Queen Anne's County, MD Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

The height rule is § 19-2(L)(2). A person cannot allow any vegetation to grow higher than 12 inches on any lot or parcel of land that meets both conditions: it is less than three acres in size, and it is located in an approved or recorded residential subdivision or any part of it is within 200 feet of a neighboring residence. The rule turns on size and location, not on whether the lot has a house, so a built lot and an empty lot in a subdivision are treated alike.

Section 19-2(L)(1) lists three exemptions: trees, cultivated crops and cultivated ornamental shrubbery or plants; lots or parcels devoted to a bona fide agricultural use or designated by any governmental agency as a wildlife preserve, official wetlands or forests; and areas required to be maintained in a natural vegetative state by any governmental agency. A meadow buffer a government agency requires you to keep natural is therefore outside the limit, while ordinary lawn or weeds on a small subdivision lot are inside it. Under § 19-3, the owner and the occupant of any premises are responsible for its sanitary condition.

Enforcement begins with the Enforcement Officer, who is designated by the County Commissioners. The officer can investigate a written complaint from a medical practitioner, an affected person (a contiguous property owner or resident) or a homeowners' association, or can act on a reasonable basis to believe a violation exists. A written notice of abatement sets the time to cut the vegetation. If the owner does not comply, the County Commissioners can abate the nuisance and assess the owner the cost plus an administrative fee of $100, which becomes a lien collected like County real estate taxes. Centreville, Queenstown and the other incorporated towns have their own codes.