Baltimore short term rental license: what landlords must know

Last updated 2026-07-26

Does Baltimore actually require a short term rental license?

Yes. Baltimore City's short term rental law, part of the city building, fire, and related codes update passed in 2018, requires anyone who rents a dwelling unit or portion of one for fewer than 30 consecutive days to obtain a Short Term Rental license before listing or accepting bookings. The law defines a short term rental as a dwelling unit rented for temporary lodging in exchange for money, whether through Airbnb, Vrbo, a personal website, or a private booking. The ordinance also splits licenses into two categories that matter a lot for both cost and eligibility: a license for a host's primary residence, and a separate, more restricted license for a non-primary residence (an investment property or a unit the owner doesn't live in). Baltimore caps the number of non-primary residence short term rental licenses citywide, so if you're buying a property specifically to run as a full-time short term rental and you don't live there, check current availability before you close, not after. This is a separate license from Baltimore's long-term Rental Housing License. If you plan to switch a property between short-term and long-term use depending on the season, you may need both licenses at different points, and you should confirm with your city rental licensing office which one applies to your current use before you list anything.

How do I apply for a Baltimore short term rental license?

Applications go through the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), which administers short term rental registration alongside the city's regular rental licensing programs ^[1]. You'll need to identify your zoning designation (primary vs. non-primary residence use), provide proof of ownership or authorization to rent, and pay the applicable fee. Because fee amounts, renewal cycles, and required documents change over time (and Baltimore has adjusted this program more than once since 2018), don't rely on a number you saw in an old blog post or a Reddit thread from two years ago. Confirm the current fee schedule and document checklist directly with DHCD's short term rental unit before you submit anything. Generally, expect the application to ask for: - Proof of primary residence status (utility bills, voter registration, or similar) if applying under that tier

• A zoning certification confirming the property is legally allowed to operate as a short term rental in that zone
• Property owner information and, if you're not the owner, authorization from the owner
• Payment of the license fee, which is billed annually Most cities with similar programs (Baltimore included) also require you to post the license number on any listing you run, whether on Airbnb, Vrbo, or a private site. Missing that step is a common reason hosts get flagged even after they've legitimately gotten licensed.

What's the difference between a primary and non-primary residence short term rental in Baltimore?

A primary residence short term rental is a unit where you actually live most of the year and rent out occasionally, like renting your own home while you travel, or renting a spare room. A non-primary residence short term rental is a unit you own but don't live in, run purely as a rental business. Baltimore treats these very differently. Primary residence licenses are generally easier to get and not subject to the same citywide cap. Non-primary residence licenses are limited in number and tied to zoning: the city restricts how many non-owner-occupied short term rentals can operate, particularly in certain residential zoning districts, as part of an effort to preserve long-term housing stock. If you're a landlord with several units across the city and you're thinking about converting one or two into short term rentals, that non-primary cap is the single biggest constraint to check first. Talk to DHCD's short term rental office before you invest in furnishing a unit for Airbnb, because there is no guarantee a non-primary license will be available for that address.

Does Baltimore's short term rental law apply to Airbnb and Vrbo hosts specifically?

Yes, the law applies regardless of which platform you use, and it also applies if you don't use a platform at all and just book directly. The ordinance defines short term rental by the nature of the rental (under 30 consecutive days, paid, residential unit), not by which website processed the booking. Baltimore also requires hosting platforms to collect the city's hotel tax on short term rental bookings and remit it, similar to how hotels handle occupancy tax. Airbnb has publicly stated it collects and remits Baltimore City's hotel tax on behalf of hosts through automatic tax collection agreements in many jurisdictions, though the exact mechanics and whether it covers every listing type can change, so check your host dashboard and confirm with Baltimore's finance department if you're unsure whether tax is being handled for you ^[2]. Even if a platform collects hotel tax automatically, that does not substitute for holding your Short Term Rental license. Tax collection and licensing are two separate legal requirements, and getting one right doesn't clear you on the other.

What happens if I operate a short term rental in Baltimore without a license?

You risk civil penalties, and in practice you also risk having your listing removed. Many platforms now require proof of a valid license number before allowing a Baltimore listing to go live, following pressure from cities to enforce local rules through the platforms themselves. Baltimore's code enforcement can issue municipal citations for operating without a required rental license, and fine amounts for unlicensed rental operation in Baltimore City have historically run from roughly $50 to several hundred dollars per violation, with repeat or continuing violations escalating and potentially compounding daily depending on the specific code section cited. Because fine schedules get updated and different violation types (unlicensed operation vs. zoning violation vs. life-safety code violation) carry different penalty ranges, confirm exact current fine amounts with Baltimore's Department of Housing and Community Development or Housing Court before assuming a number. The more expensive risk isn't usually the fine itself, it's lost booking revenue while your listing is down and you're scrambling to get licensed retroactively. If you're already renting short term without a license, the fastest fix is to stop taking new bookings, apply immediately, and be upfront with DHCD about your timeline rather than letting a neighbor complaint turn into a formal violation notice.

