Anne Arundel County, MD Ordinances (2026)

Anne Arundel County adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) as its Electrical Code and requires a permit from the Department of Inspections and Permits before any electrical…

Anne Arundel County exempts decks of 200 square feet or less, under 30 inches high, and detached from the house from a building permit: anything bigger, higher, or attached needs one…

Anne Arundel County's amended IRC section R313.2 requires an automatic residential fire sprinkler system, installed to NFPA 13D, in every new one- and two-family dwelling, and extends…

Family day-care homes in Anne Arundel County must meet Life Safety Code exit standards: a required sliding-door exit needs a simple single lock and a clear 28-inch opening, and…

Anne Arundel County requires footing, framing, and final inspections at each construction stage under the Building Code Supplement, with work staying exposed until the Code Official…

Anne Arundel County adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code and requires a permit before any plumbing work; only a licensed plumber under § 11-4-605 may apply, and unpermitted work…

Anne Arundel County requires all new construction and major renovations to meet the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, enforced by the Department of Inspections and Permits…

Private lots and communities may only tow unauthorized vehicles if they post signs meeting exact size, content, and spacing rules under County Code Title 16.

Anne Arundel County requires a Second-Hand Dealer License from the Department of Inspections and Permits before buying and reselling used goods, with a background-based fitness…

Anne Arundel County requires a Department-issued license to operate as a pawnbroker, with a $250 fee for the first licensee and $50 for each additional worker at the same shop.

Anne Arundel County's zoning code limits home occupations to an exhaustive list of allowed trades, and running a car-repair business isn't one of them, not in a house, garage, or…

Anne Arundel County requires anyone who owns, operates, or manages a massage therapy establishment to hold a $25 license from the Department of Inspection and Permits, renewed every…

Anne Arundel County treats adult bookstores and adult movie theaters as conditional uses that must sit at least 1,000 feet from homes, schools, parks, and each other.

Anne Arundel County zones tattoo parlors and body piercing salons as a distinct use, permitted outright in C3 and C4 commercial districts, mixed-use districts, and heavy industrial…

Anne Arundel County bans weeds or grass over 12 inches tall on most improved property, with exemptions for open space zoning, large unimproved lots, and government-owned land.

Anne Arundel County requires developers who clear forest below the county's conservation threshold to replant at up to two acres for every acre removed, under the Article 17 forest…

Anne Arundel County bans weeds or grass over 12 inches on most properties, but the Director of Public Works may modify that limit for natural wooded areas, covenanted open space, and…

Anne Arundel County requires 14 feet of vertical clearance over roads for trees, bushes and vegetation on private property that block driver sightlines or overhang the roadway, and the…

Anne Arundel County requires a special event permit for any street fair or festival that closes public streets, alleys, or county waters, or requires extra county services, filed at…

Anne Arundel County requires written permission from the Recreation and Parks Director for any organized gathering of 40 or more people in a county park, plus separate permits for…

Anne Arundel County lets restaurants that set up pandemic-era outdoor seating keep it permanently under § 18-2-207, but only if they applied to the Planning and Zoning Officer within…

Closing a county street for a block party requires a special event permit filed 90 days ahead through Inspections and Permits, since the event needs exclusive street use.

Anyone organizing a parade, a gathering of 500 or more people, or another event that closes streets, uses county waters, or draws on extra county services needs an Anne Arundel County…

Gas-fired and charcoal grills used for cooking must be kept at least 15 feet from combustible construction under the county's Fire Prevention Code amendment to NFPA 1, up from the…

Anne Arundel County's Fire Prevention Code requires hibachis, gas-fired grills, and charcoal grills (which cover charcoal smokers) to be kept at least 15 feet from combustible…

In unincorporated Anne Arundel County, an advertising sign commonly used in a retail business may fill a display window only up to 30% of the window's area under the County's general…

Electronic message boards are allowed alongside permitted signs in Anne Arundel County if each message displays for at least five seconds, with added restrictions near historic sites…

Political signs are treated as temporary signs under county code: no permit needed, but size caps to 9 or 24 square feet, a 12-foot height limit, and removal deadlines apply, with a…

Anne Arundel County lets you skip a permit for a garage-sale sign, but it must sit on your own lot, stay under 9 square feet, and come down within 7 days after the sale ends.

