Queen Anne's County, MD Ordinances (2026)

With public sewer or water, a short-term rental in unincorporated Queen Anne's County is capped at 10 overnight occupants aged 18 or older or two per bedroom, whichever is less, and 20…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, guests at a short-term residential rental who are not staying overnight must leave by 11:00 p.m. each day, and outdoor amplified music…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, parking for all occupants and guests of a short-term residential rental must be provided on-site. The requirement is in §…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a short-term rental zoning certificate can be suspended, revoked or not renewed after a citation or documented violation of the County…

Short-term residential rentals are permitted in dwelling units in all zoning districts of unincorporated Queen Anne's County, but the owner needs an annual zoning certificate, a County…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a short-term rental owner must show the Department of Planning and Zoning that the owner or a property manager is located within the County or an…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, nobody runs a circus or carnival without a permit from the County Commissioners, and only a bona fide nonprofit based in the county can…

In the Neighborhood and Village Center (NVC) District of unincorporated Queen Anne's County, restaurants are permitted to operate outdoor cafes on sidewalks, including public…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, events of public interest such as outdoor concerts, auctions, and tractor pulls are permitted in any zoning district, but a zoning…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the Department of Parks and Recreation issues permits for use of County parks and facilities under rules approved by the County Commissioners. Fees…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, outdoor amplified music at a special event on a farm, bed-and-breakfast or residential property in the Agricultural and Countryside…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, airports, private landing strips and heliports can be required to install buffer yards or noise abatement devices. The Board of Appeals weighs…

Outdoor amplified music at a special event in unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland cannot exceed 65 dB, measured from adjacent properties or residences. The limit is a…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, an animal that barks or makes other harsh noise as to disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of the community is a public nuisance animal under §…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the Neighborhood and Village Center (NVC) District requires street trees of a minimum three-inch caliper, planted at thirty-foot…

In Queen Anne's County forest conservation plans, trees, shrubs, and plants determined rare, threatened, or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, the Maryland Nongame…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, outdoor cannabis can only be grown on land at least 1,000 feet from a school or public recreation area, and a licensed dispensary cannot sit…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 18:1-57.1 lets a state-licensed cannabis dispensary open only in listed commercial districts, and not within 100 feet of residentially zoned…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a home occupation must keep its vehicles on existing residential driveways without creating hazards or street congestion, cannot include parking…

A home occupation in unincorporated Queen Anne's County is limited to one nonilluminated nameplate of no more than two square feet, affixed against the exterior surface of the…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, no home occupation can start until a home occupation zoning certificate is issued under § 18:1-138. The operator must be a full-time resident…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, family day care is a permitted use in the Agricultural District under § 18:1-14B(12), and a family day-care center is a permitted use in the…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Chapter 15 of the County Code sets minimum maintenance, heat, electrical and fire-safety standards for residential structures, and § 15-12 bars…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 15-6 of the County Code requires residential premises to be free from infestation of insects, rodents, vermin or other pests, and § 15-12…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 15-11 F(2) requires every housing unit covered by the housing chapter to have at least one single-station smoke detector in the vicinity of…

On Queen Anne's County, Maryland park property, no person can possess and discharge fireworks or other explosive pyrotechnics without the expressed written permission of the Director…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 15-13 lets the Code Official condemn, placard and vacate a residential structure found unsafe or unfit for occupancy, and § 15-15 requires…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can allow junk, garbage, refuse or rubbish to sit on any property for more than 30 days if it is unsafe, unsanitary or within…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, abutting property owners are responsible for sidewalk surface maintenance, including removal of leaves, weeds, and snow. Article XIVA prints no…

Under Article II of Chapter 16 of the County Code, a non-resident cannot act as an itinerant or door-to-door peddler in Queen Anne's County without a license from the County…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, an applicant who complies with the moderately priced dwelling unit article can be granted a density bonus of 10% above the maximum…

