LA PLATA — Landlords and tenants in unincorporated Charles County have another month to weigh in on a proposed program that would, for the first time, require most rental homes outside the towns to be registered, licensed and inspected.
After a public hearing Oct. 20 on Bill 2026-08, county commissioners voted to hold the record open for an additional 30 days, according to a county news release. The bill has not been adopted.
The proposal would set up registration, licensing and inspection requirements for residential rentals, including both long-term and short-term units. Today, outside La Plata and Indian Head, which have their own rental licensing rules, the county handles rental conditions mostly when a tenant or neighbor complains, as the Chronicle reported when the bill was first briefed in September.
What landlords would pay
The county’s release lists the proposed fees:
- A one-time $23 registration fee
- A $214 standard rental license fee
- A $107 short-term rental license fee
License fees would include at least two inspections, the release says. The county’s Rental Licensing Program page describes the license cost as $107 a year and says extra fees may apply if a unit needs more reinspections.
Under the proposal as described on that page, a standard rental is a home or unit rented to someone for 121 consecutive days or more. That includes single-family homes, townhouses, apartments and condos, rooms rented inside an owner-occupied home and accessory dwelling units. A short-term rental is one rented for at least 12 hours and no more than 120 consecutive days, such as a whole home or room listed for vacation stays.
Each rental property would need its own license, even if one owner holds several.
What inspectors would look at
Standard rentals would be inspected every other year and short-term rentals every year, according to the county. Inspectors would focus on health and safety: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, emergency escape openings, electrical, plumbing and heating systems, structural conditions, handrails, sanitation and pests, and moisture or mold.
In owner-occupied homes that rent out rooms, inspectors would check only the rented rooms and shared spaces, not the owner’s private bedroom and bath. Owners would generally get a chance to fix violations before a license is issued or renewed, unless a condition poses an immediate danger to life or safety.
The county says the goal is to catch problems before they become emergencies, give landlords predictable expectations and build a reliable inventory of rental housing.
Timeline if adopted
The county’s posted schedule, which depends on final adoption, would start the program July 1, 2027, with an initial registration period from July through December 2027 and a registration deadline of Dec. 31, 2027. After that, properties found operating as rentals without registering could face enforcement.
The stakes are high in a county where rents run steep. The Chronicle’s September report noted that Charles County’s federal fair market rent for a two-bedroom unit, $2,314 in 2025, was the highest of Maryland’s 24 counties, with a rental vacancy rate around 3%. That report also outlined open questions about license costs, inspection frequency, rules for small landlords and whether code enforcement has the staff to inspect rentals countywide.
How to comment
Before the hearing, the county took written comments through its online comment page for Bill 2026-08, by voicemail at 301-645-0652 or by mail to the Commissioners of Charles County, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata, MD 20646. The release did not say how comments will be collected during the 30-day extension. Questions about the program go to the Department of Planning and Growth Management at RentalLicensing@CharlesCountyMD.gov or 301-645-0692, ext. 2639.
Commissioners also held a public hearing Oct. 20 and unanimously approved the county’s stormwater Financial Assurance Plan, which reports that the county has restored 621 of the 1,083 acres of impervious surface it must treat under its state stormwater permit.
