Queen Anne's County, MD Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Chapter 14:1, the Queen Anne's County Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act, sorts critical area land into intensely developed, limited development (LDA) and resource conservation areas. Section 14:1-38D(8) is the impervious surface cap for project approvals in the LDA: 15% of the gross site area proposed for development, with exceptions for older lots.

A parcel or lot of 1/2 acre or less that was a lot of record on or before December 1, 1985 is held to 25% of the parcel or lot. A parcel of 1/4 acre or less in nonresidential use on or before that date gets the same 25%. A lot of 8,000 square feet or less that was a lot of record by then gets 25% plus 500 square feet, provided new impervious surfaces are minimized, stormwater quality impacts are minimized through site design or best management practices agreed on by the County and the Critical Area Commission, and on-site mitigation is performed or a fee-in-lieu is paid. A lot over 8,000 and up to 21,780 square feet gets 31.25%, subject to the same three conditions. A lot over 21,780 and up to 36,300 square feet is limited to 5,445 square feet, again subject to those conditions.

For an individual lot of one acre or less in a subdivision approved after December 1, 1985, impervious surfaces cannot exceed 25% of the lot, but the total over the entire subdivision cannot exceed 15%. The limits do not apply to a legally existing manufactured home park that was in residential use on or before December 1, 1985.

The definition of lot coverage in § 14:1-11 reaches structures, accessory structures, parking areas, driveways, walkways and roadways, plus gravel, stone, shale, impermeable decking, pavers, permeable pavement and any man-made material. It excludes a fence or wall under one foot wide built without a footer, a wood mulch pathway, and a deck with gaps that let water pass freely.

Outside the Critical Area limits, the zoning chapter sets a nonresidential impervious surface ratio by district: in the AG District, § 18:1-14E(2)(a) allows .80 for agricultural support, .15 for rural country clubs and .40 for all other uses, and in the SR District, § 18:1-18E sets .40 for institutional and .35 for all other uses. The Board of Appeals can grant a variance under § 14:1-61 et seq.