New Maryland Law Requires Posting of Utility Bill Default Notices and Authorizes Entry To Condominium’s Common Area

Effective October 1, 2012, entities that bill Condominiums Councils for water or sewer charges are required to post notices if utility bills are in arrears for more than 60 days, and are authorized to enter the common area of the condominium to post a notice of the default.  Under House Bill 884 (Chapter 684) from the 2012 session of the General Assembly, public utilities, sanitary commissions, political subdivisions, and the public service commission, when directly bill the governing bodies of condominiums for utility charges, are required to post notices on the condominium property that a utility bill is in arrears.  Previously existing law requires that such utility providers provide notice to property owners that service will be discontinued due to unpaid bills.  The new law amends various sections of the Annotated Code of Maryland as to condominiums to require that such notices be posted at the condominium, and authorizes entry into the common area for the purpose of posting the required notice.  Effected code provisions include Sections 9-662, 9-724 and 9-726.1 of the Environmental Code, and Sections 7-307.2 and 25-504 of the Public Utilities Code.