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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland restricts landlords from requesting prospective tenants' criminal history before conditional offers
Last action · May 26, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 752Sponsor: Shaneka Henson
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What This Bill Does
Maryland enacts the Fair Chance Housing Act, prohibiting landlords who own or manage five or more residential units from requesting or evaluating a prospective tenant's general criminal history before extending a conditional lease offer, effective October 1, 2026.
The measure establishes uniform statewide rules for rental applications, replacing local ordinances and setting specific statutory timelines and civil penalties for landlords who improperly screen applicants or advertise exclusionary policies.
- Wes Moore serves as the Governor of Maryland who approved Chapter 752. context
- Fair chance housing legislation aims to eliminate early-stage barriers in rental housing for individuals with past criminal records. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Landlords owning or managing five or more units
Landlords must alter their application and screening procedures to delay criminal background checks until after a conditional offer is made and adhere to advertising restrictions.
Prospective tenants
Prospective tenants are shielded from preliminary criminal history inquiries during housing applications and gain rights to request reassessments and application records.
Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs
The office is tasked with publishing model notices, collecting complaint data, and publishing information on substantiated violations.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which landlords are covered under the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act?
When can a landlord check a prospective tenant's criminal history?
What penalties do landlords face for violating the law?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
22 actions- May 26, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 752
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorPassed Enrolled
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (31-13)
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorSenate Concurs House Amendments
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed with Amendments (97-36)
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloor Amendment { 223521/1 (Delegate Schmidt) Rejected (34-101)
Show 16 earlier actions
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloor Amendment { 963321/1 (Delegate Charkoudian) Adopted
- Apr 11, 2026HouseFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Apr 11, 2026HouseFavorable with Amendments { 743728/1 Adopted
- Apr 11, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters
- Apr 2, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 2:30 p.m.
- Apr 2, 2026HouseHearing canceled
- Apr 2, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 1:30 p.m.
- Apr 2, 2026HouseHearing canceled
- Mar 26, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
- Mar 24, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Economic Matters
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (32-10)
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 973928/1 Adopted
- Mar 20, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings
- Feb 12, 2026SenateHearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Judicial Proceedings
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Statewide Preemption of Local Screening Laws
The Act explicitly preempts and supersedes any local law or ordinance comparable in subject matter, creating a uniform statewide standard.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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