Worcester County, MD Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Rubbish rule
- Dumped or accumulated junk creating a fire hazard or harboring vermin
- Holes and pits
- Unattended, unprotected holes or pools risking cave-in or water buildup
- Storage threshold
- Personal property on greater than one hundred square feet per parcel, unless screened
- Weed exemption
- Unimproved areas of more than three acres
- Posted notice
- Up not less than seven days before further action
- Penalty
- Civil infraction, each day separate
Summary
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, a vacant lot becomes a public nuisance if rubbish, household trash or junk is dumped or accumulated there creating a fire hazard or harboring rats, mice, snakes or vermin, or if it holds an unprotected hole, pit or pool. The owner and the person who caused the condition are both liable.
(3) Any placing, leaving, dumping or accumulation of rubbish, household trash or junk causing or threatening to cause a fire hazard, or causing the inhabitation therein of rats, mice, snakes, or vermin of any kind or the accumulation of stagnant water causing or threatening to cause the breeding of insects which is or may be dangerous or prejudicial to the public health. ... (12) Any unattended and unprotected man-made hole, cave, crater, cavity, pit or pool or similar surface condition which constitutes or has the potential of becoming a hazardous area to the public because of potential for cave-in, subsidence or collapse or because of an accumulation of water. ( ... d) Notice. ... In addition to the penalties contained in Subsection (c) hereof, where it has been determined pursuant to Subsection (b)(5) hereof that a nuisance exists, the Department or official making such determination shall cause written notice to be sent to the property owner, as well as the occupant or other person in possession of the property in question, said notice to describe the nature of the nuisance and the actions necessary for correction.
Full Breakdown
Section PH 1-101(a) lists the conditions that make a parcel a public nuisance in unincorporated Worcester County, and several of them describe what builds up on vacant land.
Subsection (a)(3) covers any placing, leaving, dumping or accumulation of rubbish, household trash or junk that causes or threatens a fire hazard, harbors rats, mice, snakes or vermin, or collects stagnant water that threatens to breed insects. Subsection (a)(12) covers any unattended and unprotected man-made hole, cave, crater, cavity, pit or pool that is or could become hazardous because of cave-in, subsidence, collapse or accumulated water. Related paragraphs reach outdoor storage of personal property occupying greater than one hundred square feet of land area per parcel, unless it is visually screened from adjoining public road rights-of-way and adjoining properties or fully enclosed, and the deposit of garbage or trash in a ditch, drain or watercourse. Vegetation has its own paragraph, (a)(1), which sets a one-foot height limit but exempts unimproved areas of more than three acres when the Department so determines after investigation. Noxious weeds still cannot grow within sixty feet of a property line adjoining an occupied property.
The department or official designated by the County Commissioners decides whether a nuisance exists, and no complaint is needed to start. Under subsection (d), written notice goes to the owner and any occupant by registered mail to the address on the tax assessment rolls; if the owner cannot be found, posting it on the lot is adequate and the posting must be up not less than seven days before any further action. If the condition persists, § PH 1-102 lets the County Commissioners order abatement after offering a hearing, enter the lot and remedy the condition, and charge the owner the actual costs and reasonable attorney's fees as a lien. Property used for a bona fide agricultural purpose is excluded from the storage paragraph, and the whole Subtitle covers only the unincorporated areas of Worcester County.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining a qualifying condition on a vacant lot is a civil infraction, and the property owner is guilty along with the person who caused it. Each day is a separate infraction, and the County civil infraction fine cannot exceed five hundred dollars, or one thousand dollars for a repeat offense. Where the owner does not correct the condition after notice, the Commissioners can have it removed and the owner is charged the actual costs and reasonable attorney's fees, collectible as a lien like delinquent taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my vacant lot in unincorporated Worcester County have to be mowed?
What dumping on a vacant lot counts as a nuisance?
Is an open pit or hole on a vacant lot covered?
Who sends the notice and what happens next?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Worcester County
Compare Worcester County to another location·View the Maryland property maintenance overview
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