Cambridge Postpones Rental Registration Ordinances
The city commission delayed readings on rental and vacant property rules and approved amendments before the next meeting.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Apartments
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The Cambridge City Commission postponed ordinance readings on rental registration and vacant properties and approved amendments to both measures. Ordinance 1280 failed to pass after a city attorney ruled the mayor could not break a tie involving abstentions.
Why it matters
Delaying the ordinances holds up city staff from processing new rental property registrations, according to Mayor Lajan Cephas-Bey. Commissioner Shay Lewis-Sisco proposed the postponement because the weekend amendments were not included in the public council packet.
Ordinance 1280 received two affirmed votes and two abstentions and did not pass. Ordinance 1281 keeps a 30-day registration deadline for vacant commercial storefronts and a 180-day deadline for vacant residential structures.
The players
Cambridge City Commission
The governing body of Cambridge, Maryland, which sets local ordinances on rental housing and vacant property.
Lajan Cephas-Bey
The mayor of Cambridge, Maryland, who argued that delaying the ordinances holds up registration processing.
Shay Lewis-Sisco
A member of the Cambridge City Commission who proposed postponing the ordinances over the unpublished weekend amendments.
Brian Roche
A Cambridge city commissioner who has drafted a standalone nuisance property ordinance planned for future introduction.
The details
Ordinance 1280 covers rental dwelling registration, licensing and inspections, and removes the annual landlord self-inspection checklist during off-years and the tenant Bill of Rights acknowledgement requirement. Nuisance-property sections were removed after conflicting with newly passed state law, while Ordinance 1281 revises the definition of a vacant storefront to ground-floor commercial property unoccupied or unused for commercial activity.
Timeline
Nov. 13: Commission postponed readings and approved amendments to both ordinances.
Nov. 23: Both ordinances are scheduled for reintroduction as new agenda items.
Season Trajectory
The removal of nuisance-property sections reflects a state law that now limits how far Cambridge can go in regulating rental properties through local ordinance. The separate nuisance ordinance planned by Commissioner Brian Roche signals that local officials are working within those state limits.
Landlords and tenants in Cambridge face a delay in rental registration processing if the ordinances are postponed, which can hold up new registrations for two weeks to a month. Owners of vacant commercial storefronts still have a 30-day registration deadline, and owners of vacant residential structures have 180 days.
The takeaway
Cambridge renters and property owners should watch the Nov. 23 agenda, since the reintroduced ordinances may differ from the amended versions discussed on Nov. 13. Keeping registration paperwork ready will help avoid delays once the rules are finalized.
What happens next
Both Ordinance 1280 and Ordinance 1281 are scheduled to be re-introduced as new ordinances on the agenda for the Nov. 23 commission meeting.
Further reading
Explore more local rental-market coverage in Cambridge Apartments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Star Democrat.
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