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

City Code § 5-7A sets the Housing and Property Maintenance Code's scope: every building used for human occupancy, and the land it sits on, must comply with the minimum conditions the article prescribes, covering exterior grounds, sanitation, structure, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, and pest exclusion. Rental dwellings sit squarely inside that scope, and the City layers rental-specific enforcement on top under § 5-9: an owner must hold a City rental license, renewed annually, and the unit must pass an inspection for compliance with the Housing and Property Maintenance Code before a license or temporary certificate issues.

Where conditions fall below the floor, § 5-11A lets the City Manager condemn and placard a building 'UNFIT FOR HUMAN HABITATION' if it is so damaged, decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe or vermin-infested that it endangers occupants or the public, or if for more than 48 hours, outside a utility outage, it lacks electrical service, ventilation or water service adequate to protect health or safety, or if its general condition or location is otherwise unsanitary or dangerous. Once posted, occupants must vacate by the date on the placard, and it is unlawful to reoccupy the space until the City Manager removes the placard because the defects are corrected.

The City Manager can also order emergency vacation without notice or hearing under § 5-12 when conditions pose a clear and present danger, and can order a structure sealed, repaired at the owner's expense with the cost placed as a lien, or ultimately demolished if it is never brought back into compliance.