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Council hears draft ordinance to require functioning air conditioning in rental buildings that provide AC
Summary
The administration asked the County Council to consider a draft ordinance that would require multiple-dwelling landlords who provide air conditioning to keep it functioning and authorize county relief and cost recovery when health-threatening outages occur.
The Anne Arundel County administration introduced a draft ordinance (Bill 79‑25) on Oct. 14 that would add air-conditioning maintenance standards to the Property Maintenance Code for licensed multiple-dwelling properties. Under the draft law a landlord who provides air conditioning would be required to keep the system in working order; if conditions posed health risks and the owner failed to provide adequate relief, the county could require or supply alternate cooling and recover costs.
What the draft requires: The ordinance does not mandate air conditioning in every rental unit but applies when a landlord elects to provide it. It sets a cooling standard (78°F or 15°F below the outdoor high, whichever is more protective in the department—s approach) and creates a mechanism for the health department to require alternate cooling relief for residents in cases of system failure.
Council debate and concerns: Councilmembers raised implementation and fairness questions. Members asked for reasonableness language to protect owners who are taking good-faith steps to repair systems but cannot immediately source parts. Administration officials said the proposed enforcement tool was intended for repeat or egregious failures after outreach had failed and agreed to consider amendments adding explicit language about "best efforts" and staged enforcement.
Operational context: Health staff said multiple dwellings with prolonged heat failures had led to emergency responses earlier in the summer; the department and Office of Emergency Management provided cooling buses and temporary centers in at least one incident. The county currently enforces a 68°F heating standard in winter; the new draft would add a cooling standard and a mechanism to provide relief when landlord failures create health risks.
Next steps: Administration signaled support for an amendment clarifying enforcement thresholds and for stakeholder discussion; councilmembers and staff asked for clear proportionality, an appeal process and limits on county expenditure recoupment.
