(a) Applicability. — This Rule applies to a receiver appointed to take charge of property for the enforcement of a local or state code or to abate a nuisance.
Rule 3-722.Receivers
District Court · Last amended October 1, 2021 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3-722 sets the procedure for property receivers appointed to enforce a local or state code or abate a nuisance, from the receiver's bond and powers through sale, ratification, accounting, and removal.
Full Text of Rule 3-722
(b) Applicability of other rules. — Except as otherwise provided in this Rule, Title 14, Chapter 300 of these Rules governs a sale of property by the receiver.
(c) Bond. — The court may require the receiver to file a bond to the State of Maryland in the amount determined by the court.
(d) Order appointing a receiver. — An order appointing a receiver shall specify (1) the powers of the receiver, including any power to incur expenses and create liens on the property to secure payment of those expenses, (2) the amount of any bond, and (3) the terms of sale.
(e) Employment of other professionals. — A receiver shall not employ an attorney, accountant, appraiser, auctioneer, or other professional without prior approval by the court.
(f) Procedure following sale. —
(1) Notice by Mail. — Upon filing the Report of Sale, the receiver shall send a notice by first class mail and certified mail to the last known address of: the mortgagor; the present record owner of the property; and the holder of a recorded subordinate mortgage, deed of trust, or other recorded or filed subordinate interest in the property, including a judgment. The notice shall identify the property and state that the sale of the property has been completed and will be final unless cause to the contrary is shown within 30 days after the date of the notice. The receiver shall file proof of mailing with the court. This notice shall be in lieu of notice and publication by the clerk pursuant to Rule 14-305 (d).
(2) Posting of Property. — The receiver also shall cause the notice to be posted in a conspicuous place on the property and file proof of posting with the court.
(3) Exceptions to Sale. — Exceptions to the sale may be filed within 30 days after the date of the mailing or posting of the notice, whichever is later. In all other respects, exceptions shall be governed by Rule 14-305 (e).
(g) Ratification. — The court shall ratify the sale if (1) the time for filing exceptions pursuant to subsection (f) (3) of this Rule has expired and exceptions to the sale either were not filed or were filed but overruled, and (2) the court is satisfied that the sale was fairly and properly made. If the court is not satisfied that the sale was fairly and properly made, it may enter any order that it deems appropriate.
(h) Conveyance to purchaser. — Promptly after ratification of the sale and payment of the purchase price, the receiver shall convey the property to the purchaser and, unless the property is located entirely in Baltimore City, cause to be recorded among the land records of each county where any part of the property is located a certified copy of the docket entries and the final order of ratification.
(i) Accounting. — Promptly after conveying the property, the receiver shall file an accounting. The receiver shall send notice of the accounting to the persons listed in subsection (f) (1) of this Rule, who shall have 30 days after the date of the notice to file exceptions. The court may decide exceptions without a hearing unless a hearing is requested.
(j) Distribution and termination. — After the court has ratified the accounting, the receiver shall distribute the proceeds of the sale and petition the court to terminate the receivership.
(k) Removal of receiver. — Upon petition of a person having an interest in the property or on the court’s own initiative, the court may remove a receiver for good cause shown. A petition shall state the reasons for the requested removal and may include a request for the appointment of a successor receiver. The petitioner shall send a copy of the petition to the receiver and to each person entitled to notice under subsection (f) (1) of this Rule. The court may grant or deny the relief requested without a hearing, unless a hearing is requested by the receiver or other interested person with 10 days after service of the petition.
(l) Resignation of receiver. — A petition to resign shall state the reasons for the proposed resignation and may include a request for the appointment of a successor receiver. The receiver shall file with the petition a report and accounting from the date the receiver was appointed and shall certify that a copy of the petition, together with a copy of the report and accounting, was mailed to each person entitled to notice under subsection (f) (1) of this Rule. The filing of a petition to resign does not terminate the appointment until the resignation has been approved by the court. The court may grant or deny the requested relief with or without a hearing.
Amendment History
Added Dec. 16, 1999, effective Jan. 1, 2000; amended November 1, 2012, effective January 1, 2013; July 9, 2021, effective Oct. 1, 2021.
Committee Note & Source
Cross references. For the power of the District Court to appoint a receiver, see Code, Courts Article, §§ 4-401 (8) and 4-402 (b); Code, Real Property Article, § 14-120; and Baltimore City Building Code, 2011 Edition, § 121.
Cross references. Title 1, Chapter 400 (Bond).
Source. This Rule is new.
Plain-English Summary
This rule applies to a narrow but important kind of receivership: a receiver appointed to take charge of property so a local or state code can be enforced or a nuisance abated — the mechanism courts use to deal with dangerous, blighted, or code-violating property when the owner won't fix it. Rule 3-722 lays out how that receivership runs from start to finish. The court's order appointing the receiver has to spell out the receiver's powers (including any authority to spend money or place liens on the property to secure those expenses), any bond amount, and the terms of an eventual sale. A receiver can't hire an attorney, accountant, appraiser, auctioneer, or other professional without the court signing off first, and Title 14, Chapter 300 governs the actual sale of the property except where Rule 3-722 says otherwise.
The sale process itself is built around notice: once the receiver files the Report of Sale, the receiver must mail notice — first class and certified — to the mortgagor, the current record owner, and anyone holding a recorded subordinate interest in the property, including judgment holders, and must also post notice on the property itself. That notice stands in for the clerk's usual notice-and-publication process. Interested parties get 30 days after the later of mailing or posting to file exceptions to the sale, and the court ratifies the sale once that window closes and it's satisfied the sale was conducted and properly. After ratification and payment, the receiver conveys the property, records the ratification order in the local land records, and eventually files an accounting before distributing proceeds and asking the court to terminate the receivership. The rule also covers how a receiver can be removed for good cause or allowed to resign, in both cases with notice to everyone with an interest in the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of receivership does Rule 3-722 cover?
It applies specifically to a receiver appointed to take charge of property to enforce a local or state code or to abate a nuisance — not to receiverships generally. This is the tool courts use when a property is unsafe, blighted, or in violation of code and needs someone other than the owner managing it, and potentially selling it.
Does a receiver need court approval to hire a lawyer or contractor?
Yes. Rule 3-722(e) requires prior court approval before a receiver employs an attorney, accountant, appraiser, auctioneer, or any other professional. The receiver can't retain outside help on the property's behalf without the court signing off first.
How does the sale of a receivership property get finalized?
After the sale, the receiver mails and posts notice to interested parties, who then have 30 days from whichever of those happened later to file exceptions. If no exceptions are filed, or exceptions are filed but overruled, the court ratifies the sale once it's satisfied the sale was and properly conducted. The receiver then conveys the property and records the ratification order in the land records.
Who has to be notified before a receivership sale becomes final?
Rule 3-722(f)(1) requires the receiver to mail notice to the mortgagor, the present record owner of the property, and the holder of any recorded subordinate mortgage, deed of trust, or other recorded or filed subordinate interest, including a judgment. The same list of people gets notice again later when the receiver files an accounting.
Can a receiver be removed or allowed to resign?
Yes. Under Rule 3-722(k), anyone with an interest in the property, or the court on its own, can petition to remove a receiver for good cause, and the receiver or another interested person can request a hearing within 10 days of service of that petition. A receiver can also petition to resign, but the appointment doesn't end until the court approves the resignation, and the receiver has to file a report and accounting covering the whole period of the appointment first.
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 code enforcement receivermaryland receivership rules district courtnuisance abatement receiver marylandvacant property receivership marylandreceiver sale of property ratification marylandremoving a receiver maryland