Plastic Bags Will Be Banned Starting Jan. 1, 2026 

County Executive Marc Elrich, joined by County Councilmember Kate Stewart, Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Watershed and Restoration Division Chief Amy Stevens, highlighted Montgomery County’s new “Bring Your Own Bag” law, which will take effect on January 1, 2026. The law will prohibit plastic carryout bags in most areas of the County and require a 10-cent fee for paper bags. The Bring Your Own Bag Tax Law (Bill No. 24-25) replaces the existing Carryout Bag Tax Law.

“We created the Bring Your Own Bag law to help cut down on plastic pollution in Montgomery County,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “By stopping the use of single-use plastic bags at most stores, we’re reducing waste and protecting our environment. I encourage everyone to bring reusable bags when they shop. This simple step can make a big difference.” 

The Bring Your Own Bag Tax Law bill was passed unanimously by Montgomery County Council on Feb. 11, 2025. Introduced by then Council President Kate Stewart, the “Bring Your Own Bag” Tax Law was created with the goal of reducing waste, protecting our waterways, and encouraging residents to bring their own bags. 

“Montgomery County continues to lead in safeguarding the health of our residents and protecting our environment by reducing the use of plastic bags,” said Councilmember Kate Stewart. “The Bring your Own Bag Bill goes into effect in January to help put a stop to plastic bags clogging our waterways, parks and public spaces. We look forward to seeing more reusable bags in checkout lines in 2026!” 

Plastic bags will not be offered at store checkouts, except in municipalities that have not adopted Chapter 48 of the County Code or have their own plastic bag law. The price of a paper bag will increase from 5 cents to 10 cents. Five cents of the new fee will be retained by the retailer, and the remaining 5 cents will go toward the Water Quality Protection Charge, managed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  

 “The Water Quality Protect Charge funds many of the County’s Clean Water Montgomery initiatives that help protect our local waterways and wildlife,” said DEP Director Jennifer Macedonia. “For the last few months, DEP has been running a ‘Change Is In the Bag’ campaign that incorporates in-person outreach, social media, bus ads, news, radio, newsletters and website updates to inform businesses and residents of the new Bring Your Own Bag law. At DEP, we are committed to ensuring that residents and retailers are aware of the new law to make this transition as smooth as possible.”  

DEP has provided extensive outreach to the County retailers and residents through the Change Is In the Bag campaign by: 

• Distributing over 25,000 reusable bags at benefits offices, food pantries, libraries and public events. 
• Meeting with more than 2,000 businesses in person to discuss the new bag law. 
• Providing signage for public display to businesses in seven languages with the new law update. 
• Running bus advertisements in four languages throughout the County. 
• Creating digital advertisements and signage that are currently running at all County libraries, recreation centers and office buildings. 
• Running paid and organic social media campaign on DEP’s social accounts. 

Some exemptions to the plastic carryout bag in the Bring Your Own Bag Tax Law include:  

• Plastic bags provided by a pharmacist that contain a prescription drug. 
• Plastic bags used to package bulk items, including fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, candy, ice or small hardware items. 
• Plastic bags that contain hanging garments or dry-cleaned clothes, including suits, jackets or dresses.  
• Plastic bags that contain or wrap perishable items, including meat, fish, unwrapped prepared foods or bakery goods.