The Town Center (TC) District covers the Chester Main Street corridor in unincorporated Queen Anne's County. Under § 18:1-28D(5), development is strongly encouraged to follow the…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Article I of Chapter 13 bars loitering in a public place or place open to the public when it blocks pedestrian or vehicular traffic…

Consumption of alcoholic beverages in Queen Anne's County, Maryland parks is strictly prohibited unless the Director of Parks and Recreation gives specific permission and issues a…

Urinating or defecating on Queen Anne's County, Maryland park property anywhere other than the places officially provided is prohibited. It is a Class c offense under the County parks…

The lighting and use of tobacco products are prohibited on Queen Anne's County, Maryland property under the supervision of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The sentence sits in…

In Queen Anne's County, roller-skating, in-line skating and skateboarding on County park property are permitted only in areas designated for that use, and are prohibited in areas…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can clear or grade land without an erosion and sediment control plan approved by the Soil Conservation Service, and the…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a private pier is not allowed as an accessory structure except on a residential lot with a minimum of 150 feet of water frontage or one of the…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, anyone who wants to fill, grade, build, substantially improve a building, place a manufactured home or alter a watercourse in a flood…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the flood protection elevation is the base flood elevation plus two feet of freeboard. New and substantially improved residential…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can develop land for residential, commercial, industrial or institutional use without stormwater management measures built under…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, any site plan, major or minor subdivision, or building permit that proposes demolishing a historic structure must go through a…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a political sign cannot exceed 32 square feet or go up more than 70 days before the election it concerns. Unsuccessful primary…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, signs attached to the interior of a building window or glass door are on the list of signs allowed without a sign permit. Temporary…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, displays and lighting put up for County, state, or federally recognized holidays need no sign permit as long as they are removed within…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, electronic and LED signs are permitted only as freestanding signs, capped at 60 square feet, with copy that cannot change more often…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a display, including lighting, put up for a County, state, or federally recognized holiday needs no sign permit, as long as it is removed within…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, fences and walls on residential lots need no zoning approval under Part 7 of Chapter 18:1, provided that installing them does not violate any…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a person cannot own, keep, or harbor a cat four months old or older without a current county registration. Registration is permanent…

Under § 9-25 of the Queen Anne's County Code, no one can keep a wild animal in the County unless the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has issued a permit, if one is required…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, an animal must have an implanted microchip before the county issues its registration. The Commission can waive the requirement under appropriate…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a pet shop is a commercial animal establishment and cannot operate without a license that is renewed annually. Section 9-13 requires written…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a grooming shop or a mobile grooming establishment is a commercial animal establishment and needs an annual license under § 9-13. The Animal…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, poultry houses and their associated structures must sit at least 100 feet from any property line in the Agricultural and Countryside Districts…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, animals at large are prohibited. A domestic animal off its owner's property must be secured by a leash or lead, under effective control at heel…

Chapter 9 of the Queen Anne's County Code defines a dangerous animal by conduct, not breed. Section 9-20 covers unprovoked serious injury or death to a human, repeated unprovoked…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, veterinary offices are a permitted use in the Agricultural District under § 18:1-14B(28) and in the commercial and village districts, and a…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a residential accessory structure must sit at least three feet from any property line and six feet from the principal building, in a side or rear…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, one accessory guest residence or apartment is allowed per single-family lot. It must sit inside the principal dwelling or an approved residential…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, an accessory guest residence or apartment is allowed only if the owner of the principal dwelling unit resides on the property. The condition sits…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, a small-scale solar array is an accessory use sized to offset the beneficiary's own energy consumption. Section 18:1-49.1 requires structural…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, parking areas must be paved unless the use requires fewer than 25 parking spaces, in which case an unpaved area needs a compacted base…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, any use with 6,000 square feet or more of gross floor area that needs deliveries or shipments must provide off-street loading berths…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, a person cannot allow the presence of more than one vehicle that is not legally tagged for use on public roads, streets, highways or…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can stand or park in front of a driveway without the occupant's consent, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of an intersection…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the maximum height of an exterior luminaire depends on shielding: 12 feet residential and 20 feet nonresidential with no cutoff, and 20…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, exterior lighting must confine direct light beams to the lighted property and away from nearby properties and passing motorists. No…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 10-2 amends the International Building Code's permit rules: a one-story detached accessory structure used as a tool or storage shed…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 11-17 requires that when a building permit is not required, any modification of circuitry requiring an electrical permit be secured…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 10-2 amends the International Building Code inspection sections: a foundation inspection is made when the foundation is complete with…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 10-2 amends the International Building Code so an automatic sprinkler system must be provided throughout all buildings with an…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 12-12 bars anyone from starting a new building, a major addition or alteration affecting water supply, sewage disposal, plumbing or…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, § 13-3 bars loitering in a public place, which § 13-1 defines to include a sidewalk, crosswalk or other public way, in a manner that…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can camp overnight in a public landing, and camping in County parks is authorized by permit only, in designated areas and within the periods…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland parks, no powered model airplanes, rockets or drones can be flown or launched from any park area except on officially designated areas and by permit…

