Md. Code, State Government § 10-216
This is the official text of Md. Code, State Government § 10-216, part of Maryland’s Code, State Government — covers the structure and operation of Maryland state government.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§10–216.
Official statutory text
(a) (1) In the case of a single decision maker, if the final decision maker in a contested case has not personally presided over the hearing, the final decision may not be made until each party is given notice of the proposed decision in accordance with § 10-220 of this subtitle and an opportunity to:
(i) file exceptions with the agency to the proposed decision; and
(ii) present argument to the final decision maker that the proposed decision should be affirmed, reversed, or remanded.
(2) In the case of a decision-making body, if a majority of the officials who are to make a final decision in a contested case have not personally presided over the hearing, the officials may not make the final decision until each party is given notice of the proposed decision in accordance with § 10-220 of this subtitle and an opportunity to:
(i) file exceptions to the proposed decision with the agency; and
(ii) present argument to a majority of the officials who are to make the final decision.
(3) If a party files exceptions or presents argument under paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection, the official or officials who are to make the final decision shall:
(i) personally consider each part of the record that a party cites in its exceptions or arguments before making a final decision; and
(ii) except as otherwise provided by law or by agreement of the parties, make the final decision within 90 days after the exceptions are filed or the argument is presented, whichever is later.
(b) The final decision shall identify any changes, modifications, or amendments to the proposed decision and the reasons for the changes, modifications, or amendments.
(i) file exceptions with the agency to the proposed decision; and
(ii) present argument to the final decision maker that the proposed decision should be affirmed, reversed, or remanded.
(2) In the case of a decision-making body, if a majority of the officials who are to make a final decision in a contested case have not personally presided over the hearing, the officials may not make the final decision until each party is given notice of the proposed decision in accordance with § 10-220 of this subtitle and an opportunity to:
(i) file exceptions to the proposed decision with the agency; and
(ii) present argument to a majority of the officials who are to make the final decision.
(3) If a party files exceptions or presents argument under paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection, the official or officials who are to make the final decision shall:
(i) personally consider each part of the record that a party cites in its exceptions or arguments before making a final decision; and
(ii) except as otherwise provided by law or by agreement of the parties, make the final decision within 90 days after the exceptions are filed or the argument is presented, whichever is later.
(b) The final decision shall identify any changes, modifications, or amendments to the proposed decision and the reasons for the changes, modifications, or amendments.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.