Filing a Complaint

Complaints may be filed by the property owner, the property owner's authorized representative, a tenant, or an authorized representative on behalf of a tenant. Submission must be either made through the online submittal process or by completing the Department supplied form. The Department will only investigate complaints where the complaint form has been fully executed with all requested information.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

  • Can an order or decision made by the Code Official be appealed? §162-9 provides a means for appeal. A person aggrieved by a decision of the code official which has been made in connection with the enforcement of any provision of this chapter or regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter may appeal the decision to the director of the department. Such appeal shall be filed in writing within 30 calendar days of the date f the final decision by the code official and shall clearly state the grounds on which the appeal is based. Any final decision made by the Director pursuant to this section may be appealed to the Circuit Court for Harford County by the aggrieved person who initiated the department appeal. An appeal of any final decision made by the director shall be filed in writing within 10 calendar days of the date of such final decision and shall clearly state the grounds on which the appeal is based. The decision of the Director shall be presumed by the Court to be proper and to best serve the public interest. 

    Appeals of notices and orders, other than imminent danger notices, shall stay the enforcement of the notice and order until the appeal heard by the Director pursuant to the provisions of this section. Imminent danger shall be defined as a condition which could cause serious or life-threatening injury or death at any time. 

  • Can a Notice of Violation only be issued to the property owner? No. A notice of violation may be issued to anyone who has committed an infraction of Chapter 162 of the Harford County Code. More specifically §162-15 of the Harford County Code outlines responsibilities for property owners and tenants.
  • What are the penalties associated with the issuance of a Notice of Violation? In accordance with §162-8 of the Harford County Code, the Department may issue a Civil Citation for a violation of this chapter. Civil citations in accordance with §1-23 of the Harford County Code carry up to a $1,000.00 penalty and/or further legal action in a court of competent jurisdiction. 
  • If my rental property is within the municipal limits of the City of Aberdeen, Town of Bel Air or the City of Havre de Grace does the County Livability code apply? Chapter 162 of the Harford County Code is not applicable to property within the municipal limits of the three municipalities within Harford County, Maryland. The points of contact to address livability concerns are as follows;

Town of Aberdeen:

Brian Shatto - Supervisor                            Danny Roberts
bschatto@aberdeenmd.gov                        droberts1@aberdeenmd.gov
(410) 272-1600 ext. 224                              (410) 272-1600 ext.137
60 N. Park Street                                         
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001                         

Hours: 8:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m


Town of Bel Air: 

Stephen Kline, Director, DPW                     Chrissy Mullaney   
skline@belairmd.org                                   cmullaney@belairmd.org
(410) 638-4536                                           (410) 638-4545
705 E. Churchville Road
Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Joli Long
jlong@belairmd.org
(410) 638-4536

Hours: 8:00 a.m to 4:30 p.m


City of Havre de Grace:

Earl Sweigart
earls@havredegracemd.gov
(410) 939-1800 ext.2104
711 Pennington Avenue
Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078

Hours: 7:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m