HB0025 • 2026

Family Law - Grandparent Visitation

Children

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegate Addison
Last action: 2026-01-16
Official status: In the House - Hearing 1/29 at 2:00 p.m.
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Family Law - Grandparent Visitation

Altering the circumstances under which an equity court is authorized to grant visitation rights to a grandparent of a child to include that the petition for visitation rights was filed after an action for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity was filed by a parent of the child; and requiring an equity court to grant certain visitation rights if the child resided with the grandparent for at least 12 months, or the child's parent, who is the child of the grandparent, is deceased, and the court finds it in the best interests of the child.

What This Bill Does

Altering the circumstances under which an equity court is authorized to grant visitation rights to a grandparent of a child to include that the petition for visitation rights was filed after an action for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity was filed by a parent of the child; and requiring an equity court to grant certain visitation rights if the child resided with the grandparent for at least 12 months, or the child's parent, who is the child of the grandparent, is deceased, and the court finds it in the best interests of the child.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-01-16 House
Hearing 1/29 at 2:00 p.m.
2026-01-14 House
First Reading Judiciary
2025-09-04 House
Pre-filed
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Family Law - Grandparent Visitation

Official Summary Text

Altering the circumstances under which an equity court is authorized to grant visitation rights to a grandparent of a child to include that the petition for visitation rights was filed after an action for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity was filed by a parent of the child; and requiring an equity court to grant certain visitation rights if the child resided with the grandparent for at least 12 months, or the child's parent, who is the child of the grandparent, is deceased, and the court finds it in the best interests of the child.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0025*

HOUSE BILL 25
D4 6lr0770
HB 721/25 – JUD (PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Addison
Requested: September 4, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Judiciary

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Family Law – Grandparent Visitation 2

FOR the purpose of altering the circumstances under which an equity court is authorized 3
to grant visitation rights to a grandparent of a child; specifying the circumstances 4
under which an equity court is required to grant visitation rights to a grandparent 5
of a child; and generally relating to grandparent visitation. 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Family Law 8
Section 9–102 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Family Law 14

9–102. 15

(A) [An] IN ACCORDANCE WITH TH E PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION , AN 16
equity court may[: 17

(1)] consider a petition for reasonable visitation of a grandchild by a 18
grandparent[; and 19

(2) if the court finds it to be in the best interests of the child, grant 20
visitation rights to the grandparent]. 21

2 HOUSE BILL 25

(B) (1) SUBJECT TO THE PROVIS IONS OF PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS 1
SUBSECTION AND SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION, AN EQUITY COURT MAY GRANT 2
VISITATION RIGHTS TO A GRANDPARENT IF: 3

(I) THE PETITION FOR VIS ITATION RIGHTS WAS F ILED AFTER 4
AN ACTION FOR DIVORC E, ANNULMENT, CUSTODY, OR PATERNITY WAS FIL ED BY A 5
PARENT OF THE CHILD; AND 6

(II) THE COURT FINDS THAT GRANTING VISITATION RIGHTS TO 7
THE GRANDPARENT: 8

1. IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD; AND 9

2. WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PARENT –CHILD 10
RELATIONSHIP. 11

(2) IN MAKING A DETERMINA TION UNDER PARAGRAPH (1)(II)1 OF 12
THIS SUBSECTION , THE COURT SHALL CONS IDER THE AMOUNT OF P ERSONAL 13
CONTACT THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN THE GRANDPARENT AND THE CHILD BEFORE 14
THE FILING OF THE PETITION. 15

(C) SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION, AN 16
EQUITY COURT SHALL GRANT VISITATION RIGHTS TO A GRANDPARENT UNDER THIS 17
SECTION IF: 18

(1) (I) THE CHILD RESIDED WI TH THE GRANDPARENT F OR A 19
PERIOD OF AT LEAST 12 MONTHS; OR 20

(II) THE CHILD ’S PARENT WHO IS THE CHILD OF THE 21
GRANDPARENT IS DECEASED; AND 22

(2) THE COURT FINDS THAT GRANTING VISITATION RIGHTS TO THE 23
GRANDPARENT: 24

(I) IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD; AND 25

(II) WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PARENT –CHILD 26
RELATIONSHIP. 27

(D) IN MAKING A DETERMINATION UNDER THIS SECTION, THE COURT MAY 28
NOT DENY VISITATION RIGHTS BASED ON ALLE GATIONS THAT GRANTIN G 29
VISITATION RIGHTS TO THE GRANDPARENT WOUL D INTERFERE WITH THE 30
PARENT–CHILD RELATIONSHIP U NLESS, AFTER A HEARING , THE COURT 31
HOUSE BILL 25 3

DETERMINES BY A PREP ONDERANCE OF THE EVIDE NCE THAT INTERFERENC E 1
WOULD OCCUR. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4