Bill > HB1221

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 and both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. The bill also requires that these alarms be clearly audible in all sleeping areas, interconnected if multiple are present, and replaced if they stop functioning, are over 10 years old, or lack a production date. Booking services, which are platforms that facilitate short-term rentals and charge a fee, must electronically inform hosts of these fire safety requirements and collect documentation of compliance. Furthermore, counties and Baltimore City are required to implement annual inspections of short-term rental units for compliance with these safety measures, report their findings to the State Fire Marshal by July 1, 2028, and may establish fees for these inspections, with the State Fire Marshal setting standards for any third-party inspectors. The bill clarifies that it does not compel any jurisdiction to allow short-term rentals or prevent them from enacting additional regulations.

Business and Industry, Education

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB1221?ys=2026RS