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Montgomery County Council introduces bills on agriculture exemptions, algorithmic rent‑setting and earlier AC protections for renters
Summary
Council introduced six bills for committee review including: building‑code changes to clarify agricultural exemptions; a prohibition on algorithmic rent‑setting and related recommendations; and a rental‑housing maintenance bill that moves required landlord air‑conditioning activation to May 15 and removes single‑family exemptions.
The Montgomery County Council used its Feb. 10 legislative session to introduce a slate of bills the council said respond to housing, land‑use and cultural needs.
Among the measures introduced: Bill 7‑26 would revise building‑code language to align chapter 8 definitions with zoning and county land‑use frameworks so agricultural producers are not held to higher commercial standards for on‑site processing and business functions; council members said the intent is to reduce confusion and red tape for farms.
Council member Yawanda (speaker 25) introduced Bill 8‑26 to prohibit algorithmic price coordination and collusion in rental housing, saying dynamic, algorithm‑driven pricing tools have contributed to higher rents and less competition. “A company provides a service that automatically…generates a price for rental housing,” the sponsor said, noting Department of Justice and Maryland attorney‑general enforcement activity on similar practices. County staff added the draft language would also cover algorithmic recommendations for fees, terms and occupancy levels.
Council member Kristen Mink introduced Bill 9‑26 to update rental‑housing maintenance standards by moving the required activation date for landlord‑provided air conditioning from June 1 to May 15, removing the exemption for detached single‑family rentals, adding a temporary hardship waiver process, and requiring tenant notification for building‑wide outages that affect air conditioning. Mink described the change as a public‑health response to hotter springs and recurring tenant calls.
Other introductions included amendments to the Arts & Humanities Council governing rules (Bill 10‑26), modifications to LOSAP length‑of‑service awards for volunteer fire and rescue (Bill 11‑26), and a technical code change on payments to service providers for people with developmental disabilities (Bill 12‑26). Public hearings for several items are scheduled for March 10, 2026.
The bills were introduced for committee review; no final actions were taken on these items during the Feb. 10 session.
