Annapolis landlord rules come from two layers: the City of Annapolis requires every rental to hold an operating license and pass an inspection, and its code adds lease and maintenance requirements of its own, while Maryland state law sets the rules on security deposits, evictions, lead paint and habitability. Annapolis has no ongoing rent control, but state law changed significantly in 2024 and again on October 1, 2026, so rules many owners learned a few years ago are now out of date.
This guide walks through the city’s licensing and lease requirements first, then the state rules that apply to every apartment building in Annapolis, and ends with a practical compliance checklist.
Annapolis renters by the numbers
Annapolis is Maryland’s capital and an incorporated city within Anne Arundel County, with its own city code and its own rental licensing program. The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts for Annapolis estimated the population at 40,634 in July 2025, compared with 40,812 at the 2020 Census. The owner-occupied housing rate for 2020–2024 was 62.0%, which means roughly 38% of households rent, and the median gross rent was $1,860.
With rents at that level, the cost of a compliance failure is real: a unit that cannot be rented because its license lapsed, or a deposit dispute that triggers a damages claim, can wipe out several months of income from that unit.
The city rental operating license
Chapter 17.44 of the Annapolis City Code requires a current rental operator’s license, issued by the city, before anyone rents a single-family home, two-family dwelling, multifamily dwelling, apartment above a shop, efficiency unit, bed and breakfast or hotel. Renting without one is a municipal infraction, with fines assessed per unit per day after an initial 15-day notification period.
Key features of the licensing system:
- Annual renewal. Licenses are issued or renewed every year. The one exception is a multifamily building of 50 or more units that employs at least three full-time maintenance staff on site, which may receive a two-year license.
- Inspection before issuance. No license is issued or renewed unless the applicant agrees to an inspection and the premises complies with the city’s property maintenance requirements in Chapter 17.40.
- Lead registration number. The application must include the owner’s tracking number from the Maryland Department of the Environment’s lead rental registry.
- Late renewal fee. Renewals filed less than 30 days before expiration pay a late fee.
Fees and the yearly inspection
The city’s rental licensing procedures page lists the standard rental operating license fee at $125 per unit per year and says all rentals are inspected once each year. Earlier city procedures from 2020 listed $100 per unit, so the fee has risen. For a 20-unit building, the current figure works out to $2,500 a year in license fees alone, before any reinspection costs or repairs. The program is run through the Department of Planning and Zoning, and applications go through the city’s online permitting portal.
When a license can be suspended
Under Section 17.44.060, the city can move to suspend or revoke a license if police make three or more documented calls for disorderly conduct to a property within a 30-day period, or for any violation of the property maintenance or licensing chapters. The owner then has to show cause before the Building Board of Appeals. For apartment owners, that makes tenant screening and lease enforcement part of keeping the license, not just part of managing the building.
Annapolis lease and maintenance requirements
Annapolis also regulates the lease itself. Title 18 of the city code on landlord and tenant relations includes several requirements that go beyond state law:
- A one-year lease offer. Landlords must offer a written lease with a minimum initial term of one year, which the prospective tenant may accept or decline, unless reasonable cause exists not to. The lease must carry a city disclosure that the tenant initials.
- Tenant rights booklet. Landlords must provide tenants with the tenant rights booklet published by the Department of Planning and Zoning.
- Maintenance responsibility. The lease must state that all maintenance, including repairs and replacements due to normal wear and tear, is the landlord’s responsibility, and that clause cannot be waived.
- 48-hour restoration of essential services. If essential services are not restored within a reasonable time, not exceeding 48 hours after notice, tenants can sue for damages, with treble damages if the violation is willful, plus attorney’s fees.
The 48-hour rule is the one most likely to catch an owner off guard. Heat, hot water and similar essential services need a response plan that works on weekends and holidays, and a building that relies on a single contractor for boilers or water heaters is exposed if that contractor is unavailable.
Rent increases and short-term rentals
Annapolis does not have ongoing rent control or rent stabilization. The one city limit on rent increases is narrow: under Section 18.10.010, adopted in 2020, residential rent increases are prohibited while a local state of emergency is declared and for 30 days afterward. At the state level, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Tenants’ Bill of Rights states that there is no statewide law limiting rent increases when a lease is renewed. It does say landlords may raise rent only at renewal and generally must give 90 days’ written notice.
Short-term rentals are licensed separately. The city charges $650 for an owner-occupied short-term rental license and $750 for a non-owner-occupied one. An October 2025 amendment caps non-owner-occupied short-term rental licenses at 10% of the residential units on any blockface. Existing licenses above the cap may be renewed until November 1, 2027, after which a lottery applies. Owners who have considered converting apartment units to short-term rentals should factor in that cap.
