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Housing & Tenant · Landlord Entry

Landlord Entry Notice in Maryland

How much warning a landlord must give before entering your home in Maryland, the hours entry is allowed, and what to do if they walk in unannounced, cited to the statute.

CitedStatute Md. Code Ann., Real Prop. ti…Source mgaleg.maryland.gov
Notice before entry · Maryland
No entry law at all
No state notice law
Maryland sets no statutory notice period before a landlord may enter. The lease controls, and some counties add their own rules.
Advance noticeNone set by statute
Allowed entry hoursSet by your lease. The statute fixes no hours.
Entry without notice in an emergencyYes
StatuteNone

The rules and your rights in Maryland

The notice, the allowed hours, the reasons a landlord may enter, and what to do about an unlawful entry.

No state entry-notice law here

Maryland has no statute that sets how much notice a landlord must give before entering. That means your lease controls, and a city or county ordinance may add its own rule. Read your lease first, then check for a local ordinance where you live.

Advance noticeNo notice period set by state statute
Allowed entry hoursSet by your lease. The statute fixes no hours.
Reasons a landlord may enterMaryland has no statutory list of entry reasons at the state level. What the landlord may enter for, and any notice, comes from your lease. A county code may add rules, so the local ordinance matters here more than usual.
Emergency entryBecause there is no statutory notice requirement, there is no statutory emergency clause either. Your lease governs entry, and in a true emergency a landlord will act to protect the property.
Local ordinanceThis is likely significant in Maryland. The state eviction statute names Baltimore City and Montgomery County directly, and local housing rules on entry should be checked county by county before you assume the state answer is the whole answer.
StatuteNo state entry statute

If the landlord enters unlawfully

Maryland provides no statutory entry remedy at the state level, so a renter route runs through the lease and the right to quiet enjoyment, plus any county rule. Document improper entries and ask a local legal aid office whether a county ordinance gives you more.

What you can do right now

Concrete, neutral steps if a landlord keeps entering your Maryland home without proper notice. This is legal information, not legal advice.

  1. Read your lease access clause first

    Maryland sets no state notice period, so the lease is where any rule lives. Find the entry clause and see whether it requires notice, sets hours, or lists reasons the landlord can enter.

  2. Check your county code

    Maryland counties regulate housing heavily, and Baltimore City and Montgomery County are named in other landlord-tenant statutes. A local ordinance may give you an entry rule the state code does not, so check where you live.

  3. Document every improper entry

    Keep a dated log of each entry and any messages. A pattern of unannounced visits can support a claim that the landlord breached the lease or your right to quiet enjoyment.

  4. Get local help

    A local Maryland legal aid office can tell you whether a county rule applies and what your options are. Search for legal aid in your area.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change what applies to your home.

What Maryland renters get wrong

Maryland is worth writing precisely because of the contrast inside its own code. On eviction, Maryland is detailed and prescriptive. It requires a ten-day pre-filing notice, it names the delivery methods down to text message, and it carves out Baltimore City and Montgomery County by name. On entry it says nothing at all. The same legislature that specified how an eviction notice may be sent never specified whether a landlord has to knock. For a Maryland renter that means two things. First, the lease is the state-level rule, so the access clause is where any notice period actually lives. Second, and unusually, the county code may fill the gap, because Maryland localities regulate housing heavily and several are named directly in other parts of the landlord-tenant law. Because a clean negative requires reading title 8 in full and checking the county codes, this page is held as cited, but the practical instruction is steady: read the lease, then check your county.

Common questions

Does Maryland require notice before entry?

Not by state statute. Md. Code, Real Property title 8 sets no entry-notice period, so the lease controls at the state level. A county ordinance may add a rule, which is why checking where you live matters in Maryland.

Does my county have its own rule in Maryland?

It might. Maryland counties regulate housing heavily, and localities like Baltimore City and Montgomery County appear by name in other landlord-tenant statutes. Check your county code, because a local entry rule can exist where the state code is silent.

What if my lease says the landlord can enter anytime in Maryland?

Because the state code sets no floor, the lease terms carry a lot of weight, but they are still limited by your right to quiet enjoyment and any county rule. If a clause seems to allow unlimited entry, get local legal advice before accepting it.

Can I change the locks in Maryland?

That depends on your lease and any local rule, not on a state entry statute, because Maryland has none. Changing locks can breach a lease, so address entry problems through the lease, your county code, and legal aid rather than self-help.

Primary source
→ Md. Code Ann., Real Prop. tit. 8 (no entry-notice provision)
Maryland Code, Real Property (title 8) · mgaleg.maryland.gov
Cholilurrohman
The finding is a negative: no Maryland statute sets an entry-notice period. Md. Code, Real Property title 8 was reviewed and sets none, but confirming the absence fully means reading the title section by section and checking county codes such as Baltimore City and Montgomery County. Held as Cited pending that read. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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