Posted by Waste Happy
on September 10, 2026
Quick answer: Yes. Baltimore requires dog owners to pick up after their dogs under Baltimore City Health Code § 10-313. The set ticket for a first offense is $200, and $400 for a repeat. You are also required to carry a means of removal whenever you walk your dog.
What the Baltimore ordinance says
| Ordinance | Baltimore City Health Code § 10-313, Animal waste; environmental citation fine under City Code Art. 1, § 40-14(e); criminal penalty under Health Code § 10-1102 |
|---|---|
| Fine | $200 |
| Repeat offense | $400 |
| Must carry a bag | Yes |
| Service animal exemption | Yes |
How the penalty works
The Environmental Control Board schedule (Art. 1, § 40-14(e)) sets a prepayable civil fine of $200 for 'Health Code § 10-313. Animal waste.' Under § 40-14(b)(2), that fine doubles to $400 if, within the past 12 months, the same person paid or was ordered to pay a citation for the same provision. Alternatively, the violation can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 per offense, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense (§ 10-1102).
The carry rule
§ 10-313(a)(1): the owner or custodian must 'have in his or her possession a means for the removal and sanitary disposal of the animal's feces.'
Service animals
§ 10-313(c): the rule does not apply to 'an animal professionally trained to aid the visually, hearing, or mobility disabled, while actually being used for that purpose,' or to working law enforcement or government animals.
How Baltimore compares
At $200, the Baltimore ticket is higher than Columbia ($50) and Germantown ($100). Baltimore is also stricter than Columbia and Germantown on carrying: here the empty pocket is itself the offense.
In practice
Because Baltimore requires you to carry a way to clean up, the simplest way to stay on the right side of it is to keep bags on the leash itself, so they leave the house every time the dog does. The Walk Dispenser clips to the leash and holds a full roll.
Elsewhere in Maryland
Maryland dog poop laws covers the state and its other large cities. Nearby: Columbia dog poop law · Germantown dog poop law. All 50 states.
Source
Checked 2026-09-10 against the Baltimore municipal code. Codes change, so read the current version before relying on this for an actual citation.
This page is general information, not legal advice.
