Building Setbacks & Zoning in Washington County, MD (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Washington County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In Washington County, Maryland's Residential, Suburban (RS) zoning district, a single-family dwelling on public water and sewer needs a 20-foot front yard, 8-foot side yards, and a 40-foot rear yard on a 10,000-square-foot lot under Zoning Ordinance Section 8.5(a).
Washington County MD Yard Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsWashington County, MD Zoning Ordinance § 8.5(a)
Section 8.5 Lot Area, Lot Width, and Yard Setback Requirements (a) The following minimum requirements shall be observed where public water and sewer facilities will be used, subject to the modified requirements in Article 23: Dwelling Single-Family* Lot Area 10,000 sq. ft. Lot Width 70 ft. Front Yard Depth 20 ft. Side Yard (Width Each Side Yard) 8 ft. Rear Yard Depth 40 ft. *A corner lot shall ...
Structure Height Limits
Washington County, Maryland caps residential building height at forty feet for the principal structure and twenty-five feet for accessory buildings in the "RU" Residential, Urban District, the ordinance's core Height Regulations standard. Homes in the "RS" Residential, Suburban District face a lower thirty-five foot cap, with a twenty foot limit on accessory structures.
Washington County Residential Building Height Limit
Some RestrictionsWashington County (MD) Zoning Ordinance § 9.4, Article 9 "RU" Residential, Urban District
Section 9.4 Height Regulations: No principal permitted structure shall exceed forty (40) feet in height and no accessory structure shall exceed twenty-five (25) feet, except as provided in Section 23.4.
Lot Coverage Limits
Washington County's Rural Business (RB) zoning district caps lot coverage at 65 percent under Zoning Ordinance Section 5E.5(e). The RB floating zone applies once the Planning Commission rezones an Agricultural Rural, Environmental Conservation, Preservation, or Rural Village parcel for roadside commercial use, and the Zoning Administrator enforces the cap through the zoning permit process before construction begins.
Washington County, MD RB District Lot Coverage Cap 65%
Some RestrictionsWashington County (MD) Zoning Ordinance § 5E.5(e)
Section 5E.5 Bulk Regulations: (a) Lot Size: Minimum 40,000 Sq. Ft. (b) Front Yard Building Setback: 40 Feet from a Minor Collector or Local Public Road Right of Way; 50 feet from a Major Collector or Arterial Public Road Right of Way (c) Side and Rear Yard Building Setbacks: 50 Feet from a property zoned for or occupied by a Residential Land Use; 25 Feet from a property zoned for or occupie...
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