Bill > SB624

This bill, known as the Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Fire Safety Act, mandates that short-term rental units rented for less than 30 consecutive days must prominently display an evacuation diagram showing all exits and a list of emergency phone numbers, and must be equipped with a working fire extinguisher and interconnected smoke alarms that are clearly audible in all sleeping areas. The bill also requires that smoke alarms be replaced if they stop functioning, are over 10 years old, or lack a production date. Furthermore, booking services, which are platforms that list, advertise, accept offers for, or facilitate reservations or payments for short-term rentals and charge a fee, must inform their hosts about these fire safety requirements and collect documentation confirming compliance. Local governments, including counties and Baltimore City, are required to implement annual inspections of short-term rental units for fire safety compliance by October 1, 2026, and report their findings to the State Fire Marshal by July 1, 2028, with the option to establish fees for these inspections and potentially delegate them to certified third-party inspectors. The State Fire Marshal will then report to the General Assembly on the information received from local jurisdictions by October 1, 2028, and the entire act takes effect on October 1, 2026.

Education, Justice

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