Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB817 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0817
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 817
8	8	N1 5lr3200
9	9	CF HB 363
10	10	By: Senator Watson
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Common Ownership Communities – Candidate or Proposition Signs – Display 2
19	19	Period 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of altering, under certain circumstances, the time period during which a 4
22	22	common ownership community may restrict the display of candidate or proposition 5
23	23	signs; and generally relating to limitations on the display of candidate and 6
24	24	proposition signs in common ownership communities. 7
25	25
26	26	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
27	27	Article – Corporations and Associations 9
28	28	Section 5–6B–23 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2014 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
33	33	Article – Real Property 14
34	34	Section 11–111.2 and 11B–111.2 15
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
36	36	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
37	37
38	38	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
39	39	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
40	40
41	41	Article – Corporations and Associations 20
42	42
43	43	5–6B–23. 21
44	44
45	45	(a) In this section, “candidate sign” means a sign on behalf of a candidate for 22
46	46	public office or a slate of candidates for public office. 23
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 817
48	48
49	49
50	50	(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a recorded covenant or 1
51	51	restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision in the bylaws or rules of a cooperative 2
52	52	housing corporation may not prohibit or restrict the display of: 3
53	53
54	54	(1) A candidate sign; or 4
55	55
56	56	(2) A sign that advertises the support or defeat of any question submitted 5
57	57	to the voters in accordance with the Election Law Article. 6
58	58
59	59	(c) A recorded covenant or restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision 7
60	60	in the bylaws or rules of a cooperative housing corporation may restrict the display of a 8
61	61	candidate sign or a sign that advertises the support or defeat of any proposition: 9
62	62
63	63	(1) In any areas constituting those portions of a cooperative project 10
64	64	possessed in common by the members; 11
65	65
66	66	(2) In accordance with provisions of federal, State, and local law; or 12
67	67
68	68	(3) If a limitation to the time period during which signs may be displayed 13
69	69	is not specified by a law governing the jurisdiction in which the cooperative housing 14
70	70	corporation is located, to a time period not less than: 15
71	71
72	72	(i) 1. 30 DAYS BEFORE THE STAR T OF EARLY VOTING FO R A 16
73	73	PRIMARY ELECTION , GENERAL ELECTION , OR VOTE ON THE PROPO SITION; OR 17
74	74
75	75	2. IF THERE IS NO EARLY VOTING, 30 days before the 18
76	76	primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition; and 19
77	77
78	78	(ii) 7 days after the primary election, general election, or vote on the 20
79	79	proposition. 21
80	80
81	81	Article – Real Property 22
82	82
83	83	11–111.2. 23
84	84
85	85	(a) In this section, “candidate sign” means a sign on behalf of a candidate for 24
86	86	public office or a slate of candidates for public office. 25
87	87
88	88	(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a recorded covenant or 26
89	89	restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision in the bylaws or rules of a 27
90	90	condominium may not restrict or prohibit the display of: 28
91	91
92	92	(1) A candidate sign; or 29
93	93
94	94	(2) A sign that advertises the support or defeat of any question submitted 30
95	95	to voters in accordance with the Election Law Article. 31
96	96	SENATE BILL 817 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(c) A recorded covenant or restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision 1
100	100	in the bylaws or rules of a condominium may restrict the display of a candidate sign or a 2
101	101	sign that advertises the support or defeat of any proposition: 3
102	102
103	103	(1) In the common elements; 4
104	104
105	105	(2) In accordance with provisions of federal, State, and local law; or 5
106	106
107	107	(3) If a limitation to the time period during which signs may be displayed 6
108	108	is not specified by a law of the jurisdiction in which the condominium is located, to a time 7
109	109	period not less than: 8
110	110
111	111	(i) 1. 30 DAYS BEFORE THE STAR T OF EARLY VOTING FO R A 9
112	112	PRIMARY ELECTION , GENERAL ELECTION , OR VOTE ON THE PROPO SITION; OR 10
113	113
114	114	2. IF THERE IS NO EARLY VOTING, 30 days before the 11
115	115	primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition; and 12
116	116
117	117	(ii) 7 days after the primary election, general election, or vote on the 13
118	118	proposition. 14
119	119
120	120	11B–111.2. 15
121	121
122	122	(a) In this section, “candidate sign” means a sign on behalf of a candidate for 16
123	123	public office or a slate of candidates for public office. 17
124	124
125	125	(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a recorded covenant or 18
126	126	restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision in the bylaws or rules of a 19
127	127	homeowners association may not restrict or prohibit the display of: 20
128	128
129	129	(1) A candidate sign; or 21
130	130
131	131	(2) A sign that advertises the support or defeat of any question submitted 22
132	132	to the voters in accordance with the Election Law Article. 23
133	133
134	134	(c) A recorded covenant or restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision 24
135	135	in the bylaws or rules of a homeowners association may restrict the display of a candidate 25
136	136	sign or a sign that advertises the support or defeat of any proposition: 26
137	137
138	138	(1) In the common areas; 27
139	139
140	140	(2) In accordance with provisions of federal, State, and local law; or 28
141	141
142	142	(3) If a limitation to the time period during which signs may be displayed 29
143	143	is not specified by a law of the jurisdiction in which the homeowners association is located, 30
144	144	to a time period not less than: 31
145	145	4 SENATE BILL 817
146	146
147	147
148	148	(i) 1. 30 DAYS BEFORE THE STAR T OF EARLY VOTING FO R A 1
149	149	PRIMARY ELECTION , GENERAL ELECTION, OR VOTE ON THE PROPO SITION; OR 2
150	150
151	151	2. IF THERE IS NO EARLY VOTING, 30 days before the 3
152	152	primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition; and 4
153	153
154	154	(ii) 7 days after the primary election, general election, or vote on the 5
155	155	proposition. 6
156	156
157	157	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
158	158	October 1, 2025. 8
159	159