Can Hotels Charge Pet Fees in Maryland? What Travelers Need to Know
September 18, 2026
If you have ever been hit with a surprise $75 “pet fee” at check-in, you already know how confusing hotel pet policies can be. Can hotels charge pet fees in Maryland, and if so, is there any limit on what they can charge? The short answer is yes for ordinary pets, but the rules change sharply once a service animal is involved.
Maryland does not have a law that caps standard hotel pet fees the way it caps residential security deposits, which means most lodging properties can set their own pricing. Federal disability law, however, draws a hard line: hotels cannot charge extra for a trained service animal, no matter how strict their regular pet policy is. Knowing which category your animal falls into, and which rules actually apply to a hotel stay versus a rental lease, can save you money and prevent an awkward standoff at the front desk.
Can Hotels Charge Regular Pet Fees in Maryland
For an ordinary household pet, a Maryland hotel is generally free to charge whatever fee it wants. Unlike residential landlord-tenant law, there is no statewide statute that limits pet fees, pet deposits, or pet rent for lodging establishments. Most of the legal guidance you will find about Maryland pet fee caps actually applies to apartment leases, not hotel stays, and it is easy to confuse the two.
Maryland’s landlord-tenant rules cap total security deposits, including any pet deposit, at a set amount tied to monthly rent, and require deposits to be refundable absent damage. Tenant Rights notes that landlords can charge monthly pet rent, but must clearly state amounts in the lease, and all deposits, including pet deposits, are subject to Maryland’s security deposit maximum and must be refundable if there’s no damage. Hotels operate under a completely different legal framework as short-term commercial lodging, so those caps and refund requirements do not carry over to a two-night stay at a Baltimore hotel or an Ocean City beach resort.
In practice, this means a Maryland hotel can post a flat pet fee per stay, a nightly pet charge, or a refundable damage deposit, and there is nothing in state law stopping it from setting that number as high as the market will bear. If you are traveling to Maryland for outdoor recreation, such as heading out during deer hunting season or planning a trip around trout fishing season with a hunting or fishing dog, budgeting for a pet fee is simply part of the trip cost.
Pro Tip: Call ahead and ask the hotel to confirm its exact pet fee structure in writing or by email before you book. Verbal quotes at check-in sometimes differ from what the reservation system charged online, and having a paper trail helps if a dispute comes up later.
Service Animals: Why Hotels Cannot Charge a Fee
Trained service animals are treated completely differently from pets under both federal and Maryland law, and this is where hotel pet fees in Maryland stop applying altogether. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) classifies hotels as places of public accommodation, and ADA.gov states plainly that people with disabilities who use service animals cannot be isolated from other patrons, treated less favorably than other patrons, or charged fees that are not charged to other patrons without animals. It also specifies that if a business requires a deposit or fee to be paid by patrons with pets, it must waive the charge for service animals.
Maryland backs this up with its own statute. Under the Maryland Human Services Code § 7-705, an individual with a disability or a parent of a minor child with a disability who is accompanied by a service animal specially trained for that purpose in a place, accommodation, or conveyance listed in § 7-704(b) may not be required to pay extra compensation for the service animal, but the individual may be liable for any damages to the premises or facilities caused by the service animal. The same protection extends to trainers: the statute adds that a service animal trainer who is accompanied by an animal that is being trained as a service animal may not be required to pay extra compensation for the animal, but the service animal trainer organization that certifies the service animal may be liable for any personal injuries or damages caused by the service animal.
Under federal guidance, only dogs (and in limited cases miniature horses) qualify as service animals for public access purposes, and the animal must be individually trained to perform a specific task tied to a disability. Front desk staff are limited to two questions: whether the animal is required because of a disability, and what task it has been trained to perform. They cannot demand certification paperwork, ask about your diagnosis, or add a “pet-friendly room” surcharge simply because a service dog is staying overnight.
| Situation | Can the Hotel Charge a Fee? |
|---|---|
| Trained ADA service dog | No extra fee or deposit allowed |
| Service animal in professional training, with trainer | No extra fee allowed per Md. Hum. Servs. § 7-705 |
| Damage caused by a service animal | Yes, standard damage charges apply |
| Ordinary household pet | Yes, hotel sets its own fee |
Important Note: A hotel can still bill you for actual damage a service animal causes, using the same policy it would apply to any guest. What it cannot do is add a blanket “pet fee” or refundable deposit just because the animal is present.
Emotional Support Animals: Do Maryland’s Laws Offer Extra Protection
Emotional support animals occupy a much weaker legal position when it comes to hotel stays, and Maryland does not close that gap the way some travelers assume. According to Nolo’s summary of Maryland disability law, emotional support animals aren’t covered by either public accommodation law, since both Maryland law and the ADA only cover animals trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities. That source adds directly that since emotional support animals aren’t covered by the ADA or Maryland’s service animal laws, you can be charged extra if an establishment permits you to have your ESA.
The confusion usually comes from mixing up housing law with hotel law. The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to waive pet fees for ESAs in apartments and rental homes, but that protection is specific to residential dwellings. As ESA Pet explains, the Fair Housing Act covers ESAs in housing, not typical hotel stays, so it does not require hotels to waive fees or no-pet rules for ESAs. That means hotels may treat ESAs as pets, applying the same fee schedule, size restrictions, and room availability rules used for any other pet.
You might wonder whether an ESA letter changes anything at check-in. It generally does not for lodging. A Maryland hotel can legally ask you to pay a pet fee, place you in a designated pet-friendly room, or even decline the animal altogether if its “no pets” policy has no exceptions, since hotels can refuse ESAs or charge pet fees. If you are staying somewhere long enough that the room functions more like a residence, some ESA policies for extended stays can shift toward housing-style protections, but that is a fact-specific gray area rather than a guaranteed right.
