Severna Park, MD Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Severna Park has no separate municipal government, so short-term rentals here are governed by Anne Arundel County Code Title 13A (Short-Term Residential Rentals) and the County's Department of Inspections and Permits. Title 13A defines 'short-term residential rental' as the use or occupancy, facilitated by a hosting platform in exchange for rent, of all or part of a dwelling unit to provide accommodations to transient guests for no more than 120 consecutive days in a calendar year. Hosts must register through the Land Use Navigator, are limited to a maximum of two registered properties, and the registration fee is $100 for a two-year term (reduced from $400 by emergency ordinance in January 2021). The minimum rental period is 24 hours. Title 13A's published text does not set a hard 'two persons per bedroom' cap county-wide; instead, transient occupancy is constrained by (1) the smoke alarm and life-safety provisions of the County's adopted IRC/IBC 2021 codes (alarms required in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on each level), (2) the property maintenance code's minimum habitable-room size and bedroom occupancy ratios, and (3) any density or use limits in the underlying zoning district. Severna Park is mostly zoned R2 and R5 residential, where short-term rentals are permitted accessory uses subject to registration. Anne Arundel County's use-or-occupancy tax (currently 8% of rent for stays of 120 nights or fewer, increased from 7% effective July 1, 2023) applies to every booking and is due to the County by the 25th of each following month even if no tax was collected. The state-level sales and use tax under MD Tax-General §11-101 et seq. (6%) applies on top of the county tax for transient accommodations under four months. Annapolis's separate Chapter 17.44 STR rules - including its 2-per-bedroom cap and 10% blockface density rule under O-17-25 - do NOT apply to Severna Park because Severna Park lies outside Annapolis city limits.