Anne Arundel County's Department of Animal Services must microchip an impounded animal at the owner's expense before redemption if the owner had a qualifying animal-control violation…

Anne Arundel County requires every pet shop and grooming parlor to keep 180°F wash water, sanitary nonporous cages sized for each animal, fresh food and water, and adequate ventilation…

Anne Arundel County bans owned cats from roaming at large but exempts eartipped community cats, and lets registered trap-neuter-return caregivers reclaim colony cats fee-free: with no…

Anne Arundel County has no breed-specific ban. Animal Control designates individual dogs potentially dangerous, dangerous, or vicious based on documented conduct under County Code §…

Anne Arundel County allows bird sanctuaries as a conditional zoning use, requiring at least three acres, 100-foot setbacks from residential property, and nonprofit accreditation for…

Animal hospitals and veterinary clinics need special exception approval in Anne Arundel County, with animal housing kept 50 to 100 feet from residential zoning.

Anne Arundel County's zoning code caps how many pets, livestock, and fowl a household may keep, scaling the limit to lot size: no more than 9 cats, a rising dog schedule past 4, and…

Anne Arundel County ties livestock and fowl to lot size: 40,000 sq ft minimum for horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and most poultry, with smaller options for chickens and ducks.

Operating a wildlife or animal rescue facility anywhere in unincorporated Anne Arundel County requires a $25 annual county license: the operator must be a registered nonprofit, pass an…

Anne Arundel County does not ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats: retailers must meet care standards under Code § 12-4-805 and report every sale to Animal Services within two…

Anne Arundel County requires owners to have a dog or cat spayed or neutered at their own expense before redeeming it, once that animal has been impounded unaltered twice within 12…

Dogs and other domesticated animals may not be at large anywhere off their owner's property in Anne Arundel County unless leashed or under an owner's direct control.

Anne Arundel County prohibits keeping any wild, exotic, or vicious animal as a pet or for display, and separately makes keeping skunks, raccoons, and opossums illegal countywide…

Anne Arundel County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot and only requires owner-occupancy of the principal home or the ADU when either unit is used for a short-term rental; ADUs…

Anne Arundel County has adopted the International Residential Code's Appendix AQ, giving tiny houses their own construction standards separate from standard one- and two-family…

Anne Arundel County exempts accessory dwelling units from development impact fees, but only if the ADU isn't built alongside a new principal single-family house.

Anne Arundel County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, but the ADU or the principal home may be rented short-term only while the owner lives on site.

Anne Arundel County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in an attached suite, garage, or detached structure, capped at 800 square feet or half the main home's floor area.

In Anne Arundel County, a detached shed under 150 square feet and 10 feet tall accessory to a house needs no building permit, unless it sits in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, where…

Converting a garage into living space counts as an accessory dwelling unit under Anne Arundel County Code § 18-10-124, capped at 800 square feet or 50% of the main house's floor area…

Anne Arundel County requires a license from the Department of Inspections and Permits to operate a multiple dwelling or non-owner-occupied duplex, and the Health Officer must inspect…

Owners of licensed multiple dwellings and rooming houses in Anne Arundel County must keep records of every tenant repair request and complaint and make them available to the Health…

Anne Arundel County classifies champion trees, historic-site trees, and trees 30+ inches in diameter as priority retention areas that developers must leave undisturbed during land…

Private piers and boat docks in Anne Arundel County must sit at least 15 feet from side lot lines, extend no more than 300 feet, and limit mooring to four boats over 16 feet.

A grading permit from the Department of Inspections and Permits is required before clearing or grading any site in Anne Arundel County, unless the disturbed area is under 5,000 square…

Anne Arundel County bans basements, floodway construction, and fill placement in mapped flood hazard areas, and requires new structures to be elevated to the flood protection elevation…

New construction and substantial improvements in Anne Arundel County's floodplain district must have the lowest floor elevated to the flood protection elevation, the 100-year flood…

Anne Arundel County requires an approved stormwater management plan before any development that disturbs 5,000 or more square feet, enforced under Article 16, Title 4 of the County…

Filming that requires exclusive use or blocking of a public street in Anne Arundel County counts as a special event and needs a County permit filed at least 90 days ahead.

