Law / United States / Maryland / Rockville
Price Coordination and Algorithmic Devices
Rockville City Code ch. 18, sec. 18-148
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
In force in 100 days, effective 1 January 2027.
An AI prohibited practices rule binding private bodies.
As of 3 September 2026.
What it requires
- Beginning 2027-01-01, a residential landlord in Rockville who uses a product or service built on algorithms and nonpublic competitor pricing, occupancy, or lease-term data from two or more landlords to recommend rents, fees, terms, or occupancy levels violates this section, so do not offer that capability for a Rockville landlord's use
- A Rockville landlord who subscribes to or pays for such a product or service also violates this section
What it reaches
How the hook was established
express
What it reaches
capability
What makes it apply
Place of effect
Obligation class
Prohibition
What it makes you log
Logging duty
The city's own announcement of the adopted section describes a ban on using an algorithmic device to set rent, fees, or other rental terms, and describes no duty to log, record, or otherwise document a rent-setting decision. The full codified text of section 18-148 is not yet published on the city's site, which still shows the section reserved pending its January 2027 effective date, so this finding rests on the announcement alone.
- Kind
- None
- As of
- 21 September 2026
Who checks it
Audit expectation
none
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Under new Rockville City Code section 18-148, a residential landlord may not use an algorithmic device to set rent, fees, or other rental terms for a dwelling unit in the city. An algorithmic device is a product or service that uses algorithms and draws on nonpublic competitor data from two or more landlords to recommend rents, fees, terms, or occupancy levels.
Landlords may also not coordinate prices with other landlords, agree not to compete on rent or terms, or subscribe to or pay for algorithmic pricing or price-coordination services. Aggregated and anonymous monthly rental reports, tools used to set rent or income limits under a government affordable housing program, and landlords who own only one rental unit in the city are exempt.
The Mayor and Council adopted the section in July 2026, and it takes effect 1 January 2027, not yet reached as of this review.
When LexLint raises it
high_risk_decisions
Read the law
City of Rockville official announcement of the adopted code revision
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.