Public Safety - Short-Term Rental Units - Safety (Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act)
Summary
SB624, the Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Fire Safety Act, establishes statewide fire-safety requirements for short-term rental units rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. It requires hosts to conspicuously post an evacuation diagram and emergency phone numbers, provide a working fire extinguisher, and maintain working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. The bill also sets standards for alarm installation, audibility, interconnection where multiple smoke alarms are required, and replacement of alarms that are nonfunctional, over 10 years old, or missing a production date.
The bill further requires booking services to notify hosts of these fire-safety obligations and to collect confirmation documentation from hosts. It directs counties and Baltimore City, by local law or regulation, to require annual inspections of short-term rental units for compliance by July 1, 2028, and to report inspection and compliance data to the State Fire Marshal. The State Fire Marshal must then report to the General Assembly by October 1, 2028. The act does not require local governments to allow short-term rentals where they are otherwise prohibited, and it does not prevent them from adopting additional short-term rental regulations.
Impact
The bill adds a new subtitle to the Public Safety Article creating enforceable fire-safety rules specifically for short-term rental units and amends related definitions in the Tax-General Article and Public Safety Article to align with those rules. It places direct compliance duties on short-term rental hosts and indirect duties on booking platforms, while also authorizing local inspection programs and possible inspection fees. Counties and Baltimore City may delegate inspections to qualified third-party inspectors approved under State Fire Marshal standards. The law takes effect October 1, 2026, with local inspection requirements and reporting due in 2028.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad legislative support. It passed the Senate unanimously, 40-0, and passed the House by a substantial margin, 108-17. The voting pattern suggests general agreement that short-term rentals should meet basic fire-safety standards, especially given the bill’s named memorialization and public-safety framing.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the compliance and administrative burdens placed on short-term rental hosts, booking services, and local governments. Hosts must install and maintain safety equipment and provide documentation, while booking services must notify hosts and collect proof of compliance. Counties and Baltimore City are required to create inspection regimes, though they may charge fees and use third-party inspectors. The bill also preserves local control, which may have been important to jurisdictions that already restrict or regulate short-term rentals, and it expressly avoids preempting additional local measures.