Anne Arundel County has no separate film permit. Commercial filming that needs exclusive use of public streets, rights-of-way, county waters, or other public property counts as a…

Anne Arundel County requires a Construction Code permit before building a residential swimming pool, unless the pool is a prefabricated model less than 24 inches deep.

Public and semi-public pools in Anne Arundel County must staff lifeguards on a set ratio to swimmers and keep an AED and CPR-certified staff onsite, enforced by the Health Officer.

Anne Arundel County agricultural operations have a defense against private nuisance lawsuits if they use accepted practices and comply with law, or began before the neighboring use…

County Code § 17-10-301 shields farms from private nuisance suits, and the RA – Rural Agricultural zoning district caps density at one dwelling per 20 acres to keep unincorporated…

Anne Arundel County bans abandoning a motor vehicle anywhere in the county, including unincorporated communities like Glen Burnie and Severna Park, and lets police impound vehicles…

Anne Arundel County requires one electric vehicle charging station for every 50 required parking spaces at multifamily and mixed-use developments in the Odenton Town Center district…

Anne Arundel County bars trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight from parking on any public road unless they're actively providing temporary service: that is, loading or…

Anne Arundel County requires driveways at least 9 feet wide, paved in concrete, blacktop, or approved material, with two off-street parking pads for detached homes.

Anne Arundel County bans parking or storing any inoperable, unregistered, wrecked, or dismantled motor vehicle, trailer, or boat on land, with narrow time-limited exemptions for one…

Anne Arundel County Code § 12-3-102 bars parking in front of driveways, within 15 feet of hydrants, in intersections, and requires vehicles face traffic direction and park within 12…

Trucks over 10,000 lbs GVW can't park on residential lots in Anne Arundel County except briefly for service calls or active farm and business use.

Anne Arundel County requires short-term rental hosts to submit proof of insurance with their registration application to the Department, alongside safety certification and other…

Anne Arundel County requires hosts to register each short-term rental with the Department of Inspections and Permits before booking guests, capping registrations at two dwelling units…

Booking platforms in Anne Arundel County must require a valid registration number before listing a short-term rental and must remit occupancy tax to the County.

Anne Arundel County levies an 8% occupancy tax on short-term rental income and charges hosts a $100 registration fee every two years.

Anne Arundel County requires anyone renting a home short-term to register with the Department, limits hosts to two registered dwelling units, sets a 24-hour minimum stay, and charges a…

Anne Arundel County sets no minimum parking count for short-term rentals, but every host must disclose the number of on-site parking spaces on the registration application filed with…

Door-to-door sellers who peddle and deliver goods on foot, by vehicle, or by animal need a huckster's license from Inspections and Permits, costing $250 a term or $25 a day.

Anne Arundel County licenses peddlers and solicitors under Article 11, but there's no county "no-knock" registry: a posted "No Soliciting" sign rests on Maryland's trespass law…

Landlords may not occupy or lease a dwelling unless it is clean, sanitary, and fit for human occupancy under the County's Property Maintenance Code, enforced by the Health Officer with…

Anne Arundel County has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Tenancies follow Maryland Real Property Code §8-401 et seq., which allows tenancy-at-will terminations with 60 days' written…

Anne Arundel County requires anyone renting out a dwelling unit for a short-term stay to first register with the Department of Inspections and Permits and display the registration…

Dumping litter, trash, or debris on public or private property in Anne Arundel County draws civil fines of $250, $750, and $1,000 for first, second, and third violations under the…

Anne Arundel County places no cap on recycling containers at the curb, unlike trash, which is limited to four containers per collection day, and sets fixed put-out and take-in times…

Anne Arundel County caps curbside trash at four containers per collection day, allows set-out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before pickup, and requires empty containers back in…

Anne Arundel County sets no cap on curbside yard waste containers, unlike the four-can limit on regular trash, but bans loose leaves and clippings raked or blown into the right-of-way…

Recyclables and yard waste have no container limit at the curb, unlike trash, which is capped at four containers per collection day.

