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Rockville expands eviction notice period to 14 days in line with state law
Summary
Council adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 18 of the Rockville City Code to extend required eviction notice from 6 to 14 days, effective immediately upon incorporation into city code; council discussed but did not adopt an immediate requirement to file notices with the housing department.
Rockville City Council on Nov. 10 adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 18 of the city code to update eviction notice requirements so that landlords must provide tenants 14 days' notice before scheduled evictions, in accordance with state law enacted Oct. 1, 2025.
City Manager Mr. Michalek presented the item and told the council the state law "requires landlords to notify tenants of a scheduled eviction at least 6 days prior to the eviction date" and that local jurisdictions may increase the requirement to 14 days. He said the council had asked staff to place the item on the agenda quickly and staff recommended adoption.
Councilmembers supported expedited adoption to give tenants more time to plan. Several members asked whether landlords should be required to also provide a copy of eviction notices to the city housing department (as the county law requires) to improve data collection and provide earlier assistance to tenants. City staff said collecting notices for data and outreach could be done in practice but cautioned that adding such a requirement to city code would require review with the city attorney and might conflict with state statute; staff said they would return with analysis at a future work session.
The council introduced the ordinance, waived the layover period and adopted it that evening. Staff said they would notify the county and courts and develop a light communications plan for landlords and tenants about the change.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with the courts and Montgomery County for enforcement, prepare outreach to landlords and tenants, and consider whether to propose code language or administrative practice to collect eviction notices for housing-department use.
