Maryland sets no defensible-space clearance mandate. Disposing of brush by burning in Harford County falls under COMAR 26.11.07, which requires the material to originate on the property and to burn at least 500 yards from occupied buildings.
There is no wildland-urban-interface clearance law in Maryland, so Harford County property owners are not required to clear vegetation for fire buffers. What is regulated is burning brush to dispose of it. Under COMAR 26.11.07 the control officer may authorize open burning of tree limbs, brush, and yard debris only when there is no practical alternative and the material originated on the premises. In Harford County and the surrounding Baltimore-area counties, that burning may not occur within 500 yards of one or more occupied buildings, and no open burning of that kind is allowed from June 1 through August 31. The Maryland DNR Forest Service also issues open-air burning guidance during dry spring and fall fire seasons.
Burning brush that did not originate on the property, burning within 500 yards of a building, or burning during the summer restriction is an MDE air-quality violation subject to penalties, plus liability for any fire that spreads.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Harford County, MD
No Harford County or Maryland law limits holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays. A homeowner can decorate without a county permit. The only real limit...
Harford County, MD
A garage-sale sign on your own lawn is fine in Harford County under the county's temporary-sign rules. But a sign staked in a state highway right-of-way, on ...
Harford County, MD
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Harford County, MD
Harford County requires no general rental license, but Maryland does require registration. Every owner of a pre-1978 rental must register each unit with the ...
Harford County, MD
Maryland requires no just cause to end a tenancy, and Harford County has added none. A landlord evicts only through District Court, never self-help, but may ...
Harford County, MD
Harford County has no rent control. Maryland sets no statewide cap and does not preempt local rent stabilization, so a county or town may adopt one; Harford ...
See how Harford County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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