MD HB250

Authorizes the Maryland Department of the Environment to impose administrative penalties up to $5,000 per violation (maximum $100,000 total) for violations related to water appropriation, dam safety, and wetlands construction/modification

Removes previous limitation that restricted the Department's order and notice authority to only water appropriation and use violations, expanding enforcement to include dam safety violations

Requires penalty assessments to consider eight factors including willfulness, environmental harm, cleanup costs, proximity to water bodies or populated areas, and whether violations are part of a recurrent pattern

Directs administrative penalties collected under these provisions to be paid into the Maryland Clean Water Fund, except for dam safety-related penalties which go to the Private Dam Repair Fund

Establishes that unpaid penalties become liens on violators' real and personal property, with each day a violation continues counting as a separate violation; effective July 1, 2026