Maryland deposit and lease rules since 2024
The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (House Bill 693, Chapter 124 of 2024), effective October 1, 2024, changed several core rules statewide:
- Security deposits are capped at one month’s rent per unit under Real Property Article Section 8-203, down from the previous two-month limit.
- Every residential lease must include the Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights as an addendum. DHCD updates it annually and published the 2027 version on October 1, 2026.
- An Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs was created within DHCD.
- A tenant right of first refusal applies only to properties with three or fewer dwelling units, so it does not reach typical apartment buildings.
Deposits must be returned with interest within 45 days after the tenancy ends, along with a written, itemized list of any deductions. The Tenants’ Bill of Rights notes that a tenant may sue for up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld, which is why careful move-in and move-out documentation pays for itself.
Habitability under the Tenant Safety Act
The Tenant Safety Act of 2024 (House Bill 1117, Chapter 125), also effective October 1, 2024, provides that every rental property offered for lease is deemed fit for human habitation. It strengthens tenants’ ability to seek damages and rent abatement for serious defects and allows multiple tenants to join in a single lawsuit against a landlord. For owners of larger buildings, the joinder provision matters most: a building-wide problem such as mold or a failing heating system can now become a single case involving many units.
Lead paint registration for older buildings
Maryland’s lead law matters for any Annapolis owner whose building predates 1978. Rental units built before 1978 must be registered with the Maryland Department of the Environment, regardless of renovation history. Under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025, the registration fee rose to $75 per unit, collected every two years, with renewals due by December 31. A lead-dust inspection certificate is required at each change in occupancy unless the unit is certified lead-free.
Some older MDE web pages still show the previous $30 annual fee, so owners should rely on current billing notices. And because the city’s license application requires the MDE tracking number, a lapse in lead registration can hold up the city license as well.
Evictions for unpaid rent in Anne Arundel District Court
Failure-to-pay-rent cases for Annapolis properties are filed in the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County and follow the statewide process described by the Maryland Judiciary and the People’s Law Library:
- The landlord gives the tenant at least 10 days’ written notice before filing.
- The filing fee is $50 in every county except Baltimore City, following an increase that took effect October 1, 2024, with an additional charge for each tenant of record.
- Trial is set on the fifth day after the complaint is filed.
- The tenant can generally stay by paying the full amount owed, unless there have been three or more rent judgments against them in the prior 12 months.
- The landlord must give at least six days’ written notice before the scheduled eviction date.
The pay-to-stay right means rent cases often end with payment rather than possession, which is useful for cash flow but means chronic late payers can cycle through the court several times before an eviction becomes possible.
New Maryland laws from October 2026
DHCD’s notice to housing providers lists three laws that took effect October 1, 2026:
- Fair Chance Housing Act (SB 937). Applies to housing providers with five or more units, limits the use of criminal history in screening, bans drug and alcohol testing of applicants, and authorizes penalties of up to $500 per violation.
- Housing subsidies and rent reporting (SB 335/HB 315). Landlords may not refuse applicants using housing vouchers based on income or credit, and must offer positive rent reporting at a cost to the tenant of no more than $10 a month.
- Air conditioning (SB 12). Certain buildings with 10 or more units must be able to keep units at 80 degrees Fahrenheit or lower from June 1 through September 30.
The cooling requirement is the one with the biggest capital implications. Older buildings that rely on window units or have no cooling at all may need electrical upgrades or new equipment, and owners should read the law’s coverage terms closely to see whether their building is included.
An Annapolis landlord rules checklist
Pulling the city and state requirements together, an owner of an Annapolis apartment building should be able to confirm each of these:
- A current city rental operator’s license for every unit, renewed more than 30 days before expiration.
- A passed annual inspection and a plan for correcting items quickly.
- Current MDE lead registration for pre-1978 units, with the tracking number on file.
- Leases that offer a one-year term, include the city disclosure and the current Tenants’ Bill of Rights, and state the landlord’s maintenance responsibility.
- Deposits of no more than one month’s rent, returned with interest and itemization within 45 days.
- Screening criteria updated for the Fair Chance Housing Act and voucher rules.
- An after-hours response plan for essential services and, where required, cooling.
These obligations follow the building when it changes hands, and a buyer will review licenses, leases and deposit records during due diligence. Our guide to selling a rental property with tenants in place covers what to expect when a building is sold with existing leases in place. For other Maryland cities, see our Maryland market overview, and owners in the capital can learn more on our Annapolis market page.
