Wicomico County, MD Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)

Chapter 160, the Housing Standards code, governs every dwelling, boardinghouse and rooming unit in unincorporated Wicomico County, and Section 160-24 makes it unlawful for an owner, lessee, sublessee or occupant to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, demolish, equip, use, occupy or maintain a building, structure or premises contrary to the Code or to any order the Housing Official has issued. A violation is a civil infraction, and the Code treats each day the condition continues as a fresh, separately punishable violation, so an owner who ignores a notice accumulates exposure daily rather than facing a single flat fine.

Section 160-26 sets the penalty ceiling at $1,000 per violation, and it lets the County Council adopt, by resolution, a graduated schedule of fines rather than charging the statutory maximum in every case. Common violations residents report to the Housing Official under this chapter include unsafe or dilapidated structures, missing or defective door hardware, rodent harborage, lead-based paint hazards, and exterior maintenance failures covered elsewhere in Chapter 160's later articles. Before a fine is assessed, the Housing Official must give the owner written notice describing the specific condition found in violation and a reasonable time to correct it; only after that notice period expires without compliance does a citation follow.

Beyond fines, the County may pursue an injunction or other equitable relief in circuit court under Section 160-27 to force compliance, restrain further work, or prevent occupancy of a noncompliant structure. The Department of Building, Housing and Zoning administers this enforcement program for the unincorporated county; Salisbury, Fruitland, Delmar and the other incorporated towns enforce their own separate housing codes.