Harford County, MD Ordinances (2026)

Harford County bars anyone from running a massage establishment without a license from the Department of Licenses and Permits, and every massagist must register separately under…

Every pawnbroker must buy an annual county license before opening in Harford County and pass a state criminal history check under Section 188-3. Pawnbrokers must report every…

Harford County requires a Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits license to operate an adult bookstore, and bans locating one within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks…

Harford County requires anyone towing a disabled vehicle from an accident scene to hold a license from the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits under Chapter 237. Operating…

Under the Minimum Livability Code, Harford County Code § 162-13B requires landlords to heat every habitable room to at least 68°F from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and 60°F overnight, every…

Open burning of refuse anywhere in unincorporated Harford County requires a permit from the Department of Health's Air Pollution Control Office, applied for at least 72 hours ahead…

Harford County's Minimum Livability Code requires every rental housing unit to carry at least one single-station smoke detector near each sleeping area. The rule, enforced by the…

In unincorporated Harford County, carnivals, circuses and public events such as festivals and craft shows need a zoning certificate under Harford County Code § 267-28B(1). Events run a…

In unincorporated Harford County, restaurants may extend outdoor dining into the required yard setback under Harford County Code § 267-23C(1)(a)[8], but only up to 50% of the front…

Harford County's Department of Parks and Recreation issues permits for exclusive use of a park facility entirely at its own discretion under Section 185-3. Applicants must be at least…

Harford County's code has no separate parade ordinance; its public-assembly permit chapter instead covers concerts. Chapter 68 requires a permit, a $500 fee and a cash bond before any…

Harford County's Section 244-17.1 sets baseline on-street parking rules: no blocking a public driveway, standing within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or 20 feet of a crosswalk, or parking…

In unincorporated Harford County, any commercial use that regularly receives deliveries must build off-street loading berths under Harford County Code § 267-26G. Retail stores…

In unincorporated Harford County, property owners may install electric vehicle charging stations inside the required yard setback under Harford County Code § 267-23C(1)(a)[9]. The…

Harford County bars parking a boat, recreational vehicle or trailer on any county road for more than 48 hours within any 30-day period. Section 244-17.1(G), added by Bill No. 04-24…

When Harford County's Director of Public Works declares a snow emergency, parking is banned on every posted snow emergency route and any vehicle using county roads must run snow tires…

Harford County bans parking a commercial motor vehicle, or one for hire, on any public or platted private road right-of-way in a residential district, except while actually loading or…

In unincorporated Harford County, § 267-26A(4) of the zoning code lets residents park in garages, off-street lots, or on parking pads, but every required parking space on a residential…

Harford County issues residential parking permits under Section 244-23 to residents on county streets with school-proximity 'prohibited areas,' where parking is otherwise banned during…

In unincorporated Harford County, private piers, docks, boat lifts, wharves and bulkheads built by riparian landowners are regulated as water-dependent structures. Construction…

New and substantially improved homes in Harford County's mapped flood hazard areas must sit above the flood protection elevation, defined as the base flood elevation plus 2 feet of…

Grading land in unincorporated Harford County without an approved erosion and sediment control plan is illegal under § 214-4 of the county code. The Harford Soil Conservation District…

Harford County requires stormwater management measures on virtually every new development or redevelopment project under Code Section 214-27, enforced by the Department of Public…

Warehousing, distribution and local delivery centers up to 150,000 square feet in Harford County's CI, LI and GI industrial districts must include site features, amenities or signage…

Harford County Code § 267-8J bans data centers outright: they are prohibited in all zoning districts, with no exception for AG, industrial or business zones. The code defines a data…

Harford County Code § 109-3C requires the size, type and number of trash containers at commercial facilities to be set case by case, and every dumpster, compactor or dump-type unit…

Harford County bans dumping yard trim anywhere except the Tollgate Road Yard Trim Facility, the compost site at the Harford Waste Disposal Center, or another approved county facility…

Unincorporated Harford County caps residential garbage cans at 32 gallons and 60 pounds when full under Harford County Code Section 109-3. Cardboard boxes, baskets and oil or chemical…

Harford County requires every apartment building or condominium with 10 or more dwelling units to provide tenants a recycling program under the county's single stream system…

Harford County Code Section 109-3F bans operating an open dump anywhere in the unincorporated county, and bans letting one happen on your own land. Violators face up to $1,000 per day…