Anne Arundel County collects residential solid waste curbside under Director-designated service areas covering every unincorporated community but excluding the City of Annapolis; trash…

County code caps curbside trash at four containers per collection day, with no limit on recyclables or yard waste, and sets exact curbside timing.

Anne Arundel County caps principal structures in R5 residential zoning at 50 feet, the standard suburban district covering most unincorporated single-family neighborhoods.

Anne Arundel County sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district under the Article 18 bulk regulations: 25 feet front, 20 feet rear, and 7 feet side in the common R2 residential…

Anne Arundel County caps building coverage at 50% of lot area in R1 zones, 60% in R2, and 65% in R5: the county-wide bulk regulations that apply everywhere outside Annapolis and…

Anne Arundel County bans drinking alcohol or carrying an open container of it on any public road, sidewalk, parking lot, or in a vehicle stopped on a public road, punishable by up to a…

Anne Arundel County bans loitering after a lawful order to move or leave, with fines up to $200 and 60 days in jail for repeat offenses.

Riding a skateboard on a public roadway is illegal in Anne Arundel County wherever the posted speed limit is 30 mph or higher.

Anne Arundel County's Parks Director can prohibit or limit smoking in county parks whenever a potential fire hazard exists, alongside the county's outdoor-fire rules.

Anne Arundel County bans running a radio, TV, or amplified music at an unreasonably loud volume audible in a residential district at any time of day. Sound heard 50 feet from the…

Anne Arundel County bans running a generator or other machine at an unreasonably loud volume between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. if it can be heard in a residential district, under the county…

Food trucks anywhere in Anne Arundel County, including unincorporated Glen Burnie and Severna Park, need a Health Department food service license; the mobile-unit fee is $395 under…

Anne Arundel County requires a roadside vendor's license from the Department, costing $250 a year, before anyone can sell goods or food from a fixed spot on or next to a county road.

Roadside vendors across unincorporated Anne Arundel County may only set up where the zoning code allows the use, and need the property owner's written permission plus a county license…

Retaining walls up to 2 feet tall are permit-exempt in Anne Arundel County; taller walls, or any wall holding back a surcharge or liquids, need a building permit first.

Fences up to 6 feet tall are permit-exempt across unincorporated Anne Arundel County, but a permit is required regardless of height on waterfront property and corner lots with…

Anne Arundel County bans barbed wire and electrified fences in most residential areas, allowing them only for farming in RA, RLD, R1, and R2 districts under strict conditions.

Anne Arundel County requires a construction permit for any fence taller than 6 feet, and for any residential fence on waterfront property or a corner lot, regardless of height.

Anne Arundel County will stop buying, leasing, and using gas-powered handheld and backpack leaf blowers in its own operations by July 1, 2030, but the phase-out covers only county…

Anne Arundel County bars machines, tools, and other equipment from running at an unreasonably loud volume audible in a residential district between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with a 50-foot…

Anne Arundel County bans amplified music and other audio devices played at an unreasonably loud volume audible in a residential district, with a stricter 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and a…

Anne Arundel County doesn't regulate aircraft noise directly, but it gives owner-occupied homes in the BWI Airport Noise Zone a real property tax credit.

Anne Arundel County bans operating a machine, tool, or similar device at unreasonably loud volume in a residential district between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., covering most construction…

Anne Arundel County bans loud musical instruments, machines, or tools audible in a residential district between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with a rebuttable violation at 50 feet.

Anne Arundel County bans letting a dog bark, howl, or whine repeatedly enough to disturb neighbors, treating it as a public nuisance enforced by Animal Services with citations and…

Rooftop solar panels for home use are a permitted use by right in every Anne Arundel County residential zone, with no special exception, conditional-use hearing, or zoning variance…

Maryland Real Property §2-119 bars HOAs from prohibiting rooftop solar. HOAs may impose reasonable aesthetic rules that do not significantly increase cost or decrease output. The law…

Anne Arundel County treats in-home child care as a home occupation, capping it at 12 children under County Code Section 18-10-142, with a lower cap inside the Chesapeake Bay Critical…

Home occupations are a conditional use across every Anne Arundel County residential zoning district, capped at 25% of dwelling floor area and limited to a fixed list of trades.

