Howard County has no separate short-term-rental registration. Any owner renting a dwelling unit within the scope of the Property Maintenance Code for Rental Housing must first obtain a Rental Housing License from the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) under County Code Section 14.901.
Section 14.901(a) of the Howard County Code bars an owner from renting or leasing a dwelling unit unless the owner holds a Rental Housing License. The only exemption for occupancies under 90 days is for a buyer or seller occupying a home around settlement (14.901(b)) — not for tourist or vacation rentals. The application (14.901(d)) requires the owner and managing operator, a Maryland resident agent for service of notices, and unit details; DILP then inspects the unit against the Property Maintenance Code for Rental Housing before issuing the license (14.901(e)). Because transient rental is separately a Hotel/Motel zoning use, a residential STR generally cannot satisfy both the license and the zoning use test.
Renting a dwelling unit without the required Rental Housing License is a violation enforced by the DILP Director through notices, orders to abate, and inspection; unresolved violations proceed under the County's civil-penalty process (Title 24).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Howard County allows residential backyard composting and actively promotes it. The county runs a Feed the Green Bin curbside food-scrap collection and sells ...
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Howard County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or requiring artificial turf for residential yards. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, but becaus...
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Howard County places no restriction on planting native or pollinator gardens. Maryland's low-impact landscaping law (House Bill 322, 2021) bars homeowners as...
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Howard County does not ban rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and actively promoted through the county's Live Green Howard and stormwa...
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Howard County has no year-round odd/even watering ban. Water use is limited only when the state declares a drought. Under Maryland's Level One Mandatory Rest...
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Howard County's adopted Property Maintenance Code requires exterior premises to be kept free of weeds and rank plant growth, but it applies only to rental an...
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