Harford County, MD Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Harford County's Minimum Livability Code, Chapter 162, applies to rental housing units and premises countywide, with an exception for owner-occupied single-family homes under § 162-3A. , and not less than 60°F during the remaining overnight hours, throughout the period from October 1 to May 15. The temperature is measured three feet above the floor and three feet from exterior walls, per § 162-13B(1)(b). Subsection (c) carves out a narrow exception: when the outside temperature drops below 0°F and the heating system is already running at full capacity, the landlord only has to maintain a 60°F minimum at all times.

The same section requires all cooking and heating equipment to be free of leaks and waterflow obstructions and kept functioning to avoid fire, health and safety hazards, and bans portable open-flame cooking equipment except approved candle- or alcohol-heated food warmers. Beyond heat, § 162-10 sets structural and sanitary standards for the exterior and interior of a rental unit, and § 162-12 requires each unit to have its own water closet, lavatory, bathtub or shower and kitchen sink supplied with hot and cold running water. A tenant, property owner or the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits Code Official can invoke these standards; the Code Official enforces them under § 162-5.