MLK Day 2020: Here’s What’s Open, Closed In Baltimore County

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 20 this year, and a variety of services will be closed in Baltimore County for the holiday.

King’s birthday is Jan. 15, but the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader is observed on the third Monday of January each year.

Here’s a breakdown of how the holiday could impact your routine.

• Baltimore County Government Offices: Close
• Baltimore County Public Library: Closed
• Baltimore County Public Schools: Closed
• Baltimore County Senior Centers: Closed
• Post Offices: Closed
• Courts: Closed

Transportation:

• CountyRide will not operate.
• Parking meters must be fed.

Trash and recycling:

• These will be collected as scheduled.
• Baltimore County trash and recycling centers will remain open.

The history of the MLK holiday in America is a complicated one.

Almost immediately after King’s assassination in 1968, activists began pushing for a holiday celebrating his Jan. 15 birthday. However, the official national holiday wasn’t signed into law until 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.

The first federal MLK Day was observed on the third Monday of January in 1986, but many states held out. Arizona didn’t recognize the day until 1992, when the state lost its rights to host the Super Bowl after voters in Arizona failed to make the day a paid holiday.

The last state to adopt the holiday? New Hampshire, in 1999.

— By Gus Saltonstall and Elizabeth Janney