Pet Fee vs. Pet Deposit: What’s Legal in Maryland
The terms “pet fee” and “pet deposit” get used interchangeably by travelers, but they mean different things legally, and that distinction matters even outside the hotel context. A pet fee is typically a flat, non-refundable charge for the privilege of bringing an animal, while a deposit is meant to be refunded if the animal causes no damage. Maryland residential law treats these differently: as one Maryland attorney explained regarding rental housing, charging an additional “pet fee” which is non-refundable would be reasonable, and should be treated simply as additional rent, since Maryland law does not otherwise specifically address pet fees.
In the rental market, deposits are held to a stricter standard. Tenant Rights notes that under Maryland Code, Real Property § 8-203, Landlords cannot make the entire “pet deposit” non-refundable; deposits are refundable unless damage occurs. Hotels are not bound by that same statute, so a hotel’s “refundable” pet deposit is really a matter of that property’s own written policy rather than a state-mandated protection. Always read the fine print on your reservation confirmation to see whether the charge is labeled a fee (keep it, no refund expected) or a deposit (get it back if the room is undamaged).
- Pet fee: A flat, typically non-refundable charge covering the cost of allowing a pet in the room.
- Pet deposit: An amount collected upfront and refunded if there is no damage, similar to a security deposit.
- Cleaning charge: A fee assessed after checkout only if the room requires extra cleaning beyond normal turnover.
- Damage charge: A separate bill for specific repairs, applicable to any guest, pet owner or not.
This is also where Maryland’s broader patchwork of animal-related regulations becomes a useful comparison. Just as Maryland residents dealing with backyard chicken laws or rooster laws have to check both state statutes and local county ordinances, hotel pet policies often layer a corporate brand standard on top of whatever the individual franchise owner decides, so the posted fee can vary from one location to the next even under the same hotel brand.
Are There Limits on How Much Hotels Can Charge in Maryland
There is no statewide cap on how much a Maryland hotel can charge for a regular pet, which puts pricing power almost entirely in the hotel’s hands. Fees in Maryland commonly range from a one-time charge in the $25 to $150 range up to nightly fees for extended stays, though exact pricing varies by property, brand, and even room type. Because these numbers are set independently by each hotel rather than by regulation, the only reliable way to know your cost is to check the specific property’s policy before booking.
Contrast this with the residential rental market, where Maryland does impose real structure. The overall security deposit cap means that total security deposit, including any pet deposit, cannot exceed two months’ rent. Hotels have no equivalent ceiling. A resort charging a $200 nonrefundable pet fee for a weekend stay is not violating Maryland law, even though a landlord asking for the same amount as a pet deposit on top of a security deposit could run afoul of the residential cap.
Pro Tip: Compare pet fees across a few Maryland hotel chains before booking, since some brands cap fees at a flat rate per stay while others charge per night, which can make a week-long stay dramatically more expensive at one property than another.
If your trip involves spending time outdoors with your pet, such as watching the spring bird migration or timing a visit around dove hunting season, it is worth factoring the pet fee into your overall trip budget alongside gear, permits, and gas. It is also smart to check whether the area has venomous wildlife or other hazards your pet should avoid while you are out exploring, since that is a separate safety consideration from the hotel’s fee structure.
What to Do If a Hotel Charges You Illegally in Maryland
If a Maryland hotel tries to charge you a pet fee for a legitimate, trained service animal, you have real legal recourse. Start by calmly citing the specific protection: reference the ADA’s public accommodation rules and Maryland Human Services Code § 7-705, which together prohibit extra compensation for a service animal in places of public accommodation. Ask to speak with a manager if front-line staff are unfamiliar with the policy, since many fee disputes get resolved once someone with authority reviews the situation.
- Document everything. Save the reservation confirmation, any email or text about pricing, and photos of posted pet policy signage at the property.
- Explain the service animal distinction. Clarify that the animal is a trained service animal, not a pet, and that federal and Maryland law both bar extra fees for it.
- Request a refund in writing. If you already paid the fee, ask for a written refund confirmation rather than a verbal promise.
- File a complaint if the hotel refuses. Complaints about ADA violations can be filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Maryland-specific complaints can go through the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.
- Consider small claims court for unresolved refunds. If a hotel keeps an illegally charged fee, Maryland’s small claims process is designed for exactly this kind of low-dollar dispute.
Penalties for denying access or improperly charging fees can be significant. According to State Regs Today, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying access to a service animal is considered a misdemeanor and can result in fines up to $10,000, and if the denial of access causes harm or injury to the individual with a disability, the penalties may be more severe. That penalty structure gives hotels a strong incentive to train staff properly, and it gives you leverage if a property is uncooperative.
Common Mistake: Do not assume an emotional support animal letter carries the same weight as a service animal designation at a hotel front desk. Since ESAs are not covered by the ADA or Maryland’s service animal statute, insisting on a fee waiver for an ESA is unlikely to succeed and can escalate a simple pricing conversation unnecessarily.
Whether you are traveling with a working service dog, an emotional support animal, or just a family pet excited to see the state’s diverse wildlife from a safe distance, knowing which fee rules actually apply before you book saves both money and frustration. Regular pet fees are a normal, legal part of Maryland hospitality pricing, but a trained service animal should never come with a surcharge attached. This article provides general legal information and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney familiar with Maryland disability law and your specific situation.