SB0290 • 2026

Baltimore City - Ordinance Enforcement - Fines and Penalties

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Senator McCray (By Request - Baltimore City Administration )
Last action: 2026-05-12
Official status: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 485
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how much higher fines could go beyond $5,000.

Baltimore City Ordinance Enforcement - Fines and Penalties

This law removes a previous limit on fines and penalties for violating certain city rules, allowing Baltimore to set higher amounts.

What This Bill Does

Removes the previous maximum fine amount of $1000 for civil and criminal violations in Baltimore City.
Allows the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to establish new limits for fines and penalties without a specific upper limit.

Who It Names or Affects

Baltimore City residents who violate city ordinances, rules, or regulations.
The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore when setting fines and penalties.

Terms To Know

Ordinance: A law made by a local government to regulate specific matters within its jurisdiction.
Penalties: Punishments or fines given for breaking rules or laws.

Limits and Unknowns

The new limits set by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore are not specified in this law.
It is unclear how much higher the new fine amounts could be compared to before.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

383522/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 383522/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 290 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 290 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
1 On page 1, in line 2, strike “Amount of”; and in line 3, strike “increasing” and substitute “removing”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2 On page 2, in line 1, strike beginning with “no” through “and”.

Bill History

2026-05-12 Post Passage
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 485
2026-04-09 House
Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
2026-04-02 House
Third Reading Passed (112-24)
2026-03-27 Senate
Returned Passed
2026-03-23 House
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
2026-03-20 Senate
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings
2026-03-09 House
Referred Government, Labor, and Elections
2026-03-05 Senate
Third Reading Passed (40-0)
2026-03-04 Senate
Favorable with Amendments { 383522/1 Adopted
2026-03-04 Senate
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-01-22 Senate
Hearing 2/05 at 1:00 p.m. (Judicial Proceedings)
2026-01-21 Senate
First Reading Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Baltimore City – Ordinance Enforcement – Amount of Fines and Penalties
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Judicial Proceedings
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Budget and Taxation
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Baltimore City - Ordinance Enforcement - Fines and Penalties
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Government, Labor, and Elections
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Chapter - Baltimore City - Ordinance Enforcement - Fines and Penalties

Official Summary Text

Removing the maximum amount that Baltimore City is authorized to establish for civil and criminal fines and penalties for violating certain ordinances, rules, or regulations.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0290*

SENATE BILL 290
L2 6lr1497
CF HB 681
By: Senator McCray (By Request – Baltimore City Administration)
Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2026
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Baltimore City – Ordinance Enforcement – Amount of Fines and Penalties 2

FOR the purpose of increasing removing the maximum amount that Baltimore City is 3
authorized to establish for civil and criminal fines and penalties for violating certain 4
ordinances, rules, or regulations; and generally relating to civil and criminal fines 5
and penalties for the enforcement of o rdinances, rules, or regulations in Baltimore 6
City. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
The Charter of Baltimore City 9
Article II – General Powers 10
Section (48) 11
(2007 Replacement Volume, as amended) 12

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL A SSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14

The Charter of Baltimore City 15

Article II – General Powers 16

The Mayor and City Council of Baltimore shall have full power and authority to 17
exercise all of the powers heretofore or hereafter granted to it by the Constitution of 18
Maryland or by any Public General or Public Local Laws of the State of Maryland; and in 19
particular, without limitation upon the foregoing, shall have power by ordinance, or such 20
2 SENATE BILL 290

other method as may be provided for in it s Charter, subject to the provisions of said 1
Constitution and Public General Laws: 2

(48) 3

To provide civil and criminal fines and penalties for the violation of any ordinance, 4
rule or regulations established by the City under or in the execution of any po wer granted 5
by this Article II; provided that no fine or penalty shall exceed [$1000.00] $5,000.00 and 6
no imprisonment shall be for a longer period than 12 months. 7

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
October 1, 2026. 9

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.