Complaint process.
Baltimore City Code, Article 1, § 8-6
in effect§ 8-6. Complaint process.
(a) Filing complaint with Human Services.
(1) A whistleblower who believes he or she has been retaliated against for making a covered disclosure shall file a written complaint with the personnel officer.
(2) The complaint must be filed within 30 days from when the whistleblower knew or reasonably should have known about the violation.
(b) Personnel officer’s responsibilities.
(1) Within 5 business days after receiving a complaint under this section, the personnel officer who received the complaint must give the whistleblower written notice of the complaint’s receipt.
(2) Within 10 business days after receiving a complaint under this section, the personnel officer who received the complaint must notify the agency head or the appropriate appointing authority of the agency to the complaint {sic}.
(3) Within 60 business {days} after the supervisor {personnel officer} received the complaint, the personnel officer must conduct an investigation and provide written findings to the whistleblower and to the agency head or the appropriate appointing authority of the agency.
(c) Filing complaint with Inspector General.
A whistleblower may choose to file a covered disclosure directly with the Office of the Inspector General if the whistleblower possesses a reasonable and articulable belief that any personnel officer cannot competently investigate the covered disclosure due to a conflict of interest or other specified reason.
(d) Timing of the complaint.
(1) A whistleblower must file a complaint within 30 calendar days, by close of business on the 30th day, from when the whistleblower knew or should have reasonably known of the retaliation.
(2) If the 30th day falls on a weekend or holiday or if City offices are closed for an emergency, the next business day when City offices are open shall count as the final day to file a complaint by close of business.
(e) Ethical requirements.
When making a covered disclosure, the whistleblower:
(1) must act in good faith;
(2) must make reasonable efforts to verify all information; and
(3) may not knowingly report false information or allegations to the Office of the Inspector General.
(f) Filing with Inspector General as appeal from personnel officer.
(1) If the whistleblower initially filed a complaint with a personnel officer, the whistleblower may appeal to the Inspector General if:
(i) the personnel officer who received the complaint failed to provide the whistleblower with written findings of the personnel officer’s investigation; or
(ii) the whistleblower does not agree with the personnel officer’s written findings.
(2) An appeal filed with the Inspector General under either paragraph (1)(i) or paragraph (1)(ii) of this subsection must be filed within 30 days from when the personnel officer should have presented or actually presented the whistleblower with the written findings of the personnel officer’s investigation.
(Ord. 21- 068; Ord. 19-332; Ord. 19-308.)
Source: City of Baltimore Department of Legislative Reference, City of Baltimore Law Library (codes.baltimorecity.gov; Open Law Library bulk XML)URL: https://codes.baltimorecity.gov/us/md/cities/baltimore/code/1/8-6Fetched: 10/25/2026