Bill > SB624

This bill, known as the Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act, requires short-term rental hosts to ensure their rental units are safe for guests by prominently displaying evacuation diagrams and emergency contact numbers, and by providing working fire extinguishers and both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. A "short-term rental" is defined as a lodging for guests for less than 30 consecutive days, and a "booking service" is a platform that facilitates these rentals and charges a fee. The bill mandates that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms must be audible in all sleeping areas, interconnected if multiple are present, and replaced if they malfunction, are over 10 years old, or lack a production date. Booking services must electronically inform hosts of these fire safety rules and collect documentation of compliance. Furthermore, by July 1, 2028, counties and Baltimore City must establish local laws for annual inspections of short-term rental units for compliance with these safety requirements and report their findings to the State Fire Marshal, who will then report to the General Assembly. This legislation aims to enhance guest safety in short-term rentals without preventing local jurisdictions from enacting additional regulations or prohibiting short-term rentals altogether.

Business and Industry, Education, Justice

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0624?ys=2026RS