Rockville, MD Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Rockville, MD, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- General eviction
- Governed by MD Real Property Article
- Local just-cause rule
- None
- Prohibited
- Retaliatory eviction, threats, harassment
- Warrant notice
- 14 days before repossession
Summary
Rockville sets no local just-cause eviction rule, evictions run on Maryland's Real Property Article, but landlords may not evict, threaten, or punish a tenant for exercising legal rights.
(b) A landlord may not take retaliatory action against any tenant who exercises any rights conferred upon him by this chapter or any other law, ordinance and regulation, or against any tenant who assists another tenant in exercising those rights. For purposes of this section "retaliatory action" includes eviction, threat of eviction, violation of privacy, harassment, reduction in quality or quantity of services, unreasonable rent increases, or any form of threat or coercion.
(Laws of Rockville, Ch. 26, § 4-303)
State Law reference— Retaliatory evictions, Anno. Code of Md., Real Property Article, §§ 8-206, 8-208.1.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 17 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Ordinary evictions in Rockville proceed under the Real Property Article of the Maryland Code, not a City just-cause ordinance; after a court issues a warrant of restitution, the landlord must give the tenant at least 14 days' written notice of the scheduled repossession date. Separately, City Code bars landlords from taking 'retaliatory action' against a tenant for exercising rights under the landlord-tenant chapter or any other law: including helping another tenant do so. Retaliatory action is defined broadly to include eviction, threat of eviction, invading privacy, harassment, cutting back services, and unreasonable rent increases, all of which are prohibited outright.
Violations & Fines
Evicting, threatening eviction, cutting services, or raising rent unreasonably because a tenant exercised legal rights (e.g., filed a complaint or joined a tenant association) is a prohibited retaliatory practice under the landlord-tenant chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rockville require "just cause" for every eviction?
Can a landlord evict a tenant for complaining to the City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockville
Compare Rockville to another location·View the Maryland rental property rules overview
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Just Cause Eviction in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Montgomery County handle just cause eviction.