A home-based contractor may operate only after the Department of Planning and Zoning approves an accessory-use permit. The application requires a plot plan showing structures, parking, storage, screening, and driveways, plus a description of the use. The DPZ permit fee is $25.
Howard County requires an accessory-use permit before a home-based contractor business begins. Department of Planning and Zoning staff review the application against the Zoning Regulations and may conduct an on-site inspection. The applicant must affirm the property is their principal residence and submit a scaled plot plan showing boundaries, improvements, structures, storage and parking areas, fences, and landscaping with distances to property lines. Businesses that cannot meet the accessory-use limits may still seek approval as a special exception or conditional use through the Hearing Authority after a public hearing.
Operating without the required DPZ permit is a zoning violation; enforcement can order the business to cease and impose fines until a permit is approved.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Howard County allows residential backyard composting and actively promotes it. The county runs a Feed the Green Bin curbside food-scrap collection and sells ...
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Howard County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or requiring artificial turf for residential yards. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, but becaus...
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Howard County places no restriction on planting native or pollinator gardens. Maryland's low-impact landscaping law (House Bill 322, 2021) bars homeowners as...
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Howard County does not ban rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and actively promoted through the county's Live Green Howard and stormwa...
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Howard County has no year-round odd/even watering ban. Water use is limited only when the state declares a drought. Under Maryland's Level One Mandatory Rest...
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Howard County's adopted Property Maintenance Code requires exterior premises to be kept free of weeds and rank plant growth, but it applies only to rental an...
See how Howard County's home occupation permits rules stack up against other locations.
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