Seasonal RV site agreements in Maryland
What Maryland law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.
Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.
Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Maryland?
Maryland's Mobile Home Parks Act covers 'residents' who own a mobile home (8+ ft wide, 30+ ft long, permanent chassis, designed as a dwelling) on a rented site; typical RVs do not meet that definition, so the Act's protections generally do not apply to RV sites. No Maryland statute sets a day threshold for RV or campground occupancy. A long-term RV occupant who lives on site under a monthly or annual agreement may be treated as an ordinary residential tenant under Title 8, with court eviction required.
What that means for notices and removal
Not specifically addressed for RV sites. If a residential tenant: 60 days' written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy (Real Prop. § 8-402(b), as amended 2021), 10-day notice before filing for nonpayment (§ 8-401), and removal only by district court order; self-help lockouts are prohibited.
Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Maryland
Maryland authorizes submetering of electricity, with PSC approval, in apartment houses, office buildings and shopping centers: charges must be allocated by actual kWh, cannot exceed what the utility actually charges, may add at most $1 per unit per month for administration, and meters must meet PSC accuracy and testing standards. Campgrounds and RV parks are not named in the statute, so a park should follow the same at-cost approach and check its utility's resale tariff.
Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Maryland
Maryland's 6% sales and use tax applies to an 'accommodation,' defined as the right to occupy a room or lodgings as a transient guest; Comptroller guidance does not mention campsites or RV pads, and no ruling treating bare site rent as a taxable accommodation was found. Monthly or permanent-resident rentals are generally outside the tax (Comptroller and industry guidance describe a four-month threshold in resort areas). Confirm with the Comptroller and check county hotel-rental taxes, which vary.
Signing agreements online in Maryland
Maryland Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.
Clauses to include in a Maryland seasonal agreement
These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.
Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Maryland Association of Campgrounds (MAC).
Get the free seasonal site agreement template
Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Maryland clauses above into it.
Or skip the paperwork entirely
Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.
Other states
Sources
- https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/real-property/title-8a/subtitle-1/section-8a-101/
- https://www.peoples-law.org/mobile-home-evictions
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gpu§ion=7-303&enactments=false
- https://www.ncsl.org/energy/utility-submetering
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtg§ion=11-101&enactments=false
- https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/content/dam/mdcomp/tax/legal-publications/Sales_and_Use_Tax-List_of_TPP_and_Services.pdf
- https://www.avalara.com/mylodgetax/en/resources/vacation-rental-tax-guides/maryland.html
- https://moderncampground.com/resources/associations/
This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Maryland. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.