In this subtitle, the following terms have the meanings indicated. “Booking transaction” means a reservation transaction between a host and a prospective transient guest for a short-term residential rental. “Dwelling unit” has the meaning stated in § 202.2 of the Baltimore City <cite data-path="|building-codes|II">Building Code</cite>. “Host” means the owner of a dwelling unit who provides or offers to provide all or part of the dwelling unit for short-term residential rental use in exchange for a fee. “Hosting platform” means an internet-based entity that, in exchange for a fee:facilitates reservations of short-term residential rentals; serves as a conduit of communication between hosts and transient guests; or otherwise facilitates booking transactions for short-term residential rentals. “Housing Commissioner” or “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Housing and Community Development or the Commissioner’s designee. “Permanent residence” means a dwelling unit:in which the owner resides for an aggregate of at least 180 days annually; and that is the owner’s usual place of return for housing, as documented by at least one of the following:driver’s license; voter registration; or official designation of the dwelling unit as the owner’s principle residence in accordance with the criteria governing the State Homestead Tax Credit. For purposes of this subtitle, a host may have only 1 “permanent residence”. “Short-term residential rental” means the use, facilitated in whole or in part by a hosting platform, of all or any part of a dwelling unit to provide accommodations to transient guests for sleeping or lodging purposes in exchange for a fee. In this subsection, “transient” means any person who occupies, or has been given the right to occupy, sleeping or lodging accommodations for a period of fewer than 90 consecutive days. “Transient guest” means any transient who uses a hosting platform to facilitate a short-term residential rental. Ord. 19-217

For the Code-wide standard uses of mandatory terms (“must” and “shall”), prohibitory terms (“may not”, “must not”, and “no ... may”), and permissive terms (“may”), see <cite data-path="|general">City General Provisions Article</cite>, <cite data-path="|general|1|1|1-104">§ 1-104</cite>.

Subject to Title 4 {“Administrative Procedure Act – Regulations”} of the <cite data-path="|general">City General Provisions Article</cite>, the Housing Commissioner must adopt rules and regulations to carry out this subtitle. Ord. 19-217 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.