Wicomico County, MD Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Wicomico County regulates home occupations through a single section, § 225-97, that sorts every home-based business into one of three types before applying operational standards. Subsection A makes the Zoning Administrator responsible for determining whether a proposed use is Type I, Type II or Type III, and requires every type to comply with all applicable requirements of the chapter to be allowed at all. Subsection B then sets floor-area and character limits that apply across all three types: the business must remain clearly incidental and subordinate to the residential use and cannot occupy more than 25% of the single-family dwelling's gross floor space, it must be conducted entirely within the dwelling unit or an accessory structure with no outdoor advertisement, display or storage of materials, goods, supplies or equipment, and the property's residential character cannot be altered to accommodate it beyond the minimum parking the Code otherwise requires.

Those same subsections also carry the noise, vibration, glare, dust, odor, electrical-interference and hazardous-materials limits at Subsection B(5), and a list of specifically prohibited business types at Subsection C. Because the type classification drives which additional standards apply, such as customer-visit conditions for Type II and III, an applicant in unincorporated Wicomico County should get the Zoning Administrator's determination in writing before investing in build-out, since a use that grows past its Type I or II classification without approval is a zoning violation even if the floor-area and character standards are otherwise met.