In this subtitle, the following terms have the meanings indicated. “Hotel” means any building, including any motel, that:contains sleeping accommodations for more than 5 persons; and is open to the transient public. “Housing Department” or “Department” means the City Department of Housing and Community Development. “Human trafficking” means:sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform a commercial sex act has not attained 18 years of age; or the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Ord. 15-353 Ord. 16-503 Ord. 19-332 Ord. 22-125 For the Code-wide standard definition of “person”, see <cite data-path="|general">City General Provisions Article</cite>, <cite data-path="|general|1|1|1-107">§ 1-107</cite>.

No person may operate a hotel in Baltimore City without first registering the hotel with the Housing Department on the form required by that Department. Ord. 15-353 Ord. 16-503

Subject to Title 4 {“Administrative Procedure Act – Regulations”} of the <cite data-path="|general">City General Provisions Article</cite>, the Housing Department must adopt rules, regulations, and forms to carry out this subtitle. Ord. 15-353 Text Conformed 03/01/21 By authority of Ordinance 20-431, Section 5, the Director of Legislative Reference, in consultation with the Law Department, has conformed this section to refer expressly to and reflect the requirements of the recently-enacted Administrative Procedure Act that, effective January 15, 2021, governs the proposal, adoption, and publication of administrative rules and regulations.

Any person who owns or operates a hotel within the City must provide training on how to identify human trafficking activities and human trafficking victims:to all new hotel employees, within 90 days of hire; and to all hotel employees, at least once every two years. The anti-trafficking training program required by this section must be approved by the Health Commissioner as appropriate for training employees on how to identify human trafficking activities and human trafficking victims. Beginning in calendar year 2020, any person who owns or operates a hotel within the City must annually certify to the Housing Commissioner, no later than December 31 of each year, that all hotel employees have completed the training required by this section. Ord. 15-353 Ord. 16-503 Ord. 19-241 This section were amended by Ordinance 19-241, effective October 19, 2019, to, among other things, require biennial training for all employees and to modify the filing deadline for annual certifications of compliance.

After the issuance to a hotel of a multiple-family dwelling license required by City Code <cite data-path="|13|§5-4">Article 13 {“Housing and Urban Renewal”}, § 5-4 {“License required”}</cite>, the hotel must prominently display a sign stating that the facility has provided training to all employees on how to identify human trafficking activities and human trafficking victims. The sign required by subsection (a) of this section must be prominently displayed in the lobby of the hotel in the form and manner required by the Department. Ord. 15-353

Any person who violates or who neglects or refuses to comply with any provision of this subtitle or of any rule or regulation adopted under this subtitle is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 12 months or both fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues after notification constitutes a separate offense. Ord. 15-353