On any Queen Anne's County, Maryland property under the Department of Parks and Recreation, drones and other person-operated aircraft cannot be flown or launched except in officially…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland parks, bicycle riding is permitted only on roads or trails designated for it. Bicycles must yield to pedestrians and horses, the maximum speed on…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, the zoning code lists the common violations under § 18:1-212: building without a permit, exceeding a permit, skipping final inspection, expanding…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, complaints about erosion and sediment control violations go to the Department of Planning and Zoning under § 14:2-28, which sets a three-day…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 14:1-51 bars removing natural vegetation in the Critical Area Buffer and allows only limited cutting of individual trees for listed purposes…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no vegetation can grow higher than 12 inches on a lot or parcel under three acres that sits in an approved or recorded residential…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the household waste rules do not prohibit or prevent bona fide composting of organic material, including household organic materials…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, no one can deposit or accumulate garbage, refuse, rubbish or other offensive matter on any land, street or highway unless the…

In the Neighborhood and Village Center (NVC) District of Queen Anne's County, Maryland, facilities for refuse disposal must be screened with landscaping and enclosed by a solid fence…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, tree trimmings, hedge clippings, and similar material must be cut to lengths of no more than four feet and tied in bundles no thicker…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, refuse receptacles go out on the curb, on the road shoulder, or along an alley when the residence fronts on the alley and collection…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, Maryland, refuse must sit in proper receptacles, cannot be dumped in a street, alley, stream, or other public place, and receptacles cannot stay…

In a Queen Anne's County solid waste subdistrict that provides collection service, garbage and refuse must be collected at least once each week. Household refuse there is collected by…

Queen Anne's County's contracted collector will not collect large, bulky items such as appliances, furniture, and similar materials, and the Director of Public Works can authorize the…

Queen Anne's County, Maryland bars a private action over an agricultural operation on agricultural land when the operation follows the accepted agricultural practices the code defines…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, the Agricultural (AG) District is written so that there is no basis under state law (COMAR § 5-4-03) or Chapter 18:1 for recourse against normal…

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the Department of Parks and Recreation sets and posts the hours of County parks, and the Director can close any park property in whole or for certain…

In Queen Anne's County, a person must obtain a permit from the Department of Public Works, Roads Division, before placing a structure or an obstruction on a County road or within its…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, who pays for structural sidewalk repair depends on how the sidewalk was built. Owners abutting developer-built subdivision sidewalks must…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, sidewalks cannot be blocked by vehicles or other obstructions, used as a depository for materials, waste receptacles or other objects, or defaced…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, setbacks are set district by district. In the Agricultural District a large-lot subdivision lot needs 50 feet front, 50 feet minimum side with…

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, § 18:1-45D caps a building on a residential lot of less than two acres at 20 feet. On lots greater than two acres and less than five acres the…

In limited development areas of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area in unincorporated Queen Anne's County, impervious surfaces are limited to 15% of the gross site area proposed for…