Worcester County, MD Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Sheds, detached garages and similar outbuildings in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland fall under the lot requirements in § ZS 1-305, which the County Commissioners adopted as part of the zoning Title and amended most recently by Bill No. 25-04. Three separate limits apply to an accessory building.

First, coverage: under subsection (p)(1), accessory structures cannot cover more than thirty percent of the required rear yard. Second, separation: under (p)(2), an accessory building must be at least six feet from any other building on the same lot, from any right-of-way, and from the lot lines of adjoining lots in any A, E, V, R or RP District. Third, sequence: under (p)(3), no accessory use or structure is allowed on a lot until the principal use or structure exists or construction of the principal structure is being diligently pursued. The code carves out one exception for a single customary residential accessory structure less than five hundred square feet in area, which the lot owner can build ahead of the house.

Location in the yard is controlled by subsection (h)(2). No accessory building or structure can occupy a required yard setback other than a rear yard, with listed exceptions such as temporary roadside stands, freestanding signs under § ZS 1-324, and school bus shelters or clustered mailbox facilities, and a variance granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals under § ZS 1-116. Subsection (j) adds that no lot can be reduced in area so that a yard falls below the minimum required, except by Board of Zoning Appeals approval. A lot on a road with a right-of-way under fifty feet wide, or on an arterial or collector highway, pushes the front setback back, and the shed has to respect that line too. In the RP District, the district height rule also limits an accessory structure to two stories or twenty-five feet. The Department of Development Review and Permitting handles zoning review and enforcement.