New laws in Maryland rolling into 2026 touch wages, firearms, driving, housing, healthcare privacy, cannabis, and taxes, with some provisions already in force and others phasing in over the next year or two. Maryland’s General Assembly meets for 90 days each year, and most laws take effect on June 1, July 1, or October 1 depending on whether they involve the budget, tax revenue, or general policy.1Maryland General Assembly. Department of Legislative Services – 2025 Session Dates Here’s what applies to you now and what’s coming.
Minimum Wage Is $15 Statewide
Every Maryland employer must pay at least $15.00 per hour, regardless of company size. The Fair Wage Act of 2023 ended the old two-tier system that let smaller businesses move more slowly, and the $15 floor has applied to all employers since January 1, 2024.2Maryland Department of Labor. Maryland Minimum Wage and Overtime Law – Employment Standards Service
Some counties set higher rates. Montgomery County indexes its minimum to the Consumer Price Index. Howard County went to $15.50 for smaller employers in January 2026 and is scheduled to reach $16.00 in July 2026.2Maryland Department of Labor. Maryland Minimum Wage and Overtime Law – Employment Standards Service
If an employer pays you less than the law requires, the Maryland Department of Labor can investigate on its own or after you file a written complaint. A court that finds wages were unlawfully withheld can award up to three times the unpaid amount plus attorney fees.3Maryland Department of Labor. Wage Issues – Having Problems with My Pay
Paid Family Leave: 2026 Is a Waiting Year
Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program has been pushed back more than once. Under the current schedule, payroll contributions do not begin until the first pay period of January 2027, and benefit payments start in July 2027.4Maryland FAMLI. For Employers – Maryland FAMLI If you were expecting deductions or benefits during 2026, they are not coming yet.
When contributions begin, the total rate is 0.90% of covered wages up to the Social Security wage base, split evenly between employer and employee at 0.45% each. Businesses with 14 or fewer employees owe nothing on the employer side, though their workers still pay the 0.45%.5Maryland Department of Labor. Maryland Department of Labor Announces Contribution Rate for FAMLI Eligible workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a new child, a serious personal health condition, or to care for a family member.6Maryland FAMLI. For Employees – Maryland FAMLI
Where You Can’t Carry a Handgun
The Gun Safety Act of 2023 changed the default rules for concealed carry even if you hold a valid Maryland handgun permit. Certain “special purpose areas” are off-limits entirely, including bars and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption, stadiums, museums, racetracks, and video lottery facilities.7Maryland General Assembly. SB 1 – Criminal Law – Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms – Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023)
Private property runs on a default-no rule. You cannot carry onto someone else’s property unless the owner has posted signage permitting firearms or given you express verbal permission. For dwellings, the owner or their agent must give direct permission before you can bring a firearm inside.7Maryland General Assembly. SB 1 – Criminal Law – Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms – Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023) In practice, most businesses, homes, and public venues are off-limits unless the property owner has affirmatively opted in.
Permit costs are also higher. House Bill 824 set initial applications at up to $125, renewals at up to $75, and duplicates or modifications at up to $20. The bill disqualifies applicants on supervised probation for crimes punishable by a year or more of imprisonment, applicants with DUI or DWI convictions or protective order violations, and those with a mental disorder and a history of violent behavior.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland General Assembly Fiscal and Policy Note – HB 824 A Maryland handgun permit does not substitute for a federal background check, so licensed dealers still run NICS at the point of sale.9Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart
Juvenile Court Now Reaches Children as Young as 10
Maryland juvenile courts previously had no jurisdiction over children under 13 in most situations. House Bill 814, passed in 2024, lowered that threshold to age 10 for a specific list of serious offenses: weapons crimes, firearms offenses, animal cruelty, third-degree sexual offenses, and motor vehicle theft.10Maryland General Assembly. Juvenile Law – Reform Children in this age range are not sent into adult criminal court. They go under Department of Juvenile Services supervision, with courts required to periodically review each child’s progress and to prioritize community-based interventions over detention where possible.11Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Laws – Chapter 735 (House Bill 814)
Organized Retail Theft Is Its Own Crime
As of October 1, 2025, prosecutors can combine thefts committed by the same person across different counties into a single case and file charges in any county where one of the thefts occurred. The 2025 law also created a distinct organized retail theft offense covering a series of thefts from retail merchants over a 90-day period with a combined value above $1,500. Courts must make a specific finding about whether a crime qualifies as organized retail theft, and that finding affects sentencing.12Maryland General Assembly. 2025 Chapters – Effective October 1, 2025
Driving: Move Over and Work Zone Camera Fines
Move Over Covers Any Stopped Vehicle
Senate Bill 445 expanded Maryland’s Move Over law beyond emergency and utility vehicles. You must now change lanes or slow to a safe speed whenever you approach any vehicle stopped on a highway shoulder with hazard lights, road flares, or emergency signals. That includes a passenger car with a flat tire. A violation is a misdemeanor carrying a $110 fine and one point on your license. If it causes a crash, the fine rises to $150 with three points. If it leads to death or serious injury, the fine is $750 with three points.13Zero Deaths Maryland. Move Over Law – Emergency Vehicles and Law Enforcement Safety
Work Zone Speeding Fines Scale With Speed
Since January 1, 2025, work zone speed camera fines replaced the old flat $40 penalty with a tiered schedule that doubles when workers are present:14Zero Deaths Maryland. Work Zone Safety Legislation
- 12–15 mph over: $60, or $120 if workers are present
- 16–19 mph over: $80, or $160 if workers are present
- 20–29 mph over: $140, or $280 if workers are present
- 30–39 mph over: $270, or $540 if workers are present
- 40+ mph over: $500, or $1,000 if workers are present
These remain civil penalties, so they don’t add points to your record. Cameras trigger only when a vehicle exceeds the posted limit by at least 12 mph.15Maryland General Assembly. Maryland General Assembly Fiscal and Policy Note – HB 513 The 2024 law also removed the restriction that limited work zone cameras to expressways and controlled-access highways, so local jurisdictions can deploy them on any road with an active work zone.
