When a sheriff executes an eviction in Baltimore County, what happens to the tenant’s belongings? Under the county’s current ordinance, the answer has been stark: the property is immediately deemed abandoned, landlords can dispose of it, and tenants have no legal mechanism to retrieve it. No waiting period. No notice. No recourse.

That ordinance is now the subject of a federal lawsuit filed in June 2026 by Maryland Legal Aid. And if you’re a Baltimore County landlord — especially one who has followed the county’s policy in good faith — a recent federal court ruling awarding $186,000 in damages against Baltimore City for the exact same practice makes this a case you cannot afford to ignore.

Here’s what happened, where things stand today, and what every Baltimore County property owner needs to do right now to protect themselves.

How We Got Here: The Baltimore City Precedent

The story starts with Marshall and Tiffany Todman, a couple evicted from their Baltimore City apartment in 2018. Under a city ordinance, their belongings — furniture, clothing, personal documents, and medication — were treated as legally abandoned the moment the sheriff arrived. Their landlord disposed of everything. The Todmans sued, and after years of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit sided with them.

In its July 2024 ruling, the Fourth Circuit held that Baltimore City’s ordinance violated the 14th Amendment’s due process protections. The court found that treating tenants’ property as abandoned at the instant of eviction — without any notice or opportunity to retrieve belongings — deprived people of a constitutionally protected property interest without due process. The $186,000 damages award was upheld against the city.

That ruling established a binding legal precedent for all courts within the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction — which includes Maryland. The question immediately became: which other jurisdictions have similar ordinances?

Baltimore County’s Ordinance — and the June 2026 Lawsuit

Baltimore County, as it turns out, has an ordinance nearly identical to the one the Fourth Circuit struck down in Baltimore City. Under the county’s policy, a tenant’s belongings are deemed immediately abandoned when the sheriff executes a warrant of restitution. Landlords operating under this ordinance in good faith have been disposing of tenant property without notice, believing they were following the law.

On June 11, 2026, Maryland Legal Aid filed a federal lawsuit challenging Baltimore County’s ordinance on exactly the same constitutional grounds: that treating tenants’ belongings as abandoned at the moment of eviction, with no waiting period and no opportunity for retrieval, violates the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.

The lawsuit is active. No ruling has been issued. But given the Fourth Circuit’s clear position on this issue — and the fact that the Baltimore City case set the precedent — legal observers give the county ordinance a difficult road ahead.

What This Means for Baltimore County Landlords Right Now

The lawsuit has not been decided. But the Fourth Circuit’s ruling in the Baltimore City case is not ambiguous — and it governs federal courts in Maryland. That means Baltimore County landlords who follow the existing county ordinance and immediately dispose of a tenant’s belongings after eviction may be doing something that a federal court has already found unconstitutional in an identical situation.

Waiting for the county lawsuit to resolve before changing your practices is a gamble that could cost you. Here is what you should do immediately, regardless of how the litigation plays out:

Do not immediately dispose of tenant property after an eviction. Even if the current county ordinance seems to permit it, the legal landscape has shifted. Give tenants a documented, reasonable window — typically 5 to 10 business days — to retrieve their belongings. Put the notice in writing.

Document everything. If you must remove property from the unit after an eviction, photograph or video everything before it is moved. Create an inventory of significant items. This documentation is your defense if a former tenant later claims their belongings were improperly disposed of.

Know Maryland’s Tenant Possessions Recovery Act. HB 767, passed by the Maryland General Assembly and effective October 1, 2025, already establishes specific statewide procedures for handling tenant belongings after eviction. Landlords are required to follow these procedures regardless of any county ordinance. If you are not familiar with this law, get familiar now.

Stay current on the proposed 14-day notice ordinance. Baltimore County’s administration has introduced legislation requiring 14 days’ written notice before eviction removal. This would exceed the state minimum of 6 days. While not yet enacted, this direction signals where the county is heading — and your practices should be moving that direction now, not after it becomes law.

The Proposed 14-Day Notice Requirement: What Could Change

Separate from the federal lawsuit, Baltimore County’s administration has introduced legislation that would require landlords to provide tenants with written notice at least 14 days before a scheduled eviction removal. Current county law contains no such requirement, though Maryland state law — since a 2025 amendment — requires at least 6 days’ advance notice before a scheduled eviction.

The proposed Baltimore County ordinance would make the county’s requirements significantly stricter than the state floor. It has not yet been enacted as of September 2026. However, its introduction alongside the federal lawsuit signals clearly that Baltimore County is moving toward stronger tenant protections in the eviction process.

For landlords, the practical implication is this: build a 14-day written notice buffer into your eviction planning now. Even if the ordinance doesn’t pass in its current form, the direction of the law is unmistakable. The cost of adapting early is minimal. The cost of being caught flat-footed by a new compliance requirement — or by the federal lawsuit reaching its likely conclusion — is not.

Why Professional Property Management Matters More Than Ever

What the Baltimore County eviction lawsuit illustrates is a broader truth about managing rental property in 2026: the legal environment is evolving faster than most self-managing landlords can track. The Fourth Circuit’s Baltimore City ruling was issued in July 2024. Maryland’s Tenant Possessions Recovery Act took effect October 2025. Baltimore County’s lawsuit was filed in June 2026. And a new notice ordinance is working its way through the county council right now.

Each of these developments changes what landlords must do. Miss one, and the consequences are not just fines or lease violations — they are federal damages claims that can reach six figures.

At Sungate Property Management, this is the work we do every day for 400+ properties across Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Our compliance analyst Sergio Ramirez tracks regulatory changes as they move through local and state government — not after they land on the front page of the Baltimore Sun. Our eviction procedures are reviewed and updated whenever the law changes. Our owners are informed. And when an eviction does become necessary, they are not navigating this exposure alone.

Managing rental property in Baltimore has never required more legal fluency than it does right now. The right property manager doesn’t just collect rent — they keep you on the right side of a legal landscape that can cost you $186,000 when you get it wrong.