# Montgomery County raises fine to $5K for street takeovers

> Montgomery County Council hikes street takeover fines to $5,000 after violent incidents.
- Title: Montgomery County raises fine to $5K for street takeovers
- Summary: Montgomery County Council hikes street takeover fines to $5,000 after violent incidents. Montgomery County raised fines for street takeovers to $5,000 to…
- Keywords: montgomery county council, street takeovers, fine increase, public roadways, unlawful racing, rent gouging, algorithmic rent fixing, real page, montgomery community media, public access television, journalistic ethics, news
- Source: The Banner — https://thebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/montgomery-county-council-street-takeovers-66DNW2RG4RFXXOMVU3AVAXAZ2I
- Author: Ginny Bixby
- Published: 2026-10-20T22:32:31.052+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: montgomery county council, street takeovers, fine increase, public roadways, unlawful racing, rent gouging, algorithmic rent fixing, real page, montgomery community media, public access television, journalistic ethics, news
## Street takeover fines raised
Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a bill to raise street takeover fines from $1,000 to $5,000.

> The legislation prohibits participation in unlawful racing and street takeovers on public highways and roadways
## Violent street takeover incidents
Police arrested three suspects after a February street takeover damaged two police cruisers.

> In one instance, an officer was inside the cruiser when the rear window was broken and the windshield smashed
## Council member on safety risks
Council member Andrew Friedson said takeovers create dangerous situations threatening neighborhoods and motorists.

> Takeovers “have created really difficult and dangerous situations that threaten the safety of neighborhoods. They threaten the safety of other motorists”
## First Amendment amendment debate
Council debated an amendment to protect peaceful protests but failed with only five members supporting it.

> The First Amendment should cover these activities
## Rent-gouging restrictions
Council passed bill to prohibit landlords from using algorithmic price fixing to raise rents.

> In algorithmic rent-fixing, landlords rely on companies such as Real Page, which generates prices for rental housing using public and nonpublic data from apartment building owners
## Real Page legal issues
Real Page faces lawsuits from Maryland and D.C. attorneys general over price-fixing accusations.

> In 2024, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Real Page over accusations of price-fixing
## Montgomery Community Media governance
New rules require council and county executive to appoint one member each to MCM’s board of directors.

> The legislation will require the council and county executive to each appoint one member to MCM’s board of directors
## MCM editorial independence
Bill includes new provisions to protect MCM’s editorial independence and journalistic ethics.

> The important pieces of this bill are making sure that MCM and organizations that receive a large percentage of their budgets from taxpayer dollars are following basic open meetings and ethics rules
## Key takeaway

Montgomery County raised fines for street takeovers to $5,000 to address violent incidents and property damage.