# Commercial Law (GCL)

## Title 11. Trade Regulation

### Subtitle 6. Liquefied Petroleum Gas Containers

#### Section 11-601

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.

(b) "Container" means a liquefied petroleum gas container.

(c) "Liquefied petroleum gas" means any material which is composed predominately of any of the following hydrocarbons or mixtures of them:

  (1) Propane;

  (2) Propylene;

  (3) Normal butane;

  (4) Isobutane; or

  (5) Butylenes.

(d) "Mark" includes any name, initial, or other device.

(e) "Marked container" means a container which bears on its surface in plainly legible characters the mark of its owner.

(f) "Owner" means:

  (1) Any person who holds a written bill of sale under which title or ownership to a container was transferred to him; or

  (2) Any manufacturer of a container who has not transferred ownership of the container under a written bill of sale.

(g) "Person" includes an individual, corporation, business trust, statutory trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, or any other legal or commercial entity.

#### Section 11-602

This subtitle does not apply to any container which has a total capacity of five gallons or less.

#### Section 11-603

Unless he is authorized by the owner in writing, a person other than the owner of a container may not:

(1) Fill or refill a marked container with liquefied petroleum gas or any other gas or compound;

(2) Buy, sell, offer for sale, give, take, loan, deliver, permit to be delivered, or otherwise use, dispose of, or traffic in a marked container; or

(3) Deface, erase, obliterate, cover up, or otherwise remove or conceal any mark on a container.

#### Section 11-604

Unless taken with the written consent of the owner, each of the following actions by any person, other than the person whose mark is on the container, is presumptive evidence of a violation of this subtitle:

(1) Use of a marked container;

(2) Possession of a marked container; or

(3) Purchase of a marked container for:

  (i) The sale of liquefied petroleum gas; or

  (ii) The filling or refilling of the container with liquefied petroleum gas.

#### Section 11-605

(a) If the owner of a marked container, his officer, or authorized agent who has personal knowledge of the facts makes oath in writing before any court of competent jurisdiction that he believes that a person has violated any provision of this subtitle with respect to the container, the court, if satisfied that there is reasonable cause, may issue a warrant and cause the alleged violator to be brought into court for the purpose of discovering and obtaining the container.

(b) If the court finds that a person violated any provision of this subtitle, it shall award an unlawfully taken container to its true owner.

#### Section 11-606

Any person who violates any provision of this subtitle is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $300 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or both.

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Md. Code Ann., Com. Law (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)