Financial Disclosure
File or View a Financial Disclosure Statement Here
The Baltimore City Public Ethics Law requires many public servants to file annual financial disclosure statements in order to help them and members of the public identify potential conflicts of interest. (see City Code, Article 8, Title 7)
Financial disclosure statements are filed and viewed online. To file or view a statement, please create or access your account on the Financial Disclosure Site here.
NOTE: If you cannot find a financial disclosure statement online, please request the statement by contacting the Ethics Board staff.
Before you complete your form, please review each schedule's written instructions and tutorial video, accessible on the left-side menu. For assistance with creating an account on the Financial Disclosure Site, please watch the tutorial video below.
Frequently Asked Questions
A financial disclosure statement is a form that asks you to identify certain property and financial interests, as well as some gifts, debts, and other information, for the previous calendar year. The purpose is to help you and members of the public identify potential conflicts of interest. Even disclosing that you do not have significant property or financial interests serves this purpose.
Sections 7-7, 7-8, and 7-9 of the Ethics Law specify the City officials and employees who are required to file. Each year, the Ethics Board, in collaboration with City agencies and the Department of Human Resources, identifies required filers based on the Ethics Law’s criteria.
As a general matter, the following public servants must file financial disclosure statements:
- Officials and many non-clerical employees of City agencies and instrumentalities (§§ 7-7 and 7-8);
- "Non-clerical” means any compensated public servant who is not employed solely in a secretarial, clerical, or custodial capacity.
- Members of most City boards and commissions (§§ 7-7 and 7-8);
- Individuals filling procurement, enforcement, and legislative liaison functions (§ 7-9);
- Individuals vacating any of these positions (§ 7-11).
- Individuals filling a vacancy in any of these positions (§ 7-12).
- Candidates for qualifying elected positions (§ 7-13).
- Designees of the Mayor and of the City Council President (§ 7-14).
The Ethics Board is authorized to charge a $10 per day late fee for each overdue statement. For continued noncompliance, the Board is required to refer the matter to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation and may eventually recommend that the late filer be suspended without pay.
Annual Statement
- Each qualifying non-elected official/employee must file their statement on or before April 30 of year year. The annual statement covers the preceding calendar year.
- Each qualifying elected official must file on or before January 30 of each year.
New Employees/Officials: Entry Statement
New officials/employees filling a qualifying position must file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment/start date. The annual statement covers the preceding calendar year.
*Exception: No entry statement required if already filed disclosure statement for previous calendar year in another position, if disclosure was as extensive as previous position's.
Departing Employees/Officials: Departure Statement
Officials/employees departing a qualifying position must file a financial disclosure statement within 60 days of departure. The annual statement covers the preceding calendar year (if not already filed), and the period of the current calendar year up to departure and must be signed under oath/affirmation, subject to the penalties of perjury.
*Exception: No departure statement required if official/employee taking new position for which annual statement is required, if that statement is as extensive as previous position's.
Candidates for Elected Office Statement
Candidates for qualifying elected positions must file statement no later than filing their certificate of candidacy. Annually thereafter, up through the year of the election, they must file on or before April 30, OR on the last day for withdrawal of candidacy under State Election Law Art., § 5-502.
The candidate statement covers the preceding calendar year and must be filed with the Board of Elections, which must forward to Ethics Board.*
*Exception: No candidate statement required if already filed disclosure statement for previous calendar year.
Generally, the following “interests” of the public servant during the reporting period are required to be disclosed, as well as certain interests that are “attributable” to the public servant. “Attributable interests” are those held:
- By the public servant’s spouse, parent, child, or sibling, IF the public servant directly or indirectly controlled the interest;
- By a business entity in which the public servant holds an equity interest of 30% or more; or
- By a trust or estate in which the public servant holds a reversionary interest, is a beneficiary, or, if a revocable trust, was a settlor. There are certain exclusions for blind trusts.
Please review Article 8, § 7-16 to § 7-29 for detailed content requirements, or call/email the Ethics Board for assistance.
Real Property |
Must include a schedule of each interest in real property, including interests held by attributable business entity. Schedule must include:
|
Business Entities |
Must include a schedule of each interest in a business entity (e.g., corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or any other business entity) whether or not that entity does business with or is regulated by the City. Schedule must include:
|
Gifts |
Must include a schedule of each significant gift (more than $20) accepted by the public servant, or someone else at direction of public servant, that was given directly or indirectly by any person the public servants knows or should have known was:
Schedule must include:
Exceptions: Need not disclose:
|
Offices, Employment, etc. |
Must include a schedule of each office, directorship, salaried employment, and other similar interest:
Schedule must include:
|
Indebtedness |
Must include a schedule of each debt that was owed:
To any business entity that was:
Schedule must include:
*Exceptions: Does not apply to retail credit accounts, retail installment sales accounts, or utility accounts. |
Family Employed by City |
Must include a schedule of any spouse, parent, child, or sibling employed by the City at any time during the reporting period. Schedule must include:
|
Sources of Income: General |
Must include a schedule of other earned income for the public servant and for public servant’s spouse/children, including:
Schedule must include:
|
Sources of Income: Substantial Interests of Elected Officials |
Applicable only to elected officials: If official or their spouse holds an equity interest of 30% or more in one or more business entities, must disclose name and address of any person making payments to those entities if that person is:
|
Disclosure statements are retained by the Ethics Board and are available for public inspection on the Financial Disclosure Filing Site.
The Financial Disclosure Filing Site automatically redacts officials/employees' home addresses, records the identity and contact information of persons inspecting statements, and records the names of officials/employees whose statements are inspected.