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SB0767 • 2026

Property Tax - Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses

Property Tax - Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses

Budget Small Business Taxes
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Senator Ferguson
Last action
2026-05-26
Official status
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 603
Effective date
2026-06-01

Plain English Breakdown

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

Property Tax - Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses

Authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City and the governing body of a county or municipal corporation to grant, by law, a credit against the county or municipal corporation property tax imposed on a commercial building that is rented or rented to own at fair market value to a small business if the commercial building is located in a designated arts and entertainment district, a Main Street Maryland community, a designated Baltimore Main Street, or any other designated business improvement district.

What This Bill Does

  • Authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City and the governing body of a county or municipal corporation to grant, by law, a credit against the county or municipal corporation property tax imposed on a commercial building that is rented or rented to own at fair market value to a small business if the commercial building is located in a designated arts and entertainment district, a Main Street Maryland community, a designated Baltimore Main Street, or any other designated business improvement district.

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.

Amendments

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

373429/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 373429/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 767 (First Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 2, strike “OR”; in line 4, after “DEVELOPMENT” insert “; (3) A BALTIMORE MAIN STREET AS DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY; OR (4) ANY OTHER BUSINESS I MPROVEMENT DISTRICT AS DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY OR THE GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION”.

  • AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 767 (First Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 2, strike “OR”; in line 4, after “DEVELOPMENT” insert “; (3) A BALTIMORE MAIN STREET AS DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY; OR (4) ANY OTHER BUSINESS I MPROVEMENT DISTRICT AS DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY OR THE GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION”.
  • SB0767/373429/1 BY: Budget and Taxation Committee

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-26 Post Passage

    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 603

  2. 2026-04-10 House

    Favorable Report by Ways and Means

  3. 2026-04-02 House

    Third Reading Passed (121-9)

  4. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Returned Passed

  5. 2026-03-26 House

    Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

  6. 2026-03-16 House

    Hearing 3/24 at 1:00 p.m.

  7. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Budget and Taxation

  8. 2026-02-27 House

    Referred Ways and Means

  9. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (41-1)

  10. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 373429/1 Adopted

  11. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  12. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Hearing 3/03 at 1:30 p.m.

  13. 2026-02-06 Senate

    First Reading Budget and Taxation

  14. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Property Tax - Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses

  15. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Budget and Taxation

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Property Tax - Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses

  17. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Ways and Means

Official Summary Text

Authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City and the governing body of a county or municipal corporation to grant, by law, a credit against the county or municipal corporation property tax imposed on a commercial building that is rented or rented to own at fair market value to a small business if the commercial building is located in a designated arts and entertainment district, a Main Street Maryland community, a designated Baltimore Main Street, or any other designated business improvement district.

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.
*sb0767*

SENATE BILL 767
Q1 6lr2428
CF HB 840
By: Senator Ferguson
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2026
Assigned to: Budget and Taxation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 23, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Property Tax – Credit for Commercial Buildings Rented to Small Businesses 2

FOR the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City and the 3
governing body of a county or municipal corporation to grant, by law, a credit against 4
the county or municipal corporation property tax imposed on a commercial building 5
that is rented to a small business if the commercial building is located in certain 6
areas; and generally relating to a property tax credit for commercial buildings rented 7
to small businesses. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Tax – Property 10
Section 9–276 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15

Article – Tax – Property 16

9–276. 17

(A) THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY OR THE 18
GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION MAY GRANT, BY LAW, 19
A TAX CREDIT AGAINST THE COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION PROPERTY TAX 20
2 SENATE BILL 767

IMPOSED ON A COMMERC IAL BUILDING THAT IS RENTED OR RENTED TO OWN AT 1
FAIR MARKET VALUE TO A SMALL BUSINESS IF THE COMMERCIAL BUILD ING IS 2
LOCATED IN: 3

(1) AN ARTS AND ENTERTAI NMENT DISTRICT DESIG NATED UNDER 4
TITLE 4, SUBTITLE 7 OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARTICLE; OR 5

(2) A MAIN STREET MARYLAND COMMUNITY DE SIGNATED BY THE 6
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT; 7

(3) A BALTIMORE MAIN STREET AS DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR AND 8
CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY; OR 9

(4) ANY OTHER BUSINESS I MPROVEMENT DISTRICT AS DESIGNATED 10
BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY OR THE GOVERNING BODY 11
OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION. 12

(B) THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE CITY OR THE 13
GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION MAY PROV IDE, BY 14
LAW, FOR: 15

(1) THE AMOUNT AND DURAT ION OF THE TAX CREDI T UND ER THIS 16
SECTION; 17

(2) ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE TAX CREDIT UNDER 18
THIS SECTION; 19

(3) APPLICATION PROCEDUR ES FOR THE TAX CREDI T UNDER THIS 20
SECTION; AND 21

(4) ANY OTHER PROVISION NECESSARY TO CARRY O UT THE TAX 22
CREDIT UNDER THIS SECTION. 23

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 24
1, 2026, and shall be applicable to all taxable years beginning after June 30, 2026. 25