- D.C. delays a general sales-tax hike but adds new pet-deposit rules; tipped minimum wage stays $10/hour until July 1, 2026.
- Maryland adds tiered speed-camera fines, tightens reckless-driving penalties, and expands tools against organized retail theft.
- Virginia’s record-sealing overhaul is slated for July 1, 2026; no immediate change this week.
New laws across D.C., Maryland and Virginia will change taxes, traffic penalties, cannabis rules and tenant fees beginning Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025—with some notable exceptions and delays.
In the District of Columbia, a sales-tax hike that was slated to start this week will not happen. The D.C. Council’s fiscal 2026 budget law keeps the general rate at 6% through September 2026, then raises it to 7% on Oct. 1, 2026, according to a summary by Reuters.
D.C. renters with pets will see new rules on leases that begin Oct. 1, 2025. Under the Pets in Housing Amendment Act, housing providers may charge a refundable pet security deposit capped at 15% of one month’s rent and may add up to 1% “pet rent.” Service and assistance animals remain exempt. Breed, size and weight restrictions are set to be prohibited starting Oct. 1, 2026.
The District’s tipped minimum wage is also on a revised timeline. The D.C. Department of Employment Services says the tipped wage remains $10 an hour until July 1, 2026. Reporting by the Washington Post outlines the phased increases to 56% of the standard minimum wage next July and further steps thereafter.
Maryland will implement several high-impact public-safety and consumer measures on Oct. 1. The “Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act” tightens penalties for reckless driving by classifying speeds 30 mph or more over the limit as reckless, carrying six license points, a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. The law is named for a Montgomery County police officer who lost both legs when struck by a driver exceeding 100 mph.
Automated speed-camera citations statewide will move from a flat $40 fee to tiered fines based on how far a driver exceeds the limit: $40 (12–15 mph over), $70 (16–19), $120 (20–29), $230 (30–39) and $425 (40+). The change follows House Bill 182, which also directs a school-zone camera review.
Cannabis policy shifts as well. Adults 21 and older may manufacture personal-use cannabis products at home so long as the process does not use volatile solvents (such as butane or hexane). Large-scale trafficking remains a crime under updated penalty provisions enacted this spring.
Retail theft enforcement is tightening. Maryland’s new Organized Retail Theft Act lets prosecutors combine multiple thefts by the same person across counties into a single case and makes a series of thefts over a 90-day period a felony once the value threshold is met. Courts must note when a case qualifies as organized retail theft.
Another Maryland change allows residents to voluntarily add a “non-apparent disability” indicator to their driver’s license or state ID—known as Eric’s ID Law. Participants receive a small butterfly symbol from the Maryland MVA to alert officials that the holder may have an invisible disability, including autism, deafness or developmental disabilities.
Virginia’s widely watched criminal record-sealing overhaul is not taking effect this week. The automatic sealing of many non-conviction misdemeanors and other eligible records remains scheduled for July 1, 2026, under the Code of Virginia, Chapter 23.2, as agencies continue to build the new system.
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