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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Can a Maryland county condition part of a school board's budget on the board agreeing to things like creating auditor positions, studying bus fleet options, or sharing a health insurance plan with the county?
Mostly yes, with one exception. The opinion concluded a county may condition release of budget funds to a local board of education on reasonable, nonsubstantive procedural requirements, such as a flee…
Can a Maryland charter county create its own program offering cash grants to individual public schools that hit performance targets, or does the state's control over education law block that kind of county initiative?
Yes, within limits. The opinion concluded that a charter home rule county like Harford County may establish a school performance incentive grant program despite the State's preemption of education, as…
Can a Maryland county charge condominiums, co-ops, and HOAs a per-unit fee for a county dispute-resolution service?
The Attorney General concluded in 1990 that Montgomery County's proposed per-unit fees on condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners associations, meant to fund a county dispute-resolution service, we…
Can a Maryland county make its contractors and lobbyists disclose campaign contributions to local officials?
The Attorney General concluded in 1990 that nearly all of Prince George's County Council Bill 17-1990, which required people doing business with the county to disclose campaign contributions, barred l…
Can a Maryland county impose its own fire-safety building requirements on state-certified modular and prefabricated buildings?
The Attorney General concluded in 1990 that Maryland's Industrialized Building and Mobile Homes Act preempted any local ordinance, including one labeled a fire-control regulation, that regulated the m…
Can a Maryland city ban parking large trucks in residential areas even though state law regulates parking too?
In a 1988 opinion, Maryland's Attorney General concluded that the City of Rockville had authority to regulate the parking of trucks on private property in residential areas, because the Maryland Vehic…
Can a Maryland county use its own licensing rules or zoning restrictions to control where state-licensed child care homes can operate?
In this 1987 opinion, the Attorney General concluded Maryland's Juvenile Services Agency licensing scheme had fully preempted county authority to license or use zoning to control where state-licensed …
Could a Maryland charter county hire a private company to run its jail and hold custody of inmates, instead of using its own sheriff or county employees?
In this 1986 opinion, the Attorney General concluded that Talbot County, a charter county, had authority under the Express Powers Act to pass an ordinance vesting jail custody in a warden and contract…
Can a Maryland county enforce its own zoning rules against a business that already has a state permit to spread sewage sludge?
In this 1984 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that Baltimore County could generally enforce its zoning regulations on sewage sludge use, including against people who held a state sludg…
Can a Maryland county like Montgomery County pass its own condominium laws, or does the state Condominium Act override them?
In this 1983 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that the state Condominium Act preempted local condominium legislation unless it fell within one of four specific statutory exceptions, ma…
Could a Maryland county school board require school buses to meet safety specifications stricter than the state's minimum standards?
In this 1983 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a county board of education, acting as a purchaser of school bus transportation services rather than as a regulator, could include co…
Could a Maryland county force its school board to forfeit unspent school construction money after three years, under a county charter rule?
In this 1983 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a Harford County Charter provision requiring capital project appropriations to be treated as abandoned after three fiscal years witho…
Can a Maryland county require condominium boards to hold open meetings, or does the state Condominium Act preempt that kind of local rule?
In this 1982 opinion, the Maryland Attorney General concluded that a Montgomery County ordinance requiring open meetings and specific voting procedures for condominium councils of unit owners was not …
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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.