Building Setbacks & Zoning in Worcester County, MD (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In the R-1 Rural Residential District of unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, a single-family dwelling needs a thirty-five foot front yard setback, a twenty foot setback on each side and a fifty foot rear yard setback under § ZS 1-205(b)(2). Clustered single-family housing uses fifteen, six and twenty feet.
R-1 Yard Setbacks in Unincorporated Worcester County
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § ZS 1-205(b)
(b) Permitted principal uses and structures. The following uses and structures are permitted in the R-1 District: (1) Single-family clustered housing. Minimum lot requirements shall be: lot area, eight thousand square feet; maximum density, one unit per net acre; lot width, sixty feet; front yard setback, fifteen feet; each side yard setback, six feet; and rear yard setback, twenty feet; and su...
Structure Height Limits
In the R-1 Rural Residential District of unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, a flat-roofed principal structure tops out at thirty-five feet and a pitched-roofed one at forty-five feet, with a four-story cap on either. Accessory structures are limited to two stories or twenty-five feet under § ZS 1-205(e).
R-1 Residential Height Limits in Unincorporated Worcester County
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § ZS 1-205(e)
(e) Height regulations. Except for certain other buildings, structures or parts thereof as provided in § ZS 1-305 hereof, no flat-roofed principal structure shall exceed a height of thirty-five feet, no pitched-roofed principal structure shall exceed a height of forty-five feet, and no flat- or pitched-roofed principal structure shall exceed four stories. In addition, no accessory structure sha...
Lot Coverage Limits
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, lot coverage in Critical Area Limited Development Areas is limited to fifteen percent of the site under § NR 3-107(c)(6). Lots of one-half acre or less that existed before the cutoff dates get twenty-five percent of the parcel, and lots greater than one-half acre and less than one acre get fifteen percent. These limits apply to Limited Development Areas of the Critical Area.
Worcester County Critical Area Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsWorcester County Code § NR 3-107
(c) Development standards. ... The following criteria apply for Limited Development Areas: ... (6) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, for stormwater run-off, LOT COVERAGE shall be limited to fifteen percent (15%) of the site. A. If a parcel or lot of one-half acre or less in size existed on or before December 1, 1985, IN THE CHEAPEAKE BAY, OR June 1, 2002, in the Atlantic Coastal ...
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