MD HB236

Adds intentional visual surveillance of areas where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy at their residence as grounds for seeking a peace order, even if the surveillance does not violate existing criminal visual surveillance statutes

Expands final peace order remedies to allow courts to order respondents to remove or reposition surveillance devices within 15 days and refrain from further visual surveillance

Amends criminal harassment law to include conducting visual surveillance of private areas of another person's residence, alongside existing prohibitions on following someone in public or engaging in alarming conduct

Criminal penalties for harassment violations: first offense up to 90 days imprisonment and/or $500 fine; second or subsequent offense up to 180 days imprisonment and/or $1,000 fine

"Residence" is defined to include yard, grounds, outbuildings, and common areas surrounding the residence; effective October 1, 2025