Bill > SB624

This bill, known as the Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act, mandates that short-term rental units, defined as residential units rented for less than 30 consecutive days, must prominently display evacuation diagrams and emergency contact numbers, and be equipped with working fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms. A "short-term rental host" is the person legally in possession of the unit who rents it out, and a "booking service" is a platform that facilitates these rentals for a fee. The bill requires hosts to replace smoke and carbon monoxide alarms if they malfunction, are over 10 years old, or lack a production date. Furthermore, counties and Baltimore City must implement annual inspections of these rental units by July 1, 2028, and report specific data on their local regulations and inspection outcomes to the State Fire Marshal, who will then report to the General Assembly. This legislation also clarifies that it does not force any jurisdiction to allow short-term rentals or prevent them from enacting additional regulations beyond these safety requirements.