Maryland caps late-rent penalties at 5% of the delinquent rent. Under Real Property § 8-208, a lease may not impose a late fee greater than 5% of the overdue rent for the rental period. For weekly rent, the cap is $3 per week and no more than $12 per month. Overreaching late-fee clauses are unenforceable.
Md. Code, Real Property § 8-208(d)(3) prohibits a residential lease from providing "a penalty for the late payment of rent in excess of 5% of the amount of unpaid rent due for the rental period for which the payment was delinquent." For leases under which rent is paid in weekly installments, the lease may not provide "a late penalty of more than $3 per week or a total of no more than $12 per month." Section 8-208 lists this among prohibited lease provisions, so a clause exceeding these limits is void and unenforceable against the tenant. The statute does not require any grace period before a permitted late fee may be charged, and the cap is measured against the delinquent rent, not the full monthly rent.
A late-fee clause exceeding 5% of the delinquent rent (or the weekly $3/$12 limits) is an unenforceable prohibited provision; the tenant is not obligated to pay the excess (Real Property § 8-208).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Rockville, MD
Construction noise in Rockville is permitted 7 AM to 7 PM weekdays and 9 AM to 5 PM weekends under MoCo Code Section 31B-6. Nighttime deliveries are prohibit...
Rockville, MD
Industrial noise in Rockville is regulated under MoCo Code Chapter 31B. Industrial limits are 75 dBA day, 70 dBA night. Equipment running 24 hours must meet ...
Rockville, MD
Rockville enforces noise limits under MoCo Code Chapter 31B. Daytime runs 7 AM to 9 PM weekdays, 9 AM to 9 PM weekends. Nighttime limit is 55 dBA at resident...
Rockville, MD
Rockville's animal control ordinance (Chapter 3) prohibits nuisance animal noise. Owners must prevent dogs from causing persistent noise that disturbs neighb...
Rockville, MD
Rockville sits between Reagan National and BWI but is outside both noise zones. Aircraft noise is federally regulated. The Maryland Environmental Noise Act o...
Rockville, MD
Maryland requires new homes after October 2023 to include EV-ready parking with a minimum 40-amp dedicated circuit. HOAs cannot prohibit charger installation.
See how Rockville's late fees & grace periods rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.