Bill > HB721

This bill modifies Maryland's family law regarding grandparent visitation rights by establishing two primary pathways for grandparents to obtain court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren. First, grandparents can petition for visitation rights after a parent has filed an action for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity, provided the court determines that visitation is in the child's best interests and would not interfere with the parent-child relationship. Second, the bill mandates that an equity court (a court with broad discretion in family law matters) must grant visitation rights if either the child has lived with the grandparent for at least 12 months or the child's parent (who is the grandparent's child) is deceased, again contingent on finding that visitation serves the child's best interests. The bill also requires courts to consider the prior amount of personal contact between the grandparent and child when evaluating visitation petitions and stipulates that courts cannot deny visitation based on potential interference with the parent-child relationship without first holding a hearing and finding clear evidence of such interference by a preponderance of the evidence. The law is set to take effect on October 1, 2025, potentially providing a more structured approach to grandparent visitation rights in Maryland.

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https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0721?ys=2025RS