# Commercial Law (GCL)

## Title 13. Consumer Protection Act

### Subtitle 3. Unfair, Abusive, or Deceptive Trade Practices

#### Section 13-301

Unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices include any:

(1) False, falsely disparaging, or misleading oral or written statement, visual description, or other representation of any kind which has the capacity, tendency, or effect of deceiving or misleading consumers;

(2) Representation that:

  (i) Consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services have a sponsorship, approval, accessory, characteristic, ingredient, use, benefit, or quantity which they do not have;

  (ii) A merchant has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, or connection which he does not have;

  (iii) Deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed, or secondhand consumer goods are original or new; or

  (iv) Consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model which they are not;

(3) Failure to state a material fact if the failure deceives or tends to deceive;

(4) Disparagement of the goods, realty, services, or business of another by a false or misleading representation of a material fact;

(5) Advertisement or offer of consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services:

  (i) Without intent to sell, lease, or rent them as advertised or offered; or

  (ii) With intent not to supply reasonably expected public demand, unless the advertisement or offer discloses a limitation of quantity or other qualifying condition;

(6) False or misleading representation of fact which concerns:

  (i) The reason for or the existence or amount of a price reduction; or

  (ii) A price in comparison to a price of a competitor or to one's own price at a past or future time;

(7) Knowingly false statement that a service, replacement, or repair is needed;

(8) False statement which concerns the reason for offering or supplying consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer services at sale or discount prices;

(9) Deception, fraud, false pretense, false premise, misrepresentation, or knowing concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact with the intent that a consumer rely on the same in connection with:

  (i) The promotion or sale of any consumer goods, consumer realty, or consumer service;

  (ii) A contract or other agreement for the evaluation, perfection, marketing, brokering or promotion of an invention; or

  (iii) The subsequent performance of a merchant with respect to an agreement of sale, lease, or rental;

(10) Solicitations of sales or services over the telephone without first clearly, affirmatively, and expressly stating:

  (i) The solicitor's name and the trade name of a person represented by the solicitor;

  (ii) The purpose of the telephone conversation; and

  (iii) The kind of merchandise, real property, intangibles, or service solicited;

(11) Use of any plan or scheme in soliciting sales or services over the telephone that misrepresents the solicitor's true status or mission;

(12) Use of a contract related to a consumer transaction which contains a confessed judgment clause that waives the consumer's right to assert a legal defense to an action;

(13) Use by a seller, who is in the business of selling consumer realty, of a contract related to the sale of single family residential consumer realty, including condominiums and town houses, that contains a clause limiting or precluding the buyer's right to obtain consequential damages as a result of the seller's breach or cancellation of the contract;

(14) Violation of a provision of:

  (i) This title;

  (ii) An order of the Attorney General or agreement of a party relating to unit pricing under Title 14, Subtitle 1 of this article;

  (iii) Title 14, Subtitle 2 of this article, the Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act;

  (iv) Title 14, Subtitle 3 of this article, the Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act;

  (v) Title 14, Subtitle 9 of this article, Kosher Products;

  (vi) Title 14, Subtitle 10 of this article, Automotive Repair Facilities;

  (vii) Section 14-1302 of this article;

  (viii) Title 14, Subtitle 11 of this article, Maryland Layaway Sales Act;

  (ix) Section 22-415 of the Transportation Article;

  (x) Title 14, Subtitle 20 of this article;

  (xi) Title 14, Subtitle 15 of this article, the Automotive Warranty Enforcement Act;

  (xii) Title 14, Subtitle 21 of this article;

  (xiii) Section 18-107 of the Transportation Article;

  (xiv) Title 14, Subtitle 22 of this article, the Maryland Telephone Solicitations Act;

  (xv) Title 14, Subtitle 23 of this article, the Automotive Crash Parts Act;

  (xvi) Title 10, Subtitle 6 of the Real Property Article;

  (xvii) Title 14, Subtitle 25 of this article, the Hearing Aid Sales Act;

  (xviii) Title 14, Subtitle 26 of this article, the Maryland Door-to-Door Solicitations Act;

  (xix) Title 14, Subtitle 31 of this article, the Maryland Household Goods Movers Act;

  (xx) Title 14, Subtitle 32 of this article, the Maryland Telephone Consumer Protection Act;

  (xxi) Title 14, Subtitle 34 of this article, the Social Security Number Privacy Act;

  (xxii) Title 14, Subtitle 37 of this article, the Online Child Safety Act;

  (xxiii) Section 14-1319, Sec. 14-1320, or Sec. 14-1322 of this article;

  (xxiv) Section 7-304 or Sec. 8-801 of the Criminal Law Article;

  (xxv) Title 7, Subtitle 3 of the Real Property Article, the Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act;

  (xxvi) Title 6, Subtitle 13 of the Environment Article;

  (xxvii) Section 7-405(e)(2)(ii) of the Health Occupations Article;

  (xxviii) Title 12, Subtitle 10 of the Financial Institutions Article;

  (xxix) Title 19, Subtitle 7 of the Business Regulation Article;

  (xxx) Section 15-311.3 of the Transportation Article;

  (xxxi) Section 14-1324 of this article;

  (xxxii) Section 14-1326 of this article;

  (xxxiii) The federal Military Lending Act;

  (xxxiv) The federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act;

  (xxxv) Section 11-210 of the Education Article;

  (xxxvi) Title 14, Subtitle 44 of this article;

  (xxxvii) Section 14-905 of the Real Property Article;

  (xxxviii) Section 14-1327 of this article;

  (xxxix) Title 14, Subtitle 13 of the Public Safety Article;

  (xl) Section 12-6C-09.1 of the Health Occupations Article;

  (xli) Title 14, Subtitle 45 of this article;

  (xlii) Title 14, Subtitle 46 of this article;

  (xliii) Title 14, Subtitle 47 of this article;

  (xliv) Title 14, Subtitle 48 of this article;

  (xlv) Title 14, Subtitle 49 of this article;

  (xlvi) Section 14-2904 of this article;

  (xlvii) Title 14, Subtitle 50 of this article;

  (xlviii) Section 13-411.1(c)(2) of the Transportation Article;

  (xlix) Section 14-1329 of this article;

  (l) Section 14-1330 of this article;

  (li) Title 7, Subtitle 4B of the Health Occupations Article;

  (lii) Section 21-259.2 of the Health - General Article;

  (liii) Title 14, Subtitle 15A of this article;

  (liv) Title 5, Subtitle 7B of the Business Regulation Article; or

  (lv) Section 14-1332 of this article; or

(15) Act or omission that relates to a residential building and that is chargeable as a misdemeanor under or otherwise violates a provision of the Energy Conservation Building Standards Act, Title 7, Subtitle 4 of the Public Utilities Article.

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