Howard County residents facing the painful potential of eviction have a little more room to maneuver, thanks to one of two bills signed by County Executive Calvin Ball on Friday.
Ball signed two key bills, one to renew and expand the NonProfit Collaborative (NPC), and the other to increase the number of days landlords are required to give notice to tenants facing evictions. Nearly 30% of Howard County residents rent their homes.
“Today’s bill signings reflect our unwavering commitment to the people who call Howard County home,” Ball said. “Howard County is extending eviction notice requirements from six days to 14, helping families facing one of the hardest moments of their lives have a real chance to find stability before it’s too late. Together, we will use every tool at our disposal to support our residents and community members.”
CB12-2026 requires landlords to give at least 14 days’ written notice to tenants upon the issuance of a warrant of restitution, more than double the six days’ notice it used to be. This legislation is part of Ball’s LIVE initiative, meant to address and reduce landlord-tenant issues. “LIVE” stands for “Landlord accountability, Investment in quality, Victim protection, and Eviction prevention”, and was announced in January 2026.
The new legislation also requires the written notice be sent and posted in certain methods and within certain timeframes; the Office of Consumer Protection must create a URL that has and maintains certain information, and amending penalty provisions for violations of landlord-tenant provisions of the County Code. If a landlord does not provide proper notice, that would constitute a Class A violation, which can carry daily fines.
In December 2025, the Advisory Board on Consumer Protection voted unanimously to recommend the County amend Howard County Code to increase the six-day notice to a 14-day notice of a scheduled eviction. The new requirements become effective on May 6, 2026. The new legislation also expands and strengthens Howard County departments and offices that handle landlord-tenant complaints. The Office of Consumer Protection and Department of Licenses and Permits will increase its staff to accommodate the responsibilities of supporting the LIVE initiative.
The second bill Ball signed on Friday expands the NonProfit Collaborative, which was created in 2016, when the Howard County Government entered into a 10-year agreement with the Howard County Housing Commission and the Association of Community Services of Howard County. Under the agreement, the county provided funds to cover approximately 62% of rent for nonprofit tenants. The agreement is due to expire in June 2026.
CB11-2026 renews the multi-year-agreement and Howard County subsidy for another 10 years. The total county subsidy would amount to around $4.3 million.
“[W]e renew and expand the NonProfit Collaborative for another ten years, investing in the organizations that serve over 15,000 of our neighbors annually and giving them the space to grow,” Ball said.
The NPC will be expanded for the first time to allow an expected 12 more local nonprofits to be housed at 9770 Patuxent Woods Dr. in Columbia. The Housing Commission will continue to use part of the property for office space and sublease the remainder to ACS and other participating non-profits. The expansion will bring the NPC’s footprint to 35,000 square feet.
Twelve nonprofit tenant organizations reside in the NPC, including Association of Community Services of Howard County, Bridges to Housing Stability, Compass, Inc., HopeWorks of Howard County, Mediation & Conflict Resolution Center, and more. Nineteen additional nonprofits rent mailboxes at the NPC, which gives them a street address instead of a P.O. Box.
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