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State raises municipal fine cap to $5,000; Hagerstown staff propose escalating schedule and council supports drafting ordinance
Summary
The Maryland General Assembly increased the statutory cap on municipal infractions to $5,000 effective Oct. 1, 2025. City code enforcement staff proposed an escalating fine schedule for repeat infractions and council members directed staff to draft ordinances focusing on vacants and nuisance abatement.
City code enforcement staff briefed the Mayor and City Council on July 15 about a new Maryland law that raises the maximum municipal infraction fine to $5,000 and asked whether the city wants to revise local fine schedules.
Staff said the state law replaces a prior statutory cap of $1,000 and takes effect Oct. 1, 2025. The change allows municipalities to amend local codes to set higher municipal infraction penalties where appropriate. Staff recommended an escalating schedule tied to repeated offenses (for example, a lower fine for a first offense rising for subsequent offenses within a set period) and offered an…
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