Worcester County, MD Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)

The parking rule sits in § ZS 1-351(b)(5) of the Zoning and Subdivision Control Article, the section the County Commissioners added on 10-15-2019 by Bill No. 19-3. It applies in unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland only. Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City run their own codes and are not covered.

The rule works as an add-on. First find the base requirement for the dwelling in § ZS 1-320(a), which says space for off-street parking of vehicles and bicycles must be provided on the premises in every district. That table lists a minimum of 2 motor vehicle spaces for single-family dwellings and 1 per unit for accessory apartments, with a maximum of 2 per unit for accessory apartments. Then add one more space on top for the short-term rental use. The extra space is triggered by timing: it attaches to short-term rental structures for which a building permit application is received after the effective date of the section, so a structure permitted earlier is not caught by this particular sentence.

Parking also shows up in the licensing paperwork. Under § TR 2-106(d)(1), an owner renting only a portion of a building must file a site plan that shows the area designated for off-street parking, along with a scaled floor plan. A short-term rental is defined in § ZS 1-103 as all or part of a dwelling unit, or all of an accessory apartment, rented to a lodger for sleeping accommodations for no more than twenty-eight consecutive days. Bed-and-breakfast establishments are excluded from that definition.

The Department of Development Review and Permitting administers the rental license, which is valid for one year and must be renewed on a form submitted at least sixty days before expiration. Owners must make the unit available for inspection during reasonable hours on request under § ZS 1-351(b)(7), which is how parking compliance gets checked.