(a)      This subtitle does not apply to:

            (1)      The sale or rental of a single family dwelling, if the dwelling is sold or rented without:

                  (i)      The use of the sales or rental facilities or services of any:

                        1.      Real estate broker, agent, or salesman;

                        2.      Agent of any real estate broker, agent, or salesman;

                        3.      Person in the business of selling or renting dwellings; or

                        4.      Agent of a person in the business of selling or renting dwellings; or

                  (ii)      The publication, posting, or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of this subtitle; and

            (2)      With respect to discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or marital status:

                  (i)      The rental of rooms in any dwelling, if the owner maintains the dwelling as the owner's principal residence; or

                  (ii)      The rental of any apartment in a dwelling that contains no more than 5 rental units, if the owner maintains the dwelling as the owner's principal residence.

      (b)      The use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies, and other similar professional assistance as necessary to perfect or transfer the title may not subject a person to this subtitle if the person otherwise would be exempted under subsection (a) of this section.

      (c)      This subtitle may not be construed to invalidate or limit any law of a political subdivision of the State that requires dwellings to be designed and constructed in a manner that affords an individual with a disability greater access than is required by § 22(b) of this subtitle.

      (d)      Nothing in this subtitle requires that a dwelling be made available to an individual whose tenancy:

            (1)      Would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals; or

            (2)      Would result in substantial physical damage to the property of others.

      (e)      Nothing in this subtitle shall prohibit a religious organization, association, or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings that it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to these persons, unless membership in the religion is restricted on account of race, color, or national origin.

      (f)      Nothing in this subtitle shall prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodgings that it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of the dwellings to its members or from giving preference to its members.

      (g)      Nothing in this subtitle limits the applicability of any reasonable local, State, or federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling.

      (h)      The provisions in this subtitle that deal with familial status do not apply to housing for older persons as defined in § 20 of this subtitle.

      (i)      Nothing in this subtitle prohibits conduct against a person because the person has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance, as defined in Title 21, § 802 of the U.S. Code, or a controlled dangerous substance as defined in § 5-101 of the Criminal Law Article.

      (j)      (1)      In this subsection, "group home" has the meaning stated in § 4-601 of the Housing and Community Development Article.

            (2)      Nothing in this subtitle shall prohibit the State or a local government from enacting standards that govern the placement of group homes.