Queen Anne's County, MD Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)
FEMA flood zone rules in Queen Anne's County, MD, also called floodplain regulations or special flood hazard area (SFHA) rules, determine flood insurance requirements and elevation standards for new construction.
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Any filling, grading, construction or substantial improvement in a flood hazard area
- Floodplain Administrator
- Director of Public Works
- Flood maps
- Flood Insurance Study dated November 5, 2014, with FIRMs
- Permit validity
- Work must start within 180 days of issuance
- Enclosure limit in A Zones
- Less than 600 square feet below the lowest floor
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000, 90 days, or both; each day separate
Summary
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 hazard area must first obtain a County permit under Chapter 14:3. The Director of Public Works acts as Floodplain Administrator, and violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to $1,000 and 90 days.
§ 14:3-18. Permits required; expiration. A. It shall be unlawful for any person to begin any development or construction which is wholly within, partially within, or in contact with any flood hazard area established in § 14:3-5, including but not limited to: filling; grading; construction of new structures; the substantial improvement of buildings or structures, including repair of substantial damage; placement or replacement of manufactured homes, including substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage of manufactured homes; erecting or installing a temporary structure, or alteration of a watercourse, until a permit is obtained from Queen Anne's County. ... § 14:3-71. ... Violations and penalties. Violations of these regulations or failure to comply with the requirements of these regulations or any conditions attached to a permit or variance shall constitute a misdemeanor. ... Failure to comply shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 90 days or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
The County Commissioners adopted Chapter 14:3 on 9-9-2014 by Ord. No. 14-12, and the County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program since September 28, 1984 (§ 14:3-1). Special flood hazard areas and base flood elevations come from the Flood Insurance Study for Queen Anne's County, Maryland and Incorporated Areas, dated November 5, 2014, with its Flood Insurance Rate Maps, which are kept on file at the Department of Public Works (§ 14:3-5). Land whose surveyed ground elevation is below the closest applicable base flood elevation counts as special flood hazard area even where the FIRM does not delineate it.
Section 14:3-18 makes a permit mandatory before any development in contact with a flood hazard area. A permit stays valid if work starts within 180 days of issuance, and the Floodplain Administrator can grant written extensions of no more than 180 days each. Applicants on nontidal waters of the state are also advised to contact MDE, and the County permit is still required on top of any state approval.
The building standards follow flood zone. Under § 14:3-28, new buildings and substantial improvements in a special flood hazard area must safely support flood loads, use flood damage-resistant materials, and keep electrical, heating, air conditioning and plumbing equipment at or above the required lowest floor elevation. Disposal of fill is not permitted in special flood hazard areas, and fill cannot go in floodways or coastal high hazard areas (V Zones) except as § 14:3-55 allows (§ 14:3-29). New manufactured homes are barred from floodways and V Zones (§ 14:3-31). A recreational vehicle must meet the manufactured home rules, be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or stay on site for less than 180 consecutive days (§ 14:3-32). Critical and essential facilities cannot be located in V Zones, Coastal A Zones or floodways (§ 14:3-33). Along nontidal waters, no new building goes into a flood protection setback unless the applicant shows the site cannot be developed without the encroachment and that it is the minimum necessary (§ 14:3-39). Enclosures below the lowest floor in A Zones must be less than 600 square feet with at least two flood openings on different sides (§ 14:3-41C), and accessory structures are limited to no more than 600 square feet of floor area (§ 14:3-44).
Violations & Fines
Starting development in a flood hazard area without a permit is itself a violation (§ 14:3-69). The Floodplain Administrator issues a written notice of violation listing the sections violated, ordering remedial action, setting a reasonable correction period and advising of the right to appeal, and can issue a stop-work order (§ 14:3-70). A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 90 days or both, each day is a separate offense, and the County can take other lawful action to remedy it (§ 14:3-71).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to fill or grade near the water on Kent Island?
Where can I look at the County's flood maps?
Can I keep a recreational vehicle in a flood hazard area?
What happens if I build in a flood zone without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Queen Anne's County
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