Under Baltimore Ord. 19-0270, booking platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo bear independent compliance duties to verify host license numbers, remove unlicensed listings on demand, and share aggregated booking data with DHCD upon request.
The ordinance places liability on host platforms (defined as any digital marketplace facilitating short-term-rental bookings) to display the Baltimore STR license number on each listing, validate it against DHCD's registry, and remove non-compliant listings within a defined cure period after the city issues a takedown notice. Platforms must also designate a city-compliance contact and provide quarterly aggregate booking data — addresses, nights booked, gross receipts — to the Department of Finance and DHCD. Failure to comply can lead to enforcement action against the platform itself, not just hosts.
Platforms ignoring takedown notices or refusing to share booking data face per-listing civil fines, City Solicitor enforcement actions, and potential limitations on operating in Baltimore under Art. 15.
See how Baltimore's host platform liability rules stack up against other locations.
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