Wicomico County, MD Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 225-70A bars any building from sitting closer to a lot line than the distance authorized in the district-by-district Schedule of District Regulations at § 225-74, measured from the property line or right-of-way to the nearest part of the building that is not a mere appendage like a flagpole. Where a wall is not parallel to the lot line, the average setback must still meet the requirement and no point of the wall may come within five feet of the line. Front setbacks can flex to match the neighborhood: § 225-70C lets the required front yard shrink or grow to approximate the average depth of existing front yards on adjoining lots, or, absent adjoining structures, the average of the nearest homes within 500 feet on the same side of the street.

Accessory buildings generally follow the principal building's setbacks under § 225-70F, except that in any residential district, the A-1 Agriculture-Rural District, the V-C Village Conservation District or the TT Town Transition District, an accessory building may come no closer than five feet to a rear or side property line. Recreation structures such as swimming pools, tennis courts and skateboard ramps, and decorative accessory structures like gazebos and wishing wells, must also stay at least five feet off any side or rear line. Fencing in resource conservation and residential districts is capped at eight feet high and may sit on the rear or side line but must be set back five feet from the front property line. Open unenclosed porches and terraces may project up to 10 feet into a required front yard.