A home occupation in unincorporated Anne Arundel County may post just one freestanding sign, capped at 2 square feet and 5 feet tall.

Anne Arundel County gives property owners 24 hours to clear sidewalk snow or ice under three inches, and 48 hours for three inches or more, once a storm ends.

The Health Officer can declare a vacant, deteriorating property a nuisance property and force the owner to board it up, secure it, and clean it within 30 days of notice.

Anne Arundel County bans rank vegetation and noxious weeds over 12 inches tall on most vacant and improved property, with a 7-day notice-to-cut before the County abates and bills the…

Anne Arundel County requires a Department of Public Works permit before anyone occupies, uses, or works in a county right-of-way, including sidewalks: permits run $35 each, last 90…

Anne Arundel County bans obstructions in County roads, easements, and rights-of-way, and orders anyone who places one to remove it within 45 days of notice.

The County Director can order the abutting property owner to repair or rebuild a sidewalk at the owner's own expense, with 30 days to comply.

Anne Arundel County requires no permit or license for a garage or yard sale. County Code § 11-12A-101(a) expressly excludes garage and yard sales from the second-hand dealer license…

Anne Arundel County bans loitering that blocks a public sidewalk or street once police give notice and ask the person to move, with fines up to $200 and possible jail for repeat…

Anne Arundel County requires outdoor lights near residential districts to be set back or shielded, with a 25-foot buffer for nonresidential fixtures and downward-directed…

Anne Arundel County requires nonresidential outdoor lights to sit at least 25 feet from residential district boundaries, and residential fixtures to point downward and away from…

Anne Arundel County certifies structures and districts at least 65 years old as 'Anne Arundel County historic landmarks,' granting a five-year property tax credit in exchange for a…

Anne Arundel County's code authorizes speed monitoring (photo speed) cameras countywide under § 12-3-109, but it does not adopt a red-light traffic-signal camera program of its own.

Cyclists may ride on public sidewalks countywide unless the Department of Public Works posts signage prohibiting it, and must yield to pedestrians when they do.

Anne Arundel County requires licensed cannabis dispensaries to take vehicular access from an arterial road, post "No loitering" signs, and keep cannabis displays hidden from public…

Licensed cannabis growers and processors in Anne Arundel County must locate at least 750 feet from any school lot line, Board of Education property, or residentially zoned land outside…

Anne Arundel County requires propane containers holding 100 pounds or more of water capacity to carry a permanent placard listing a 24-hour emergency phone number, readable from 100…

Anne Arundel County's Property Maintenance Code requires smoke alarms outside every sleeping area, in every room used for sleeping, and on each additional dwelling story, including…

Recreational fires under one cubic yard, like fire pits and campfires, are allowed without a license as long as they don't create a nuisance or air pollution.

Consumer fireworks are banned statewide under Maryland Code, Public Safety §10-101. Anne Arundel County enforces the state ban. Only gold-label sparklers without chlorates/perchlorates…

Anne Arundel County bans open fires without a Health Department license, though leaf and refuse burns, cooking fires, and small recreational campfires under one cubic yard are allowed…

Anne Arundel County parks are open sunrise to sunset unless the Director posts different hours; staying in a closed park is a civil offense with fines starting at $50.

Anne Arundel County levies an 8% occupancy tax on rent paid for hotels, motels, and short-term rentals countywide, collected by the owner, operator, or booking platform.

Anne Arundel County grants a density bonus of up to 150% of allowable residential density to developments that include moderately priced dwelling units, with bonus percentages tied to…

Anne Arundel County's Property Maintenance Code requires every dwelling, rooming house, and premises to be kept free of pest, insect, and rodent harborage, with owners of multi-unit…

Data storage centers in the BWI/Fort Meade Growth Area need 25+ acres and must meet setbacks up to 100 feet from freeways under § 18-10-123.