Harford County Code Section 109-7.1 requires contractors to collect residential trash, garbage and recycling at least once a week, sets curb placement rules, and caps bagged leaves at…

Harford County's Department of Public Works must accept and investigate erosion and sediment control complaints from any interested party under Code Section 214-19. Anyone who suspects…

Once Harford County's Department of Public Works receives an erosion and sediment control complaint, Code Section 214-19 requires an initial investigation within 3 working days and a…

Every fence or wall built in unincorporated Harford County needs a zoning certificate before construction starts, per Harford County Code § 267-24B, regardless of height, material or…

Harford County requires a zoning certificate for any retaining wall 4 feet or taller under § 267-27C(6)(f) of the zoning code. Walls needing structural review carry a building permit…

In unincorporated Harford County, front-yard fences and walls on residential lots top out at 4 feet under Harford County Code § 267-24B, rising to 6 feet where the fencing is a…

Harford County bans operating a motorized scooter, stand-up platform scooters and go-peds included, on any county road or county sidewalk. Section 244-27 makes each ride a separate…

Harford County allows a 20% increase in the maximum dwelling units on a development if at least 10% of the units go to low- and moderate-income households under the starter home…

Harford County has no incorporated downtown of its own; its closest zoning analog is the Village Business (VB) District, where § 267-58B requires new buildings and redevelopment to…

In unincorporated Harford County, zoning code § 267-39(D) makes any tree, shrub or plant on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Maryland DNR rare, threatened or endangered species…

New residential and nonresidential developments in unincorporated Harford County must plant street trees along road frontages: one large tree per 40 linear feet or one medium tree per…

Harford County bans digital billboards outright: electronic message boards may only show on-premises content and are limited to freestanding or wall signs in commercial and industrial…

Harford County bans billboards within 660 feet of any interstate highway, on top of a 750-foot buffer from homes, schools and churches, and confines all billboards to the General…

Harford County caps building height in its own zoning code. The R1, R2, and R3 districts limit maximum building height through Section 267-55 Tables 55-1 through 55-4.3, while the AG…

Harford County controls how much of a lot may be built on through minimum lot area and yards in Section 267-55. Near tidal water, the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area caps lot coverage at…

Harford County is a charter home-rule county that zones its own land, so the Harford County Zoning Code sets real front, side, and rear yards. Section 267-55 fixes yards for R1, R2…

Harford County has adopted the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code as its energy-efficiency building code under § 82-10, enforced by the Department of Inspections, Licenses and…

Harford County does not force sprinklers into existing rentals: § 162-14B(7) of the Minimum Livability Code lets an owner install a complete residential fire sprinkler system, built to…

Harford County Code § 162-10C(15) requires every exterior door and its hardware on a rental unit to be maintained in good condition, and every interior and exterior door lock entering…

Harford County Code § 162-10D(9) requires the property owner to perform Department of Health-approved lead-paint abatement on deteriorated surfaces like ceilings, doors, radiators…

A day-care center in unincorporated Harford County is a special exception, not a by-right use, and needs Board of Appeals approval. Zoning Code § 267-88C(4) sets a half-acre minimum…

Harford County adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code and International Fuel Gas Code by reference under § 202-1, and § 202-4 requires anyone doing plumbing or gas fitting work…

Harford County adopted the 2021 International Building Code by reference under § 82-1, making its permit-and-inspection provisions county law, enforced by the Department of…

Harford County adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code by reference under § 105-2 as the Harford County Electrical Code. Section 105-12 requires anyone doing electrical work to get a…

Harford County's accessory dwelling unit rule is not a general rental license: § 267-28B(8)(a) states its purpose is 'to allow a relative to live in an accessory dwelling unit within a…

Harford County allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in the AG, RR, R1-R4, RO and VR Districts, but only to house a relative, and the property owner must live in either the main…

In unincorporated Harford County, a shed or detached garage counts as an accessory structure under § 267-27 of the zoning code and needs a zoning certificate before construction, per §…

Harford County allows one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) per lot in the AG, RR, R1-R4, RO and VR Districts under § 267-28B(8)(b) of the zoning code, so a relative can live within a…

Harford County Code § 193-4 makes it unlawful to loiter, stand or remain idle in a public place so as to obstruct any public street, sidewalk or building entrance, blocking free…

