05/28/2026
๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ & ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ฌ
On March 23, 2026, the Maryland House of Delegates passed HB 497, and on April 9, 2026, the legislature formally engrossed the companion measure, SB 433. These bills altered the Maryland Family Law Article by extending temporary protective orders from not more than 7 to not more than 14 days after issuance. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐, ๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ ๐ซ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐. ๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐, ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌ.
You can review the specific actions and provisions for both bills through the Maryland General Assembly HB 497 History and the Maryland General Assembly SB 433 Details pages. For local procedures on filing and resources, please visit the Maryland Courts Domestic Violence Guide or the Maryland Peopleโs Law Library.
These bills altered the Annotated Code of ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐, ๐
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐, ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐-๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐โ๐๐๐.
Specifically, the legislation enacted the following statutory amendments:
๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐โ๐๐๐(๐): Amended to change the effective duration of a temporary protective order from โnot more than 7 days after serviceโ to โnot more than 14 days after issuanceโ. It also mandates that the final protective order hearing be scheduled within this same 14-day window.
๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐โ๐๐๐(๐)(๐) ๐๐ง๐ (๐): Amended to adjust the corresponding timeline for the final protective order hearing and to explicitly grant courts the authority to order a respondent to pay for emergency financial losses (such as medical care, property damage, and relocation costs) directly resulting from the abuse.
Electronic Filing: Under the related ยง 4-505.1, victims can now file petitions for temporary protective orders electronically from secure, authorized locations like hospitals, child advocacy centers, or domestic violence assistance programs.
๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐โ๐๐๐(๐)(๐)(๐ข) ๐๐ง๐ ๐โ๐๐๐(๐): were also reenacted within the bills without further amendments to maintain consistent statutory context.
Contact our Protective Order Attorney if you have a protective order hearing coming up in the District or Circuit Courts in Montgomery County, MD.
๐๐๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ซ๐ข ๐๐๐ฐ
(๐๐๐) ๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฌ๐ค@๐ค๐๐ฆ๐ค๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฐ.๐๐จ๐ฆ
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