Worcester County, MD Fence Regulations: Height Limits (2026)

Fence heights in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland are set by § ZS 1-305, the lot requirements section of the zoning Title adopted by the County Commissioners. Subsection (k)(3) allows fences and walls in a required yard and sorts them by yard.

In a front yard setback, fences and walls cannot exceed four feet in height above the elevation of the ground. Agricultural fences are the exception and can reach six feet. In any rear yard or side yard setback, the limit is six feet above the elevation of the ground. In the C, I and CM Districts, security fences in those yards can reach ten feet. Both limits are measured from ground elevation, and both are subject to the corner rule in subsection (f).

That corner rule is a separate cap. On any corner lot in any district, no structure, fence, planting, parking space, vehicle or other visual obstruction above forty-two inches in height from the established street grade that would interfere with traffic visibility across the corner can be erected, permitted, planted or maintained within thirty feet of the intersection of the road right-of-way lines. The reach of the rule is wide: hedges and parked vehicles count, not only fences.

Yard type matters because of how the code defines lot lines. A corner lot has no rear lot line, so its yards beyond the front are side yards. A through lot with frontage on more than one road has a front yard abutting all roads, so the four-foot front-yard limit applies on each road side.

Taller fences need approval. Under (k)(3)C, the Planning Commission can require as a condition of approval, or the Board of Zoning Appeals can permit as a special exception, a fence or wall and associated landscaping under § ZS 1-322 in any required setback and to any height, provided it is reasonably necessary and will not adversely affect the use, enjoyment or value of surrounding property.