Howard County, MD Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Sec. 901(a) bars renting or leasing a covered dwelling unit without a license, subject to narrow exceptions for occupancies under 90 days tied to a sale settlement, and for hospitals and prisons (Sec. 901(b)). Applications must list the dwelling's address and complex name, the owner and managing operator, a resident agent if the owner is a corporation, an adult Maryland-based authorized agent for service of process, the unit type, construction date, smoke detectors, heating and hot water systems, water source, sewage disposal, and certification that homeowners association or common-ownership fees are not more than 30 days past due (Sec.

901(d)). The Director must inspect the unit before issuing a license and can deny it with a written list of required fixes (Sec. 901(e)). A license lasts two years, but if reissued after revocation or renewed after correcting a violation, the Director can shorten it to six months and then limit renewals to one-year terms for three years until compliance is confirmed, with the fee prorated (Sec. 901(g)). A new owner must apply to transfer the license within 15 days of a change in ownership (Sec.

901(h)). The Director can suspend or revoke a license for uncorrected Property Maintenance Code violations or a final adjudication of HOA fees more than 30 days overdue, and must placard the unit on denial, suspension, revocation, or expiration (Sec. 901(i), (j), (k)). Aggrieved owners may appeal a Director decision to a Board of Appeals Hearing Examiner (Sec. 904).