Maryland Mandates Short-Term Rentals to Have Fire and Smoke Detection

4/15/2026

Under new state laws in Maryland, counties will decide whether to authorize or ban short-term rental (STR) units within their jurisdictions. Several of the new laws aim to improve public safety across the state, including the Short-Term Rental Safety Act, which requires some units to include features like emergency phone numbers and evacuation plans. The measure, which goes into effect on October 1, also requires certain rental units to provide fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. In some cases, these alarms must be replaced by the host of the unit. Under the new law, STRs include single- and multi-family homes, apartments, condos, and co-ops.

The Baltimore Sun (04/14/26) Tinashe Chingarande