumer Protection, or ignoring a subpoena issued under § 17.1004(b)(3)(ii), is itself a matter the Office can act on; § 17.1004(b)(2) lets the Office use the same investigative and enforcement powers, including subpoenas, that it holds under Subtitle 4 of Title 17 for general consumer-protection complaints.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I file a rental complaint in Howard County?
Can the Office force my landlord to produce records?
What if my complaint also involves a State or County code issue?
Does the Office only handle individual complaints?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
Compare Howard County to another location·View the Maryland rental inspections overview
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