(a) The Office of Consumer Protection must offer an applicant or licensee an opportunity for a hearing before denying, revoking, suspending, or refusing to renew a license. The Director of the Office of Consumer Protection may serve as hearing officer or the Director may appoint a hearing officer. The Director of the Office of Consumer Protection must give the applicant or licensee written notice of the hearing by personal service or certified mail delivered to the last address recorded in the official County registry at least 15 days before the date of the hearing. The notice must:
(1) specify the time, date and place of the hearing;
(2) contain sufficient information to inform the applicant or licensee of the reason for denying, revoking, suspending, or refusing to renew the license;
(3) specify that the applicant or licensee has a right to representation by counsel; and
(4) state that the license may be denied, suspended, revoked, or refused by the County.
(b) The hearing officer may deny, revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew the license of any dealer if the hearing officer finds a violation of:
(1) this Chapter;
(2) Chapter 11; or
(3) any other applicable law or regulation which applies to conducting business as a dealer.
(c) A decision to deny, revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a license must be in writing and specify the facts on which it is based. Each decision must be served on the dealer by personal service or certified mail. A dealer aggrieved by a decision to deny, revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a license may appeal to the circuit court for the County in accordance with the procedure prescribed for administrative appeals by the Maryland Rules of Procedure. (1981 L.M.C., ch. 27, § 1; 1983 L.M.C., ch. 28, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 2005 L.M.C., ch. 26, § 1; 2009 L.M.C., ch. 6, § 1.)
Editor’s note—2005 L.M.C., ch. 26, §§ 2 and 3, state:
Sec. 2. Regulations. A regulation which implements a function transferred to the Office of Consumer Protection by this Act continues in effect until otherwise amended or repealed, but any reference to any predecessor department or office must be treated as referring to the Office of Consumer Protection.
Sec. 3. Transition. This act does not invalidate or affect any action taken by the Department of Housing and Community Affairs before this Act took effect. Any responsibility or right granted by law, regulation, contract, or other document, and which is associated with a function transferred by this Act from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, is transferred to the Office of Consumer Protection.