Anne Arundel County renters live in apartment communities, townhomes, and single-family houses near the water, where humid summers and older construction give moisture many ways in. Wherever water gets in through a roof, a window, a plumbing leak, or an air conditioning system and stays, mold can follow. Tenants here have protection from the County's Property Maintenance Code, Maryland's Tenant Mold Protection Act, and public health guidance.
The World Health Organization reviewed the research on damp buildings in its 2009 Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould. It concluded that the most important health effects are increased respiratory symptoms, allergies, and asthma, together with disturbance of the immune system. The World Health Organization named the prevention of persistent dampness and microbial growth inside buildings as the most important way to avoid those effects.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, reports that damp, moldy buildings increase occupants' risk of respiratory problems, including shortness of breath and worsening asthma. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, states that the key to mold control is moisture control and that water-damaged areas should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
Since July 1, 2025, the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, Real Property Article § 8-220, has set deadlines that apply in Anne Arundel County. Once a landlord receives written notice of mold from a tenant or from the local code enforcement agency, the landlord must perform a mold assessment within 15 days. If the assessment finds mold, the landlord must complete remediation within 45 days, or within a reasonable time if 45 days is not feasible.
The same law requires the landlord to follow recommended industry guidelines and state and local law, to keep occupants informed during the work, to ensure proper ventilation and low indoor humidity, and to maintain the property under all applicable housing and building codes. A landlord must also give each tenant a mold pamphlet when the lease is signed, and the State may use the EPA's Brief Guide for that pamphlet.
The Act defines mold to include Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Memnoniella, Mucor, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Trichoderma. It also directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to adopt uniform assessment and remediation standards by June 1, 2027, with remediation measured against the EPA's Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings.
Anne Arundel County sets minimum standards for existing residential structures in its Property Maintenance Code, Article 15, Title 4 of the County Code. The Department of Health's Housing Protection Services Program enforces it, responding to complaints about interior and exterior maintenance and other housing conditions. The Department states that it conducts the initial inspection within 10 business days of receiving a complaint.
Violations of the Property Maintenance Code carry civil fines of $125 for a first violation, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for each later violation. The City of Annapolis enforces its own housing code within city limits, so an Annapolis tenant may need to contact the City rather than the County. A written notice from the local code agency that identifies mold starts the landlord's 15-day clock under the Tenant Mold Protection Act.
Rent escrow in the District Court can push a landlord to make repairs, but it does not compensate a tenant for illness, medical bills, lost wages, or ruined belongings. A claim for those losses proceeds separately in the circuit court. Before signing anything in a rent escrow or eviction case, read it carefully, because a release signed there can end an injury claim.
Report the mold and the water problem to the landlord in writing, and keep a dated copy. File a complaint with the Department of Health's Housing Protection Services Program, or with the City of Annapolis for a rental inside the city, and keep any report it issues. Photograph the growth, the stains, and damaged belongings before anyone repaints. Hire your own qualified mold assessor rather than relying on the landlord's contractor, and save every message and repair ticket.
If new symptoms begin after exposure to mold or water-damaged building materials, including exposure you did not recognize at the time, see your doctor for care. Maryland injury claims generally must be filed within three years under Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 5-101, and claims against public housing carry earlier notice deadlines.
Christopher L. Beard, an Annapolis attorney, concentrates his practice in toxic mold injury and habitability claims for Maryland tenants and has filed mold cases in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County. To discuss an Anne Arundel County rental, e-mail chris@attorneybeard.com or call (410) 267-0227. You can also read our article on the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act.
This article is one part of a five-part series. Read the full series, Mold in Maryland Rentals, for every jurisdiction in one place.
For the same guidance in neighboring jurisdictions, read about mold in rentals in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Prince George's County, and the Eastern Shore. You can also return to the attorneybeard.com home page or see how Chris Beard represents Maryland tenants injured by mold.
