9 rules for unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Baltimore County Code 13-7-401 prohibits letting grass, weeds, or other rank vegetation grow taller than 8 inches. On complaint the county cites the owner, and if not cut to 3 inches or less the county may mow and bill.
Private-yard trees generally need no county trimming permit, but any tree in the public right-of-way ('roadside tree') may not be cut or trimmed without a permit from the Maryland DNR Forest Service, and the work must use a Licensed Tree Expert.
Md. Code, Natural Resources § 5-406(c)
A person may not cut down, trim, mutilate, or in any manner injure any roadside tree, except as authorized by this section, without a permit from the Department.
Removing a tree on your own private lot generally needs no county permit. Removing a roadside/right-of-way tree requires a Maryland DNR permit, and clearing forest during development triggers the Maryland Forest Conservation Act (Article 33, Title 6).
Md. Code, Natural Resources § 5-1602
This subtitle shall apply to any public or private subdivision plan or application for a grading or sediment control permit by any person, including a unit of State or local government on areas 40,000 square feet or greater.
Baltimore County's weed ordinance (Code 13-7-401) bars grass, weeds, or other rank vegetation over 8 inches tall. Noxious weeds are separately regulated statewide. Enforcement is complaint-based, with county abatement if the owner fails to cut.
Maryland has no year-round mandatory watering ban; restrictions follow drought conditions set by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). As of 2026, much of Maryland is under a drought warning, and water conservation is requested but voluntary.
Rain barrels and rainwater harvesting are legal in Baltimore County and encouraged as stormwater best-management practices. Maryland has no statute banning rainwater collection; the county and state offer rebates and credits for on-site stormwater capture.
Native and pollinator plantings are permitted in Baltimore County and encouraged for Bay-friendly landscaping, but tall native beds must still respect the 8-inch weed-height rule unless they qualify as an exempt or managed natural landscape without noxious weeds.
Baltimore County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Installation is governed by general zoning, lot-coverage, and stormwater rules, since turf over an impermeable base can count toward impervious surface and affect drainage requirements.
Home backyard composting is allowed in Baltimore County and supported through the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. The county collects yard trim (leaves, grass, brush) separately for composting and prohibits placing yard waste in the regular trash in many areas.
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