HB 780 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Urban State Highways - Speed Limits - Exemptions

HB 780 allows Maryland's State Highway Administration to lower speed limits by 5 mph on designated urban highways without conducting an engineering and traffic study. It directly affects drivers and pedestrians on urban highways meeting specific criteria (e.g., located in municipal boundaries, near public facilities with high pedestrian traffic, or with curbs/gutters). The bill modifies existing law to exempt these speed reductions from the standard engineering review requirement. This change takes effect October 1, 2025, applying to urban highways under the State Highway Administration's jurisdiction.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 29, 2025 Last action Feb 28, 2025
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What changed between versions

First - Urban State Highways - Speed Limits - Exemptions Third - Urban State Highways - Speed Limits - Exemptions · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill adds new requirements for lowering speed limits on urban highways, including a mandatory 30-day public notice before implementation and a six-month waiting period before speed monitoring systems can be used to enforce reduced limits. The definition of 'urban highway' was expanded to include more types of roads, and the ability to lower speed limits without an engineering study was restricted to specific circumstances.
Scope change
The bill now applies to a broader range of urban highways, including those within municipal corporation boundaries and those with significant pedestrian traffic from adjacent facilities.
REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the State Highway Administration to publish 30-day public notice on its website and in a newspaper before reducing speed limits on urban highways.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a prohibition on using speed monitoring systems to enforce reduced speed limits on urban highways for six months after the reduction, unless an engineering and traffic investigation is performed.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'urban highway' to include roads within municipal corporation boundaries and those with public facilities creating appreciable pedestrian traffic.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the conditions under which speed limits can be reduced without an engineering and traffic investigation, restricting this ability to specific scenarios.

TECHNICAL

Added new legislative metadata including committee report status, house action, and reading dates.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 24, 2025

How they voted

9933
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 137
Feb 24, 2025
D Democratic98
93 Yea 1 Nay 4
94% Yea
R Republican39
6 Yea 32 Nay 1
82% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Referred Judicial Proceedings
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Feb 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Feb 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation
lower
Feb 24, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (99-33-5)
house of delegates
Jan 29, 2025
Committee
First Reading Environment and Transportation
lower
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors