8 rules for unincorporated Harford County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Maryland sets no statewide lawn-height cap. In Harford County, grass and weeds may not exceed 12 inches on a residential subdivision lot under 5 acres, enforced by Planning and Zoning.
No Maryland statute or Harford County ordinance requires a permit to prune a tree on your own land. Trimming is unregulated unless the tree stands in the county right-of-way or a protected forest-retention easement.
Along the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna, Md. Code, Natural Resources §8-1808.10(b) sets a Critical Area buffer of 200 feet from tidal waters and 100 feet from a tributary stream, sharply restricting tree removal and clearing near the water.
Md. Code, Natural Resources § 8-1808.10(b)
Except as provided under subsection (c) of this section, the minimum buffer shall be: (i) 200 feet landward from tidal waters or a tidal wetland; and (ii) 100 feet landward from a tributary stream.
Maryland's noxious-weed law, Agriculture §9-404(b), makes every Harford County landowner eradicate or control designated noxious weeds such as Johnson grass, Canada thistle, and musk thistle, using mowing, cultivation, or approved herbicide.
Md. Code, Agriculture § 9-404(b)
Each landowner, including a landowner of public land, or person who possesses and manages land infested with a noxious weed shall eradicate or control the noxious weed on that land by using practices that the Secretary prescribes, including mowing, cultivating, or treating with an approved herbicide.
Harford County runs no single water utility. Statewide, Md. Code, Environment §5-502(a) requires a permit from the Department of the Environment to appropriate or use any waters of the State, so large lawn irrigation needs a water-use permit.
Md. Code, Environment § 5-502(a)
Every person is required to obtain a permit from the Department to appropriate or use or begin to construct any plant, building, or structure which may appropriate or use any waters of the State, whether surface water or groundwater.
Rainwater harvesting is unrestricted in Harford County. No Maryland statute limits rain collection, and the state promotes rain barrels and cisterns for irrigation and stormwater control. Every town from Bel Air to Havre de Grace allows outdoor collection.
No Maryland statute or Harford County ordinance restricts native or drought-tolerant planting. Near the Bay, Md. Code, Natural Resources §8-1808.10 requires the Critical Area buffer to be planted in native vegetation, so native landscaping there is mandated, not just allowed.
Md. Code, Natural Resources § 8-1808.10(b)
Except as provided under subsection (c) of this section, the minimum buffer shall be: (i) 200 feet landward from tidal waters or a tidal wetland; and (ii) 100 feet landward from a tributary stream.
No Maryland statute and no Harford County ordinance bans artificial turf on a home lawn. It is regulated through zoning and stormwater impervious-cover limits, and in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area lot-coverage caps tighten sharply.
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