Minimum Standards for Dwelling Units

A dwelling unit is defined as a single unit that provides or that is designed to provide complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation. 

Space and Occupancy Standards 

Only by meeting all the minimum space and occupancy requirements, does a unit become defined as a “habitable space.” These requirements govern: light, ventilation, minimum room size and minimum ceiling heights. 

Every dwelling unit must contain: 

• A kitchen with space and connections for a stove and refrigerator. There must be a sink and space for storage and preparation of food.
   
• A private bathroom with a toilet, lavatory basin, a tub or shower and ventilation (Ventilation must be a window or a mechanical vent that is vented to outside air). 
   
• Access to a habitable room: The only access to a habitable room cannot be through a bathroom. 
   
• Hot water facilities capable of heating water to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
• Adequate light and ventilation in all habitable spaces and bathrooms. 
   
• Adequate trash cans and a place to store the cans. (Section §305.6 of the BFRC states: “trash cans should be metal or some durable material approved by the Code Official, water tight with a tightly fitting cover.”)
   
• A smoke detector located near the sleeping area and on every story of the building, including the basement and cellar. 

Requirements for Heating of Rental Units (During the months of October 1st to April 30th) 

• 70 degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms, bath- rooms and toilet rooms with no room to be less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the hours of 5 a.m. to midnight and 
   
• 65 degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms, bath- rooms and toilet rooms with no room to be less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the hours of midnight to 5 a.m.

Owner and Occupant Responsibilities 

Structural Maintenance 

Owners are responsible for maintaining the structure in a structurally sound and sanitary condition and must make any repairs accordingly. Owners are responsible for ensuring the following (this list is representative but not all-inclusive): 

• Windows and doors fit and function properly and are not broken
• Stairways are structurally sound
• Chimneys and towers are structurally sound
• Decks are structurally sound
• Roof drains and gutters are attached to the structure and free of debris
• Downspouts discharge water away from the foundation and do not create a public nuisance
• Interior walls and woodwork are in good repair
• Plumbing is in good repair

Occupant must give the owner or operator access to the premises at all reasonable times in order to make necessary repairs or alterations. In addition, the occupant must keep his or her unit, as well as any other areas he or she occupies or controls, in a clean and sanitary condition. 

Maintaining Exterior Premises 

Examples of common exterior maintenance: 

Grass and Weeds

• Keep grass, weeds, or plant growth below eight inches and remove all noxious weeds. 

Trees and Shrubbery 

• Prune or remove all trees and shrubbery if they are dangerous to life and property, create a fire or traffic hazard, or encroach on an adjacent property. 

Motor Vehicles 

• No motor vehicle may be parked, kept, or stored on any premises if:
  • It is inoperative, unregistered, or fails to display current registration tags; or
  • It is in a state of disassembly or disrepair. Motor vehicles must be parked on a dustless surface. The vehicle may not be parked on grass, dirt, or crushed stone.

Trash, Garbage, and Debris 

• All premises including abutting sidewalks, gutters, and alleys as well as the interior of every structure must be kept free of any accumulation of trash, garbage, and debris, including animal waste, construction material, equipment, furniture, appliances, and similar objects and materials.

Storage Receptacles 

• Trash, garbage, and debris may not be placed out for collection unless contained in proper storage receptacles, and not earlier than the day of collection. Storage receptacles must be promptly returned to premises after collection. Trashcans should be metal or some durable material approved by the Code Official, water tight with a tightly fitting cover. 

Bulk Trash 

• If too large for the storage receptacle, bulk trash must be conveyed to an appropriate landfill or other approved site or put out the day before a bulk trash pick-up (appointment needed). To schedule a pickup appointment, call 311 or (443) 263-2220. 

Boats, Trailers and Recreational Vehicles 

• A permit and Zoning Board Approval is required to store a boat and/ or trailer on a property. 

Interior Maintenance 

The owner must maintain shared, common, or public areas within each multi-unit building in a clean and sanitary condition. The owner must repair or replace defective and damaged items in all units. Note that the owner may hold an occupant accountable for damaging interior property due to negligence, per the terms of a signed lease. Occupants must keep their unit and any other areas that they occupy or control in a clean and sanitary condition.

Common examples of interior maintenance:

• Floors, furniture, counter tops, and surfaces must be clean and free of trash, garbage, and debris; including human and animal waste and any other unsanitary matter. 
• Walls, ceilings, windows, and doorways must be clean and free of dirt, grease, soot, and any other unsani-tary matter. 
• Plumbing fixtures must be clean and free from any foreign objects or materials that could obstruct a fix-ture or a line connected to a fixture. 
• Rat-proofing and pest extermination follow specific rules, as follows:

The owner is responsible for rat-proofing the building and maintaining rat-proof condition. Rat-proofing methods include:

• Preventing entrance by blocking passages with rat- resistant material; and 
• Paving basements and any other areas that are in contact with the soil. 

An occupant of a multiple-family dwelling is responsible for extermination if the occupant’s unit is the only unit infested. The occupant of a single-unit building is responsible for extermination of insects, rodents, and all other pests, other than wood destroying insects. 

Licensing and Registration Responsibilities for Property Owners 

All non-owner-occupied properties in Baltimore City are required to be registered by the owner each year. The registration period is January through December and property registration fees must be paid every year for the property to be considered registered. Registration is required whether or not the property is a rental, whether or not it is occupied, unoccupied, vacant, and whether or not it is generating income.

All non-owner-occupied properties in Baltimore City that are rental properties must be licensed to operate as a rental, in addition to being registered. 

To determine if a property in Baltimore City is currently registered and licensed as a rental property, search by address here: https://cels.baltimorehousing.org/reg/Reg_MFD_Search.aspx