Are there inspection requirements for Baltimore short term rentals?

Short term rental units in Baltimore need to meet applicable building, fire, and property maintenance code requirements, similar to what's expected of long-term rental units, even though the short term rental license process itself is administered separately from the standard long-term Rental Housing License inspection program ^[1]. What a housing or fire inspector typically checks in a Baltimore rental unit includes: working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors where required, functioning heating, safe electrical systems, clear egress (a usable exit path in case of fire), and general property maintenance items like no major structural hazards, no pest infestations, and functioning plumbing. These are baseline life-safety items common across most municipal rental inspection programs, not unique quirks of Baltimore's ordinance. If you're prepping a unit for short term rental licensing, walk it like an inspector would before you apply: test every smoke and CO detector, check that every bedroom has a legal second exit or window meeting egress size requirements, and make sure your water heater and furnace have current safety tags if applicable. Catching a missing detector yourself costs you five minutes and ten dollars. Catching it during a failed inspection costs you a delayed license and a re-inspection fee.

How to become a landlord (the short version, for context)

Becoming a landlord means buying or converting a property, meeting your city and state's licensing and safety requirements, screening tenants (or short term guests) legally, and taking on the ongoing responsibility of maintaining a habitable unit. There's no single national license: what you need depends entirely on your city and state. At minimum, most new landlords need to: confirm local zoning allows the rental use you're planning, register or license the property with the city if required, get landlord liability insurance (a standard homeowner's policy usually doesn't cover rental activity), understand your state's security deposit and habitability laws, and set up a lease or rental agreement appropriate to the rental type (long term lease vs. short term booking terms). If you're specifically becoming a short term rental host in a city like Baltimore, add zoning classification (primary vs. non-primary) and short term-specific licensing to that list before you take your first booking.

What is landlording, and what is a landlord, exactly?

A landlord is the owner (or the owner's authorized agent) of a residential or commercial property who rents that property to another party in exchange for payment. Landlording is the practical, ongoing work of managing that relationship: collecting rent, handling repairs, managing turnover, staying compliant with local licensing and safety codes, and responding to tenant or guest issues. For short term rental hosts, landlording looks a little different day to day (more turnover, more cleaning logistics, more guest communication) but the underlying legal responsibilities, maintaining a safe and habitable unit, following local licensing rules, paying applicable taxes, are the same category of obligation as running a long-term rental. If you're new to this and want a structured way to track what your specific city requires (license type, fee, inspection checklist, renewal date), a packet built around your city's actual requirements saves a lot of guesswork. That's the whole reason we built the $79 City Rental License & Inspection Prep Packet: it walks you through what to gather before you apply, so you're not discovering a missing document at the counter.

Who is responsible for a rental property walk-through inspection in California, and does that apply in Baltimore?

This is a common search because California has specific statutory rules about pre-move-out and move-in walk-through inspections that don't exist in most other states, including Maryland. In California, under Civil Code Section 1950.5, a landlord must, if the tenant requests it, conduct an initial inspection before the tenant moves out (not before move-in) specifically tied to security deposit deductions, giving the tenant a chance to fix issues before final move-out charges are assessed ^[3]. The landlord (or the landlord's authorized representative) conducts this inspection, and must give the tenant a reasonably itemized statement of proposed deductions at that time if any are found. Maryland and Baltimore City do not have an identical statutory pre-move-out inspection right built into their security deposit law. Maryland's security deposit statute (Real Property Article Section 8-203) requires landlords to do a final inspection within 15 days of move-out or lease termination if the tenant sends written notice of their new address, and to give the tenant a chance to be present at that final inspection, but it does not require a separate pre-move-out walk-through like California's law ^[4]. If you operate rentals in both states, don't assume California's process transfers over. Check Maryland Real Property Section 8-203 for your move-out inspection obligations if you're a Baltimore landlord, and check California Civil Code 1950.5 only if you separately own property there.

What can a landlord look at during an inspection, and what are the limits?

