Calvert County, MD Ordinances (2026)

Calvert County's accommodations tax, set at 5% of every transient charge under Code § 136-22, applies to hotels, motels, inns, cottages and any other lodging accommodation as defined…

In unincorporated Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, the most-cited property complaints are debris, junk and abandoned-vehicle accumulations and overgrown grass…

On a developed lot in Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, grass, weeds, underbrush or noxious plants cannot grow past 12 inches within 100 feet of any house…

Calvert County Code § 123-11 lists rainwater harvesting among the Environmental Site Design treatment practices a developer may use to meet the county's stormwater standards. It is one…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, even an unimproved lot in a listed zoning district may not accumulate debris, trash, abandoned vehicles or other junk…

Calvert County's Minimum Livability Code lets the Code Official condemn any structure found 'unsafe or unfit for human occupancy,' placard it and order it vacated. Buildings that are…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, an agricultural or forestry operation that has run for a year and follows generally accepted practices is shielded from…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, Code § 142-2 bans leaving any vehicle unattended for 48 hours or more on county-owned public right-of-way or county…

Calvert County charges a 5% accommodations tax on every short-term rental transient charge collected in the unincorporated county, outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. Hosts…

When a Calvert County host rents through a hosting platform, Code § 136-23C makes the hotel, booking service, hosting platform, record owner or their agent hold the collected 5%…

In unincorporated Calvert County, § 104-66 requires a building permit from Inspections and Permits for any retaining wall three feet or taller, engineered drawings sealed by a Maryland…

In unincorporated Calvert County, new subdivisions must plant street trees outside the road right-of-way under § 104-27M, spaced by Table 3-1: 30 feet from intersections, 25 feet from…

In unincorporated Calvert County, § 104-65B makes it unlawful to use any sidewalk between the property line and the curb to store goods, display merchandise for sale, post advertising…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, flying a drone in a county park is illegal without written permission first. Calvert County Code § 82-2-101A(26) bars…

Calvert County Code Chapter 7 singles out wild and exotic animals for special handling: an animal control officer may impound one kept in violation of the chapter, and an owner cannot…

Taking eggs, nests, or young from any bird on Calvert County park property is illegal: Calvert County Code § 82-2-106B(6) bars removing or possessing the young, eggs or nests of any…

Calvert County does not cap how many dogs or cats a household may own, but Chapter 7 of the county code requires an annual Animal Fancier license from Animal Services once a residence…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, Chapter 7 of the county code lets residents keep poultry and other livestock but sets real welfare standards. A…

In Calvert County, every cat over four months old must carry a current rabies vaccination and a County license from Animal Services, renewed annually or every three years with a…

Any grooming facility operating in Calvert County must hold an annual license from the Board of County Commissioners, issued through Animal Services under Chapter 7. The application…

Calvert County does not require every pet to be microchipped, but the Board of County Commissioners may run public microchip clinics under Chapter 7 where dogs and cats can be chipped…

Calvert County has no breed-specific ban. Chapter 7 instead classifies a 'potentially dangerous' or 'dangerous' animal purely on what it has done: an unprovoked attack, a threatening…

Calvert County does not require every dog or cat to be spayed or neutered, but Chapter 7 does mandate it for any animal Animal Services has declared dangerous: the owner must give…

In Calvert County, an owner may not let a dog, other domesticated animal or agricultural livestock roam loose off the owner's real property unless it is on a leash or in a carrier and…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, using a gas grill, pull-behind grill, smoker or deep fryer on county park property is illegal unless it's part of an…

Calvert County's Minimum Livability Code requires every exterior door and its hardware to be kept in good condition, and any lock on an interior or exterior door entering a housing…

Calvert County adopted the 2018 International Building Code and most of the 2018 International Residential Code, with local amendments, as its building code effective July 1, 2022…

Calvert County's Minimum Livability Code lets the Code Official enter a rental structure or premises at any reasonable time, once reasonable notice and identification are given, to…

Calvert County parks outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach close at nightfall unless posted otherwise: Calvert County Code § 82-2-102 sets unlit park property open only from civil…

Calvert County requires a permit from the local permitting agency before any development occurs in a designated Floodplain Zone, whether nontidal, tidal, or coastal high-hazard. The…

Every new or substantially improved building in a Calvert County floodplain must have its lowest floor raised to the flood protection elevation, defined as the base flood elevation…

Calvert County's Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance bars any development in the unincorporated county without a permit and an approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan…

Calvert County Code § 123-5 bars developing residential, commercial, industrial or institutional land without approved stormwater management measures. The Department of Public Works…

Drinking alcohol in a Calvert County park is illegal by default: Calvert County Code § 82-2-104A bans consumption on park property unless it's under a special event permit, at…

Smoking, vaping and tobacco use are banned across Calvert County park property under Calvert County Code § 82-2-105, with only two carve-outs: a County Administrator-designated outdoor…

Skateboards, roller skates and every other wheeled recreational vehicle are flatly banned on the Solomons Island Boardwalk in Calvert County. A violation is punishable by up to a $500…

Calvert County's Minimum Livability Code sets baseline heat, plumbing and sanitation standards for rental housing outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, though it exempts…

Calvert County's Code Official will only investigate a Minimum Livability Code violation after receiving a written complaint that names the complainant, or after a personal interview…

In Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, owners cannot let a dog or other animal make disturbing noises, including continued howling, barking, whining or crowing…

No one may run a tattoo or body piercing studio in Calvert County, MD without a Health Department permit under Chapter 15. The initial permit costs $200, annual renewal is $160, and…

Calvert County requires a Department of Parks and Recreation permit before a 'special event,' such as a festival, race, tournament or concert open to the public, can use park property…

Every housing unit in Calvert County's rental stock must have at least one single-station smoke detector near each sleeping area, installed under the Minimum Livability Code. Chapter…

Calvert County bans setting off fireworks on any county park property unless the Parks and Recreation Director gives express written permission first. The same section also bars open…

Calvert County's Minimum Livability Code requires every rental premises to stay 'free from infestation of insects, rodents, vermin or other pests,' and exterior walls, foundations and…

Calvert County bars anyone from running a generator on county park property unless a Department of Parks and Recreation official gives express written authorization first. The rule…

Calvert County Code § 119-3 bars accumulating garbage or animal-and-vegetable-soiled refuse on any premises except in covered containers that are watertight, lidded, rust-resistant and…

Calvert County Code § 119-5 bars depositing refuse, or letting it accumulate, on any land or in or around any building in a way that could shelter breeding vectors, mosquitoes…

Calvert County Code § 119-4 lets residents skip an approved container for certain bundled refuse: books, magazines, boxes and newspapers can go out tied in bundles or boxed at up to 24…

Calvert County does not operate its own trash collection: § 119-11 requires any commercial hauler that collects or transports refuse in the county to first obtain a written permit from…

Calvert County runs no red-light camera program. The Board of County Commissioners instead authorized automated speed monitoring in school zones under Code § 107-1-101 et seq. Cameras…