Worcester County, MD Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Short-term rental occupancy in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland is set by § ZS 1-351(b)(3), a section added by Bill No. 19-3 on 10-15-2019. Section ZS 1-103 defines a short-term rental as all or a portion of a dwelling unit, or all of an accessory apartment, rented to a lodger for sleeping accommodations on a basis not to exceed twenty-eight consecutive days, and it excludes bed-and-breakfast establishments.

For a short-term rental holding a valid rental license under § TR 2-105, the standard 'family or housekeeping unit' definition does not decide how many people can stay. The rule is bedroom based. Every bedroom occupied by more than one person must contain not less than fifty square feet of floor area, unobstructed other than by furniture, for each occupant. The total number of occupants permitted in the unit cannot exceed the sum of the occupants permitted in each bedroom of the structure.

The count therefore turns on what qualifies as a bedroom. Under § ZS 1-103 a bedroom is a room that can be used for sleeping and has at least seventy square feet of conditioned space unobstructed other than by furniture and not including closets, sits along an exterior wall, has an entry door and a closet, does not provide access to another room other than a bathroom or closet, and has an emergency means of escape and rescue where the building permit was issued on or after July 1, 1992. A hallway, bathroom, kitchen, living room, family room, dining room, den, sunroom or similar space is not a bedroom.

Related rules sit beside the cap. A property used for short-term rentals is limited to a single rental contract for any overnight period regardless of the number of sleeping rooms. The owner keeps a record of every lodger's name, address, phone number, email address as applicable, and dates of lodging, and provides it to the County on request. The owner also makes the unit available for inspection during reasonable hours. Events such as weddings and reunions for people other than the authorized lodgers are prohibited. Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City have their own codes and are not covered by this section.