Harford County, MD Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Harford County's zoning ordinance regulates residential parking under § 267-26 of the Harford County Code (Chapter 267, Zoning), administered by the Department of Planning and Zoning for all land outside Bel Air, Aberdeen and Havre de Grace. Section 267-26A(4) states that parking requirements may be met in attached or detached garages, in off-street parking lots, or on parking pads located on the lot, but on residential lots each required parking space must have direct and unobstructed access to a road. That is the provision governing where a homeowner may place a driveway or parking pad.

Section 267-26A(5) sets the minimum size for that space at 9 feet by 18 feet for a standard vehicle, with 325 square feet allotted per space once driving aisles and landscaping are figured in. Business uses carry their own floor: § 267-26A(6) requires at least 3 parking spaces for any business use. The Board of Appeals may modify these space requirements under § 267-26A(1) if the shape or size of a lot, or another exceptional condition, justifies it. Because a driveway or parking pad is part of a lot's zoning compliance, violations are enforced the same way as other zoning breaches: under § 267-14, the Director of Planning can order the unlawful condition abated, and an owner who keeps using land contrary to the zoning code is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 for each day the violation continues, or can instead be issued a civil citation with a fine up to $500 per violation.