Legislation that clarifies business-license requirements for self-storage operations in the state of Maryland goes into effect on Oct. 1. House Bill 968 (HB 968) and Senate Bill 734 (SB 734) update the definition of “storage warehouse” to exclude self-service storage facilities. Owners of these businesses will only need to obtain city- and county-level business licenses, not a state-level one, according to a Sept. 29 newsletter sent from the national Self-Storage Association (SSA) to its members.
The issue was originally presented and resolved during the 2022 legislative session. However, the Maryland Comptroller reinterpreted the language related to “storage warehouses” to include self-storage, the newsletter stated. The SSA and the Maryland Self Storage Association (MDSSA) advocated for HB 968 and SB 734 to ensure self-storage owners would be exempt from the need to obtain a state business license.
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MDSSA is a nonprofit association committed to strengthening and enhancing the self-storage industry in Maryland. It hosts an annual conference and tradeshow.
The SSA represents more than 22,000 U.S. and international member-affiliated self-storage facilities, according to its website. It’s allied with several state and international self-storage associations and has about 6,000 members.
Sources:Maryland Self Storage Association, Maryland Business License Clarification Is Effective October 1SSA Magazine Weekly, 9/29/25, “Maryland Business License Clarification Is Effective October 1st"
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