A landlord (or their inspector) can generally check the condition of the unit, safety equipment, appliances, and structural elements the lease and local code cover, things like smoke detectors, plumbing, electrical fixtures, signs of pest infestation, and damage beyond normal wear and tear. What a landlord cannot generally do is search through a tenant's personal belongings, closets, drawers, or private files under the guise of a maintenance or compliance inspection, and cannot enter without proper notice except in a genuine emergency. Most states require advance notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for a non-emergency inspection, and the required notice period varies by state, commonly 24 to 48 hours, though the exact number and whether it's codified in statute depends on your state's landlord-tenant law. Maryland doesn't set one single statewide statutory notice period for routine landlord entry the way some states do explicitly in a single code section, so check your specific lease language and any Baltimore City-specific tenant protection rules before entering a unit, and always confirm current requirements with your city's rental licensing or code enforcement office. For short term rentals, this is less of an issue day to day since guests aren't long-term tenants with the same statutory entry protections, but you should still disclose in your listing terms if you (as host) plan to enter during a stay for any reason.

Why do landlords require renters insurance, and how does this apply to short term rentals?

Landlords require renters insurance mainly to cover the tenant's personal belongings (which the landlord's own property insurance does not cover) and to provide liability coverage if the tenant causes damage or an injury happens in the unit. It shifts some financial risk away from the landlord's policy and reduces disputes over who pays for what after an incident. For traditional long-term rentals, many landlords require proof of renters insurance as a lease condition, commonly requiring liability coverage in the range of $100,000, though the specific amount is set by the individual lease, not by a uniform state law. For short term rentals, the insurance picture is different. Guests generally don't carry renters insurance for a few-night stay, so hosts instead rely on their own short term rental-specific liability insurance (some platforms provide limited host guarantees, but these often exclude many common claim types and aren't a substitute for a real policy). If you're operating a Baltimore short term rental, talk to your insurance agent specifically about short term rental or hosting endorsements. A standard landlord policy written for long-term tenants frequently does not cover short term rental activity, and a claim denial after a guest injury is a much worse outcome than paying for the right endorsement up front.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering, and before ending a rental?

Notice requirements split into two very different categories: notice to enter for inspection or repairs, and notice to end a tenancy. These get confused constantly, and the numbers are not interchangeable. For entry, states vary. Some codify a specific number of hours or days (commonly 24 to 48 hours is typical language you'll see across states with statutory entry notice rules), but Maryland does not have one single blanket statutory number covering all entry scenarios, so your lease terms and any city-specific rule control here. Confirm the specific language in your lease and check with Baltimore City tenant protection resources if you want current guidance. For ending a tenancy, Maryland's notice periods depend on the tenancy type and reason. Under Maryland Real Property Article Section 8-402, a month-to-month tenancy generally requires written notice at least one month before the end of the current lease term to terminate, while other tenancy types and lease-violation terminations have different notice periods set by statute ^[5]. These numbers matter enormously and get amended periodically, so don't draft a termination notice based on a number you remember; verify the current statutory language before you send anything, and this is exactly the kind of process where getting the paperwork wrong can delay an eviction by weeks.

What rights do tenants have without a lease, and what can't a landlord do in Ohio?

A tenant without a signed lease still has legal rights, they're just governed by different rules than a written lease would set. Most states treat an unwritten, ongoing tenancy as a month-to-month (or periodic) tenancy, meaning the tenant still has a right to habitable housing, protection from illegal lockout or utility shutoff, and a required notice period before the landlord can end the tenancy, even with nothing in writing. The specific notice period and process depends entirely on state law, so a Maryland tenant without a lease and an Ohio tenant without a lease are protected by different statutes with different numbers. In Ohio specifically, landlord-tenant law under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 sets out specific prohibited actions. Ohio landlords cannot, among other things, shut off a tenant's utilities, lock a tenant out, or remove a tenant's belongings without going through the formal eviction process in court, commonly called "self-help eviction," and Ohio law prohibits this regardless of whether rent is overdue . Ohio Revised Code 5321.15 specifically addresses this: a landlord "shall not initiate any act, including termination of utility services or excluding the tenant from the premises, to recover possession of residential premises other than by an action for possession" outside limited exceptions . This matters for our Baltimore short term rental readers mainly by contrast: Maryland has similar self-help eviction prohibitions in principle, but the specific statutory language, section numbers, and exceptions differ from Ohio's. If you own property in more than one state, resist the urge to apply what you learned about one state's rules to another. Pull the actual statute for the state where the property sits.

What should a Baltimore short term rental host do before their first booking?

Get licensed first, then furnish and photograph. In order: confirm your zoning classification and whether a non-primary license is available if that's your category, submit your Short Term Rental license application to DHCD with all required documents, walk the unit for basic safety items (smoke detectors, CO detectors, egress, working heat), confirm your hotel tax collection setup with your platform or the city's finance office, and get a short term rental-specific insurance endorsement before you accept payment. Don't list the property while your application is pending unless you've explicitly confirmed with DHCD that pre-licensing bookings are allowed under your current license type; in most jurisdictions with this kind of program, they aren't. If juggling multiple deadlines, document types, and city-specific requirements across one or more properties feels like a lot to track by hand, that's the exact gap our $79 City Rental License & Inspection Prep Packet is built to close. It's a one-time purchase that organizes the document checklist and inspection prep steps so you walk into your DHCD appointment with everything ready, not guessing.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Baltimore short term rental license cost?

