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<section article="grp" article_name="Real Property" number="14-126" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Rules" subtitle_number="1" subtitle_name="Miscellaneous Rules">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Emergency services” includes fire, rescue, and ambulance services and a mobile crisis team as defined in § 10–1401 of the Health – General Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Governing body” has the meaning stated in § 1–101 of the Local Government Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>“Municipality” has the meaning stated in § 1–101 of the Local Government Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>“Rental license” means any certificate, license, or permit required to rent residential real property issued by a county or a municipality.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Short–term rental unit” means a residential dwelling unit or a portion of the unit used to provide housing for less than 31 consecutive days.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Short–term rental unit” does not include a hotel or motel, boarding house, group residential facility for students, fraternity or sorority house, or similar housing.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>This section does not apply to a local law or ordinance governing:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The installation and use of residential security alarm systems;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The physical condition, sanitation, maintenance, or repair of real property, including vacant buildings;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Parking enforcement;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Calls to law enforcement concerning social gatherings or excessive noise that do not involve an offense set forth in the Criminal Law Article and are:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Made with the intent to harass another; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Knowingly false, as a whole or in material part; or</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Short–term rental units.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The governing body of a county or a municipality may not enact or enforce a local law or ordinance that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Establishes a threshold of requests to summon law enforcement or emergency services to a residential property as grounds for designating a property as a nuisance; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Penalizes or authorizes a penalty against an operator, an owner, an owner–occupant, or a tenant for:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The act of summoning law enforcement or emergency services to a residential property; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The actions of another individual to summon the assistance of law enforcement or emergency services to a residential property.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>There is a presumption that a local law or ordinance relating to summoning law enforcement or emergency services to a residential property is prohibited under paragraph (1)(ii) of this subsection if the local law or ordinance authorizes or requires:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The assessment of a monetary penalty or fine on an operator, an owner, an owner–occupant, or a tenant;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The use of an action for repossession of a dwelling unit from a tenant or termination or nonrenewal of a tenant’s lease; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The revocation, suspension, or nonrenewal of a rental license.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>An operator, an owner, an owner–occupant, or a tenant may raise the issue that a local law or ordinance is prohibited under subsection (c) of this section:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>As a defense to an action to enforce the local law or ordinance; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>As an affirmative claim for damages resulting from the enforcement of the law or ordinance.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>If in any proceeding the court finds in favor of the operator, owner, owner–occupant, or tenant, the court may enter a judgment against the county or municipality attempting to enforce the prohibited local law or ordinance and award the operator, owner, owner–occupant, or tenant:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Reasonable damages;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Reasonable attorney’s fees;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Court costs;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Reinstatement of a rental license; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Other relief as deemed appropriate by the court.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
