Nearly 300 new Maryland laws take effect Oct. 1. Here's what changes

Tinashe Chingarande, Baltimore Sun on Sep 29, 2026

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BALTIMORE — Nearly 300 new laws will take effect Oct. 1, changing rules for Marylanders involving housing, gun ownership, grocery pricing and other areas of daily life.

The measures were passed during the 2026 legislative session and were signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore. Some laws are entirely new, while others update existing laws.

The Baltimore Sun is highlighting some of the laws taking effect Oct. 1 that could affect consumers, renters, gun owners and people seeking healthcare. The selection focuses on laws resulting from the governor’s main legislative priorities for 2026, controversial bills that attracted attention beyond the General Assembly and potentially impactful legislation seldom highlighted in political conversation. All laws have direct effects on Maryland residents or businesses and on changes that represent significant new requirements or protections.

Ban on consumer surveillance

One of Gov. Wes Moore’s 2026 legislative priorities, the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, takes effect Oct. 1.

The first-in-the-nation law bars large food retailers and third-party food-delivery services from using certain dynamic-pricing practices or consumer surveillance data to charge individual customers higher prices. It also requires merchants that use algorithms or personal data to set certain prices to disclose that to consumers.

News reports say state leaders have not pointed to known instances of Maryland stores using this technology, but on Sept. 22, the governor aired a television ad promoting the law and criticizing the practice. Economists are divided on the law, with some saying restrictions on dynamic pricing could benefit consumers and others warning that it could stifle competition between stores.

Firearm ownership

Several gun laws also take effect, including one that prohibits the manufacture, sale and purchase of certain handguns that can be converted into fully automatic weapons. This specific provision takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The law also limits access to illegal conversion devices known as auto sears, or Glock switches, that alter a handgun’s trigger mechanism, allowing continuous fire with a single trigger pull. Violators could face fines of up to $5,000 and up to three years in prison under the misdemeanor offense.

Another law requires licensed firearms dealers to notify the Secretary of State Police within 24 hours if the security features at their dealership are compromised or if a burglary, robbery, or theft of a firearm has occurred.

And another law, also known as SB 775, requires federal firearms licensees or law enforcement agencies operating gun buyback programs to destroy firearms and their parts that are turned in. The law also requires law enforcement agencies to make reasonable efforts to determine whether a firearm was used in a crime or reported lost or stolen before destroying it.

Housing

The “Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act” will become law, mandating that short-term rental properties such as Airbnb and VRBO include working fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, along with other safety measures. The law also requires every county to inspect short-term rental properties for compliance.

Moore’s “Maryland Housing and Transit Opportunity Act” also takes effect Oct. 1, unlocking more than 300 acres of state-owned land adjacent to transit stations so the state can build affordable housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as dwellings where occupants spend no more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs.

Landlords will be prohibited from requesting or requiring certain criminal-history information from prospective tenants or considering that information when evaluating them, with exceptions such as:

—Manufacturing or distributing methamphetamine on the premises of federally assisted housing

—Sexual offenses

—Child pornography

—First- or second-degree murder

—Human trafficking

The Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act allows landlords to consider certain criminal-history information after extending a conditional offer.

Healthcare

State law governing the reporting and investigation of child abuse will be amended to include female genital mutilation (FGM) in the definition of abuse.

Anyone who violates this law could face up to 10 years, a $10,000 fine, or both, and victims can sue for damages. Health occupations boards also will be required to revoke an individual’s professional license if they perform FGM.

FGM affects an estimated 30,000 women and girls in Maryland, according to human rights group Equality Now. The D.C.-Maryland-Virginia metro area ranks second worst in the nation for prevalence of FGM, with 40,000 women and girls who are at risk or have already undergone the procedure.

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