Local Government - Moderate Income Housing Unit Requirements - Prohibition Against Fee-in-Lieu

HB 1444 prohibits counties and municipalities in Maryland from allowing developers to pay a cash fee instead of including moderate-income housing units in new residential developments. It directly affects developers who would previously have paid fees to avoid building affordable units, and local governments that could no longer accept such payments. The bill amends local housing requirements to require actual unit construction, not fee payments, for moderate-income housing in new projects. This change applies prospectively from October 1, 2025, and does not affect existing fee agreements made before that date.