Baltimore's short term rental license fee varies by tier (primary vs. non-primary residence) and has changed since the program launched in 2018. Because the exact current fee schedule isn't fixed long-term, confirm the current cost directly with Baltimore City's Department of Housing and Community Development short term rental office before budgeting.

Can I run an Airbnb in Baltimore without living there?

Yes, but only under a non-primary residence license, and Baltimore caps the number of these licenses citywide by zoning district. Availability isn't guaranteed, so confirm with DHCD whether a non-primary license slot exists for your specific address before purchasing a property planning to run it as a full-time short term rental.

Does Airbnb collect Baltimore hotel tax automatically?

Airbnb states it collects and remits local hotel/occupancy taxes automatically in many jurisdictions, including some Maryland localities, but coverage and mechanics can change. Confirm directly through your host dashboard tax settings and with Baltimore's finance department whether your specific listing type is covered, since tax collection doesn't replace your separate licensing obligation.

What's the penalty for an unlicensed short term rental in Baltimore?

Baltimore code enforcement can issue citations for operating a rental without a required license, with fines that have historically ranged from roughly $50 to several hundred dollars per violation depending on the code section, and repeat violations can escalate. Confirm current fine schedules with DHCD or Baltimore Housing Court since amounts are periodically updated.

How to become a landlord if I've never rented a property before?

Start by checking your local zoning and licensing requirements, get landlord liability insurance, learn your state's security deposit and habitability rules, and set up a compliant lease or rental agreement. For short term rentals specifically, add city short term rental licensing and zoning classification to that checklist before your first booking.

What is a landlord, in simple terms?

A landlord is the owner of a property, or their authorized agent, who rents that property to another person or business in exchange for payment. The landlord holds legal responsibility for habitability, safety compliance, and following local licensing and landlord-tenant law.

What rights do tenants have without a signed lease?

A tenant without a written lease is usually still protected as a month-to-month tenant under state law, meaning they generally keep the right to habitable housing, protection from illegal lockout, and a required notice period before termination. The exact notice length and protections depend entirely on the state, so check your specific state's landlord-tenant statute.

What can a landlord not do in Ohio regarding eviction?

Ohio landlords cannot use "self-help eviction," meaning they can't shut off utilities, change locks, or remove a tenant's belongings to force them out without going through the courts. Ohio Revised Code 5321.15 requires landlords to use a formal action for possession instead.

Why do landlords require renters insurance for long-term tenants?

Renters insurance covers the tenant's personal belongings (which the landlord's property policy doesn't cover) and provides liability protection if the tenant causes damage or an injury occurs. It reduces disputes over who pays after an incident and is commonly required as a lease condition, often with a minimum liability coverage amount set in the lease.

What can a landlord look at during a rental inspection?

A landlord or inspector can check safety equipment (smoke and CO detectors), plumbing, electrical systems, structural condition, pest issues, and general maintenance covered by the lease and local code. They generally cannot search a tenant's personal belongings or private spaces under the guise of a routine maintenance inspection.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before ending a tenancy in Maryland?

Under Maryland Real Property Article Section 8-402, ending a month-to-month tenancy generally requires written notice at least one month before the end of the current lease term. Different tenancy types and lease-violation terminations have different notice periods, so confirm the exact current statutory requirement before sending a termination notice.

Does Baltimore require a separate license for long-term rentals versus short term rentals?

Yes. Baltimore's Short Term Rental license is separate from its standard long-term Rental Housing License. If a property switches between short-term and long-term use, confirm with the city's rental licensing office which license applies to your current use, since operating under the wrong license type can trigger a violation.

Sources

1. Airbnb, Occupancy Tax Collection and Remittance by Airbnb in Maryland: Airbnb states it collects and remits certain local occupancy/hotel taxes automatically in some Maryland jurisdictions
2. California Legislature, California Civil Code Section 1950.5: California law gives tenants the right to request a pre-move-out inspection tied to security deposit deductions
3. Maryland General Assembly, Real Property Article Section 8-203: Maryland requires landlords to conduct a final inspection within 15 days of move-out if the tenant provides written notice of a new address
4. Maryland General Assembly, Real Property Article Section 8-402: Maryland requires at least one month's written notice to terminate a month-to-month tenancy
5. Ohio Legislature, Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.15: Ohio law prohibits landlords from using self-help eviction methods like utility shutoff or lockout instead of a formal court action for possession