Maryland Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Maryland, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Does Maryland's Forest Conservation Act apply to a local government building project in Allegany or Garrett County, even if the project uses state funding, given that those counties are exempt from the Act for having a lot of existing forest cover?
The exemption still applies. The opinion concluded the Forest Conservation Act's exemption for counties with 200,000 or more acres of forest cover (only Allegany and Garrett counties qualified) covers…
Can a Maryland city let a county licensing board hear appeals under the city's own electrical code, or does letting the county 'administer or enforce' municipal law stop short of quasi-judicial appeals?
Yes. The opinion concluded that the Prince George's County Board of Registration for Master Electricians and Electrical Contractors could legally be authorized to hear appeals arising under the City o…
Can the Maryland Port Administration run its own port terminals and unionize its workers, instead of leasing everything to private operators?
In a 1988 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the Maryland Port Administration could directly operate port facilities, and engage in collective bargaining with unionized labor, only wh…
Can a Maryland state commission adopt a bylaw requiring a stricter voting majority than the one set in its governing statute?
In a 1988 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission could not enforce its own bylaw requiring a stricter voting majority than the one the General …
Does Maryland's state MBE fraud statute apply to contractors who misrepresent minority-business compliance to WSSC, or only WSSC's own rules?
A 1988 Maryland opinion concluded that the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), a bicounty agency, is not a 'unit' of the Executive Branch covered by the State Procurement Law, so a contrac…
Do Maryland's 1988 dollar caps on crime-victim compensation awards apply to claims that were already pending when the caps took effect?
A 1988 Maryland opinion concluded that all of Chapter 250's amendments to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act, including its new dollar caps on disability and medical-expense awards, apply retrospe…
Can Maryland discipline a secondary mortgage loan licensee for violating mortgage-broker conduct rules when the licensee makes a first-lien mortgage loan?
A 1988 Maryland opinion concluded that the Commissioner of Consumer Credit cannot directly enforce the mortgage banker/broker statute and Code of Conduct against a Secondary Mortgage Loan Law (SMLL) l…
Could Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration let someone keep driving to work instead of fully suspending their license in 1987?
In this 1987 opinion, the Attorney General concluded that the Motor Vehicle Administration has authority under §§16-205 and 16-206 of the Transportation Article, together with its general restriction …
Can a Maryland Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board raise your property's assessed value on its own, without anyone asking it to?
In this 1985 opinion, the Attorney General concluded that a Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board (PTAAB) has the statutory power to increase a property tax assessment above what the supervisor of asse…
Could Maryland's health department require asbestos removal contractors to meet an indoor air cleanliness standard in 1983?
In this 1983 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had statutory authority, under both the State Air Quality Act and the asbestos removal li…
Can a former Maryland state employee who already left the retirement system file late for disability retirement benefits?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that only a current member of the Employees' Retirement System, or that member's department head, may apply for accidental disability reti…
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Attorney general opinions in Maryland are written by the Maryland Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.