Healthcare Privacy: Maryland’s Shield Act
Maryland’s Shield Act built a legal barrier around reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare performed in the state. State agencies and anyone acting on their behalf cannot provide information or spend resources to help an out-of-state investigation seeking to punish someone for receiving care that is legal in Maryland.16Maryland General Assembly. House Health and Government Operations Committee SB 786 – Reproductive Health – Protected Information and Insurance Requirements A Maryland judge cannot order a person in the state to testify or produce documents for an out-of-state criminal case tied to legally protected healthcare, and anyone requesting an out-of-state subpoena must submit a sworn statement that it does not relate to such an investigation.
Electronic health records get a separate layer of protection. Health information exchanges and electronic health networks cannot share abortion-related data, including diagnosis codes, procedure codes, and medication records, with other providers, businesses, or networks unless the patient provides written consent or the disclosure is strictly for claims processing. Knowingly violating this provision is a misdemeanor carrying fines of up to $10,000 per day.
At the federal level, a Texas court in 2025 largely struck down HIPAA Privacy Rule changes that would have added similar protections nationally. The only surviving requirement is that providers, plans, and clearinghouses update their Notice of Privacy Practices by February 16, 2026. The core prohibitions on disclosing reproductive health information for law enforcement were vacated, which makes Maryland’s state-level Shield Act the primary safeguard for patients treated here.
Medicaid Coverage for Gender-Affirming Care
Since January 1, 2024, Maryland Medicaid has been required to cover medically necessary gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner under the Trans Health Equity Act.17Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code – Health – General – 15-103 and 15-151 (Trans Health Equity Act) Several categories are still excluded: hair alteration, voice modification surgery, facial and body contouring, fertility preservation, and reversals of prior treatments.18Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Medical Assistance Program – Gender-Affirming Treatment (Trans Health Equity Act)
Senate Bill 119, passed in 2024, expanded the Shield Act’s definition of “legally protected health care” to include gender-affirming treatment, medications, and supplies, so the same protections against out-of-state investigations now apply.19LegiScan. Maryland Senate Bill 119 HHS has rescinded its 2022 guidance that read Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act as prohibiting gender-identity discrimination in federally funded healthcare, so Maryland’s state protections now operate without that federal backstop.
Tenant Protections Effective October 2025
Several landlord-tenant changes took effect October 1, 2025. Residential landlords can no longer charge a late payment penalty exceeding 5% of the unpaid rent. The older practice of calculating penalties based on the total amount due, including fees and other charges, is gone.
Landlords must give tenants at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering a rental unit, except in emergencies. Maryland previously had no statewide requirement, leaving the question to individual lease terms. Wrongful detainer hearings must be held within 10 business days after a complaint is filed, which speeds up the process for tenants who believe they have been illegally locked out or removed. Landlords must also provide written notice when a court issues a warrant of restitution for unpaid rent, lease violations, or holdover situations, and the law sets procedures for how that eviction process unfolds.
A separate provision targets lead paint fraud: falsifying lead-contaminated dust testing results or visual inspection reports now carries civil penalties of up to $50,000.
Cannabis: Higher Tax, New Limits, Expanded Expungement
The retail cannabis sales tax rose from 9% to 12% under the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025. For products sold outside licensed dispensaries, SB 214/HB 12 caps non-dispensary THC products at 0.5 mg per serving and 2.5 mg per package. The state’s cannabis commission can seize products that exceed those limits and issue citations for selling delta-8 or delta-10 THC to anyone under 21.
Home manufacturing is now permitted for adults 21 and older, provided the process uses no volatile solvents like butane, hexane, or propane. On-site cannabis consumption establishments are delayed until at least the third round of licensing, and even then can only serve single-serving edibles with no smoking or vaping on the premises, including outdoors.
SB 432/HB 499 requires the Maryland judiciary to remove cannabis cases pardoned by the Governor from public online records. It also expands expungement access for people with convictions related to cannabis possession from before legalization, including those who received probation violations for cannabis use.
New Taxes From the 2025 Session
Beyond the cannabis rate change, the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act added a 3% sales and use tax on certain data and information technology services starting July 1, 2025, a category Maryland had not previously taxed. The same legislation altered standard and itemized deductions and adjusted state and local income tax rates. The Comptroller’s office has issued separate guidance on each change, including updated treatment of individual capital gains and new tire recycling fees.20Maryland Comptroller. Tax Updates From the 2025 Legislative Session