More than 300 new Maryland laws take effect Oct. 1. Here's what you need to know.

More than 300 new laws will take effect in Maryland on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Among the notable new laws are restrictions on law enforcement officers wearing face coverings, new protections for creative expression such as rap lyrics in criminal cases and restrictions on certain dynamic pricing practices.

The new laws also include changes involving vehicle registrations, housing, air conditioning requirements for some apartments, juvenile justice, speed cameras and human-trafficking training for certain drivers.

Here are some of the new Maryland laws taking effect Oct. 1, 2026:

• Plate Where You Live: The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration is cracking down on Maryland residents who keep their vehicles registered in another state. Drivers with out-of-state license plates will have 60 days to make sure their vehicles are properly registered or they could face civil penalties.

  Vehicle owners can be fined $7 per day for up to 60 days. If they remain out of compliance after 120 days, local jurisdictions can pursue civil action, including towing, impoundment or booting.

• Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act: Landlords generally must make a conditional offer before checking an applicant's criminal history. If an offer is withdrawn because of criminal history, the landlord must provide a reason and allow the applicant to request a reassessment.

  The law also prohibits covered landlords from requiring prospective tenants to undergo drug or alcohol testing.

• Air conditioning requirements: Certain rental units in apartment buildings with 10 or more units must have air conditioning capable of cooling the unit to 80 degrees or lower from June 1 through Sept. 30.

  The requirements apply to certain newer units, units that previously had air conditioning, units where the lease requires air conditioning and certain units undergoing major electrical or heating-system renovations.

• Police face-covering and identification rules: The Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission must establish statewide policies generally prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while performing their duties and requiring officers to wear identification, with specified exceptions.

• Protection From Predatory Pricing Act: The law restricts food retailers and third-party food delivery services from using dynamic pricing or consumer personal data to set prices for consumer goods or services under specified circumstances.

  The law also establishes disclosure requirements for certain merchants that use specified pricing practices.

• Maryland PACE Act: The Protecting Artists' Creative Expression Act changes the rules for when a defendant's creative expression can be used as evidence in a criminal case.

  The law covers creative works including song lyrics, music, poetry, literature and film. A defendant's creative expression generally cannot be admitted as evidence unless the court makes specified findings.

• Vulnerable Road User Protection Act: The law allows the Maryland State Highway Administration to establish speed-monitoring systems in designated safety corridors identified as high-risk areas for pedestrians, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users.

  Local governments can also use speed cameras in qualifying safety corridors.

• Youth Charging Reform Act: The law changes when juveniles can automatically be charged as adults for certain serious crimes.

  Some offenses that previously triggered automatic adult charges will instead begin in juvenile court, although prosecutors can seek to transfer certain cases to adult court.

  Certain serious offenses, including rape and murder, remain subject to mandatory adult charges under specified circumstances. The law also establishes restrictions on housing juveniles in adult correctional facilities and limits their exposure to adult inmates, with exceptions.

• Human-trafficking training for rideshare and for-hire drivers: Certain applicants for for-hire driver's licenses and transportation network services will have to provide documentation showing they completed human-trafficking awareness training.

You can find the full list of Maryland laws taking effect Oct. 1 on the Maryland General Assembly's website.