Community Association Legislative Report
House Bills
HB261 – Termination Util Svc to Multifam Dwelling Unit – Notice to Ppty Owner/Manager
Requiring a public service company that is going to terminate electric or gas service to a customer who resides in a multifamily dwelling unit to notify the property owner or property manager of the multifamily dwelling unit before terminating service; requiring a public service company to provide the notice only to a property owner or property manager who enrolls in a specified service termination notification program; requiring the Public Service Commission to adopt specified regulations; etc
HB320 – Polybutylene Connection Pipe Replacement Loan Program
Requiring the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to establish a Polybutylene Connection Pipe Replacement Loan Program to provide loans to residential customers to finance the replacement of malfunctioning polybutylene pipes on customer property located in the Commission’s service territory that connect from service connections to customer residences; requiring the Program to provide for loan terms and conditions, including an interest rate that may not exceed the prime rate applicable on the day the loan is made; etc.
HB34 – Homeowners Associations – Resale of Lot – Inspection Fees
Authorizing a homeowners association to charge a reasonable fee not to exceed $100 for an inspection of a lot owner’s lot as part of the homeowners association’s preparation of required disclosures on resale of the lot under specified circumstances.
HB36 – Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicles – Reserved Parking Spaces
Prohibiting a person from stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle that is not a plug-in electric drive vehicle in a parking space that is designated for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles; requiring that a parking space for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles have green pavement markings; requiring that a parking space for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles be counted as part of the overall number of parking spaces for specified purposes; applying a civil penalty of $100 for a violation of the Act; etc.
HB41 – Common Ownership Communities – Statewide Registration
Requiring a cooperative housing corporation, a condominium, and a homeowners association to register annually with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; exempting specified common ownership communities from the applicability of the Act; establishing a Common Ownership Community Registry in the Department; providing for a $3 annual registration fee and specified contents of a registration form; making the failure to register a civil violation subject to a $50 fine; requiring the Department to make a specified report; etc.
HB434 – Backyard Gardens – Prohibition on Restrictions
Prohibiting specified documents from prohibiting a specified homeowner or tenant from installing or cultivating a backyard garden; establishing that a specified homeowner or tenant may not be prohibited from installing or cultivating a backyard garden on specified property; providing that a local jurisdiction may not prohibit specified backyard gardens; applying the prohibition to charter counties and Baltimore City; etc.
HB26 – Notices of Foreclosure Sale and Postponement or Cancellation of Foreclosure Sale
Requiring the person authorized to make a foreclosure sale to give written notice of the proposed sale to a specified condominium or homeowners association that, at least 30 days before the date of the proposed sale, has recorded a statement of lien against the property; requiring the trustee, within 14 days after the postponement or cancellation of a foreclosure sale, to send a notice that the sale was postponed or canceled to the record owner; applying the Act to a foreclosure sale scheduled after the effective date of the Act; etc.
Senate Bills
SB177 – Public Safety – Elevator Inspections – Testing
Requiring that a specified test on an elevator unit performed in connection with an inspection required by specified provisions of law, the Safety Code, or a regulation adopted by the Commissioner be performed by a specified licensed elevator mechanic; and requiring a State inspector or third-party qualified inspector to be physically present during a specified test in its entirety to witness that the test has been performed correctly and to verify the proper recording of the result of a specified test on an elevator unit.
SB301 – Installation and Use of Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment
Providing that specified provisions of a recorded covenant or restriction, a declaration, or the bylaws or rules of a condominium or homeowners association are void and unenforceable; establishing specified requirements and procedures relating to an application to the governing body of a condominium or homeowners association to install or use electric vehicle recharging equipment; requiring specified owners of electric vehicle recharging equipment to be responsible for specified costs and disclosures; etc.
SB302 – Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicles – Reserved Parking Spaces
Prohibiting a person from stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle that is not a plug-in electric drive vehicle in a parking space that is designated for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles; requiring that a parking space for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles have green pavement markings; requiring that a parking space for the use of plug-in electric drive vehicles be counted as part of the overall number of parking spaces for specified purposes; applying a civil penalty of $100 for a violation of the Act; etc.
SB12 – Obstruction Hanging From Rearview Mirror – Enforcement
Providing for enforcement only as a secondary offense for a violation of the prohibition under specified circumstances against a person driving a vehicle on a highway with any object, material, or obstruction hanging from the rearview mirror that interferes with the clear view of the driver through the windshield.
SB62 – Backyard Gardens – Prohibition on Restrictions
Prohibiting specified documents from prohibiting a specified homeowner or tenant from installing or cultivating a backyard garden; establishing that a specified homeowner or tenant may not be prohibited from installing or cultivating a backyard garden on specified property; providing that a local jurisdiction may not prohibit specified backyard gardens; applying the prohibition to charter counties and Baltimore City; etc.
SSB247 – Notices of Foreclosure Sale and Postponement or Cancellation of Foreclosure Sale
Requiring the person authorized to make a foreclosure sale to give written notice of the proposed sale to a specified condominium or homeowners association that, at least 30 days before the date of the proposed sale, has recorded a statement of lien against the property; requiring the trustee, within 14 days after the postponement or cancellation of a foreclosure sale, to send a notice that the sale was postponed or canceled to the record owner; applying the Act to a foreclosure sale scheduled after the effective date of the Act; etc.