As the 2026 legislative session continues, the Maryland Municipal League is actively monitoring several key bills scheduled for testimony next week. To ensure the municipal perspective is accurately represented in the record, we are inviting member cities and towns to submit written comments on the following items. These contributions are vital to documenting the local impact of proposed state policy before the committees of jurisdiction. 

The specific bills and their respective hearing dates are listed below: 

Tuesday, February 17, 2026  (testimony due Friday, February 13, 2026) 

SB 482 - Criminal Law – Interference with Critical Infrastructure or a Public Safety Answering Point (FAVORABLE) 

Senate Bill 482, the cross-file of HB 593, adds in new definition to "critical infrastructure" that includes systems and assets that are vital to a municipality that have the incapacity or destruction of one or more components on public security, economic security, public health, public safety, public transportation or public utilities. The bill adds that a person may not commit an act that denies access to an authorized user or interrupts, impairs the functioning of critical infrastructure or a public safety answering point. Those who violate that authorization can be found guilty of a felony and if convicted, are subject to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years, a fine not exceeding $50,000, or both. 

SB 36 - Land Use - Zoning - Limitations (Starter and Silver Homes Act of 2026) (FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENTS) 

Senate Bill 36, one of three bills in Governor Moore’s housing package this session, prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing zoning laws that impose minimum lot sizes above 5,000 square feet (in areas with public water/sewer), minimum square footage or exterior dimensions for single-family homes, maximum lot coverage, excessive building setbacks, or design and architectural requirements for single-family homes. It also prohibits local jurisdictions from banning townhouses in single-family zones and from preventing the subdivision of improved lots into up to three lots (with some exceptions). These provisions do not apply to historic districts, agricultural land, or conservation property.   

SB 267 - Land Use - Residential Housing - Oversight, Regulation, and Taxation (Building Affordably in My Back Yard Act) (FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENTS) 

Senate Bill 267 is a priority bill from the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo). This bill establishes a wide range of new policies and regulatory changes to promote residential and affordable housing development in Maryland. Requirements include annual disclosure by property-owning entities, streamlined permit review, new housing production targets, adoption of design guidelines, pre-approval for model home plans, flexible impact fee/tax schedules, new property tax subclasses, and local authority to adjust tax rates. It also imposes restrictions on property sales to large-scale buyers, allows new transfer taxes on owner-occupied properties, and mandates multiple studies and internal reviews regarding housing regulation, infrastructure, and tax policy. 

SB 325 - Land Use - Permitting - Development Rights (Maryland Housing Certainty Act) (FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENTS) 

The Maryland Housing Certainty Act, the second in Governor Moore’s 2026 housing package, requires that housing development project applications are reviewed and decided based only on laws and regulations in effect at the time a substantially complete application is submitted. Approved projects receive vested rights for at least 5 years, protecting them from subsequent regulatory changes. The bill also prohibits counties and municipalities from collecting development excise taxes or development impact fees on residential real estate projects until construction is complete and occupancy requirements are met.  

SB 389 - Land Use - Transit-Oriented Development - Alterations (Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act) (FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENTS) 

The Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act, the third bill in Governor Moore’s 2026 housing package, automatically designates qualifying transit-oriented development (TOD) areas served by frequent rail service as enterprise zones, regardless of state limits on the number of enterprise zones. The bill restricts the authority of local jurisdictions to impose minimum parking requirements and mandates allowance for mixed-use development within specified distances of qualifying rail stations. It also delays the collection of certain development impact fees and excise taxes for eligible residential/mixed-use projects until after construction is complete and occupancy permits are issued.  

Thursday, February 19, 2026  (testimony due Tuesday, February 17, 2026)