Maryland Open Meetings Act

The Open Meetings Compliance Board's annual meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2011, 10:30 a.m. at the Attorney General's Office, 200 Saint Paul Place, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202 - 19th Floor Sachs Conference Room.  If you plan to attend, please e-mail opengov@oag.state.md.us or call Kathy Izdebski at (410) 576-6327.

The State Open Meetings Law Compliance Board is an independent unit established by the General Assembly in 1991 to consider complaints alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act by State or local government entities that are subject to the Act. The Open Meetings Compliance Board consists of three members, appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Open Meetings Compliance Board, which has no office of its own, receives staff support from the Office of the Attorney General. The Compliance Board publishes an annual report addressing its activities during the course of the prior fiscal year.

The purpose of the Open Meetings Compliance Board is to offer the public an alternative to going to court when they feel the Open Meetings Act was violated. However, unlike a court, the Open Meetings Compliance Board has no enforcement authority. Therefore, the primary value of its opinions, in which it applies the Act to given factual situations, is to promote future compliance by educating public bodies and members of the public.

The Open Meetings Compliance Board has issued complaint procedures to assist those considering filing a complaint with the Open Meetings Compliance Board, and procedures to assist the public body in responding to the complaint.

For those interested in learning more about the Open Meetings Act, we encourage you to review the Open Meetings Act Manual (7th ed. 2010) published by the Office of the Attorney General.

Presentation of the Open Meetings Act PowerPoint slide show. The presentation is designed for State and local governments. The presentation can be saved to disk. Click for the presentation in PowerPoint or PDF.

Important Note: The Maryland Open Meetings Act does not apply to condominiums or homeowners associations. The Maryland Condominium Act contains a provision on the meetings of boards of directors: §11-109.1 of the Real Property Article. The Maryland Homeowners Association Act contains a provision on the meetings of a homeowners association or its governing body: §11B-111 of the Real Property Article.

Contact Information:
Open Meetings Compliance Board
Office of the Attorney General
200 Saint Paul Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
E-mail inquiries: opengov@oag.state.md.us.
Telephone inquiries: 410-576-6327