Harford County, MD Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Zoning Code Section 267-4 defines TOURIST HOME as a building in which lodging or meals are provided for compensation to 3 or more guests on a temporary basis. Section 267-88, the Board of Appeals' list of special-exception standards, places country inns, tourist homes and resorts under its residential-uses category, Subsection F(3), and allows the use only in the AG, RR, R1, R2, R3, R4, RO and VR Districts, and only if eating and sleeping facilities for at least 3 guests on a daily or weekly short-term basis are provided, the project is responsive to the natural and historic features of the parcel, and any historic structure renovated for the use is reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission under Article XIII.

Because a special exception, not a staff-level permit, is required, an applicant files with the Board of Appeals under the general procedure in Section 267-87: the Board can attach conditions, limit approval to the exact site plan submitted, and require a bond or other guaranty to secure compliance. Approval lapses if the use does not start within 3 years of the final decision after all appeals are exhausted, though the Director of Planning may grant a 12-month extension for unforeseen delays. This is a separate track from the hotel occupancy tax registration in County Code Section 123-66; an operator who clears the zoning special exception still has to register with the County Treasurer once the property starts renting rooms.