2023 Maryland Statutes
State Government
Title 20 - Human Relations
Subtitle 7 - Discrimination in Housing
Section 20-703 - Construction of Subtitle

Universal Citation:
MD. State Government Code § 20-703 (2023)
Learn more This media-neutral citation is based on the American Association of Law Libraries Universal Citation Guide and is not necessarily the official citation.

    This subtitle does not:

        (1)    invalidate or limit any local law that requires dwellings to be designed and constructed in a manner that affords an individual with a disability greater access than is required by § 20–706(b) of this subtitle;

        (2)    limit the applicability of any reasonable local, State, or federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants allowed to occupy a dwelling;

        (3)    prohibit the State or a local government from enacting standards that govern the location of group homes, as defined in § 4–601 of the Housing and Community Development Article;

        (4)    affect the powers of any local government to enact an ordinance on any subject covered by this subtitle, provided that the ordinance does not authorize any act that would be a discriminatory housing practice under this subtitle;

        (5)    require that a dwelling be made available to an individual whose tenancy would:

            (i)    constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals; or

            (ii)    result in substantial physical damage to the property of others;

        (6)    prohibit conduct against a person because the person has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of the illegal manufacture or distribution of:

            (i)    a controlled dangerous substance, as defined in § 5–101 of the Criminal Law Article; or

            (ii)    a controlled substance, as defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802;

        (7)    unless membership in the religion is restricted on the basis of race, color, or national origin, prohibit a religious organization, association, or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society from giving preference or limiting the sale, rental, or occupancy of dwellings that it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion; or

        (8)    prohibit a private club that is not open to the public and that, as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes, provides lodgings that it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of the dwellings to its members or from giving preference to its members.

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