Harford County's Department of Public Works orders grading, paving or repair of any defective sidewalk fronting private property, then bills the abutting owner for the cost. Harford…

Harford County Code § 161-8 bars anyone from throwing, placing or depositing litter on any public or private lot, occupied or vacant. Owners must keep their property free of litter at…

Under Harford County Code § 162-6, the Livability Code Official can recommend that a dangerous, decayed or structurally unsound structure be condemned, and the Director of Inspections…

Harford County Code Section 109-7 puts the duty on every property owner to keep the premises free of rodent and insect harborage, and gives the Health Department a right to inspect and…

Harford County Code § 197-5C makes it unlawful for a solicitor to enter onto the premises of a private residence in unincorporated Harford County when the owner or occupant has posted…

Before knocking on doors to sell goods or seek donations in Harford County, § 197-2 of the county code requires solicitors to register with the Department of Inspections, Licenses and…

Harford County Code § 64-12 makes it unlawful to keep any animal, including a dog, in a way that causes it to make excessive harsh noise disturbing the peace, quiet or comfort of a…

Harford County Code § 193-8 prohibits voices, radios, instruments, and household tools between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. when audible more than 50 feet away on residential property. The state…

Harford County Code § 193-8 bars amplified music from radios, sound systems, and instruments between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. when audible more than 50 feet onto residential property. COMAR…

Harford County requires a building permit for residential pools under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by § 82-12. Fees run $160 for an above-ground pool to…

In unincorporated Harford County, colonial nesting water bird sites are protected habitat under the Critical Area zoning code. The Department of Planning and Zoning must require a…

In unincorporated Harford County, veterinary clinics, hospitals, and large-animal veterinary practices are allowed as a special exception in the AG (Agricultural) District only, under…

Harford County does not ban retail sale of dogs or cats; instead Chapter 64, Article V requires any pet shop to hold a license and follow detailed animal-care standards on caging…

In unincorporated Harford County, pet grooming is a special exception use allowed only in the AG (Agricultural) District, and the Board of Appeals must approve it under Code §…

Harford County requires anyone who keeps a cat outside or in an unheated enclosure to provide a moisture-proof shelter, insulating bedding, and daily food and water under Section…

Homestead chickens are allowed on unincorporated Harford County lots under § 267-27D(13) of the zoning code, but only hens: roosters are excluded entirely. A lot needs at least 1 acre…

Maryland has no statute on residential light trespass, but Harford County's zoning code does. Section 267-79 requires light to be shaded, shielded, or directed so it does not reflect…

Maryland has no statewide dark-sky law, but Harford County's zoning code does regulate lighting. Section 267-79 requires that light be shaded, shielded, or directed so it does not…

Harford County makes it unlawful to loiter, loaf or stand idle in a public place so as to block a street, sidewalk or business entrance under Section 193-4. An officer must first order…

Harford County levies a 6% hotel occupancy tax on rent paid for a room in a hotel, inn, motel, cottage, guest house or bed-and-breakfast, but the tax stops applying once a guest's stay…

Harford County does not require a permit for a residential compost pile. Section 179-7C lets a property owner dispose of yard trim on their own land, and Section 161-1 excludes…

In unincorporated Harford County, the Department of Public Works can order removal of trees, bushes, vines, weeds or other growth on private property that blocks drivers' sight lines…

A home-based business in Harford County's residential districts gets one lighted sign, capped at 2 square feet, mounted flat against the building, and it must tie to an approved home…

A home-based business in unincorporated Harford County cannot be open to the public between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. under § 267-27D(4)(d) of the zoning code, and cannot employ more…

Harford County allows home occupations and professional offices as an accessory zoning use under § 267-27D(4), but only if the business stays clearly incidental to the home, takes up…

Harford County Code § 162-16 bars a landlord from evicting a tenant solely because the tenant filed a written complaint with the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits under…

Short-term rental guests follow the same rule as residents: Harford County Code § 193-8 bars noise audible more than 50 feet onto residential property between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Repeat…

Opening a country inn, tourist home, bed-and-breakfast or resort in unincorporated Harford County is not a by-right use in a residential or agricultural district. The Zoning Code…

Selling produce, meat, eggs or poultry from a cart, wagon, truck or other vehicle anywhere in unincorporated Harford County requires an itinerant retail produce dealer license under §…