(a) Generally. — Landlord-tenant and grantee actions shall be governed by (1) the procedural provisions of all applicable general statutes, public local laws, and municipal and county ordinances, and (2) unless inconsistent with the applicable laws, the rules of this Title, except that no pretrial discovery under Chapter 400 of this Title shall be permitted in a grantee action, or an action for summary ejectment, wrongful detainer, or distress for rent, or an action involving tenants holding over.
Rule 3-711.Landlord-tenant and grantee actions
District Court · Last amended October 1, 2025 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-711 governs landlord-tenant and grantee actions in District Court, applying local landlord-tenant statutes first and, since October 2025, requiring landlords to notify tenants before filing for summary ejectment.
Full Text of Rule 3-711
(b) Summary ejectment — required notice of intent. — Before filing a complaint for summary ejectment pursuant to Code, Real Property Article, § 8-401, the landlord shall provide to the tenant a written notice of the landlord’s intent to file the complaint in accordance with Code, Real Property Article, § 8-401(c). The notice shall be in the form approved by the State Court Administrator, as posted on the Judiciary website and available in the offices of the clerks of the District Court, including the portion of the form that provides information pertaining to resources available to tenants and landlords.
Amendment History
Amended Oct. 31, 2002, effective Jan. 1, 2003; June 26, 2025, effective October 1, 2025.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is derived from former M.D.R. 1 b and 401 a. Section (b) is new.
Plain-English Summary
Landlord-tenant cases in Maryland don't run on a single uniform rulebook. Rule 3-711(a) makes the applicable general statutes, public local laws, and municipal or county ordinances the primary source of procedure for these cases, with the Title 3 District Court rules filling in only where they don't conflict. The rule also carves discovery out of the picture for the case types that move fastest through court: grantee actions, summary ejectment, wrongful detainer, distress for rent, and actions against tenants holding over. None of those permit pretrial discovery under Chapter 400, which keeps landlord-tenant dockets moving at the pace local law expects.
Rule 3-711(b), added effective October 1, 2025, adds a new front-end requirement for the most common landlord-tenant filing: summary ejectment. Before a landlord can file a summary ejectment complaint under Real Property Article § 8-401, the landlord must first send the tenant written notice of the intent to file, following the notice procedure in § 8-401(c). That notice has to use the form the State Court Administrator approves — posted on the Judiciary website and available at District Court clerks' offices — and the form must include information about resources available to both tenants and landlords, not just a bare warning that eviction is coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of cases does Rule 3-711 cover?
It covers landlord-tenant and grantee actions generally, and it specifically calls out summary ejectment, wrongful detainer, distress for rent, and actions against tenants holding over as case types where pretrial discovery isn't allowed. The underlying statutes, public local laws, and municipal or county ordinances that apply to the specific type of case set most of the actual procedure.
Do landlords have to notify tenants before filing for summary ejectment?
Yes, as of October 1, 2025. Rule 3-711(b) requires a landlord to send the tenant written notice of intent to file a summary ejectment complaint before filing it, following the notice requirements in Real Property Article § 8-401(c). Filing the complaint without first sending that notice doesn't comply with the rule.
Where can I find the required pre-filing notice form?
The State Court Administrator approves the form, and it's posted on the Maryland Judiciary website and available at the offices of the District Court clerks. The form isn't just a notice — it also has to include information about resources available to tenants and landlords.
Can I take discovery — depositions, document requests, interrogatories — in a landlord-tenant case?
Not in the case types Rule 3-711(a) lists: grantee actions, summary ejectment, wrongful detainer, distress for rent, and actions against holdover tenants. Chapter 400 discovery doesn't apply to those proceedings, which is part of what keeps them moving quickly.
What law controls how my landlord-tenant case proceeds?
Start with the applicable general statutes, public local laws, and municipal or county ordinances — those control first. The Title 3 District Court rules apply on top of that framework, but only to the extent they don't conflict with the statutes and ordinances that specifically govern the case.
What's a grantee action?
Rule 3-711 doesn't define the term itself — it groups grantee actions with summary ejectment, wrongful detainer, and distress for rent as the categories where Chapter 400 discovery doesn't apply. The substantive law defining a grantee action lives in the applicable Real Property Article provisions, not in this procedural rule.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: maryland landlord tenant rulessummary ejectment marylandmaryland eviction notice requirement 2025notice of intent to file eviction marylanddistress for rent maryland district courtwrongful detainer marylandgrantee action maryland district courtlandlord tenant discovery maryland