Harford County, MD Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Section 267-58 of the Harford County Code creates the VB Village Business District to "provide business services to rural areas" while preserving "long-established rural settlements," complementing the adjacent Village Residential (VR) district. Subsection B(6) requires that redevelopment of existing residential structures be "compatible and in harmony with the village" in architectural design, scale, building height and materials, and B(7) applies the identical standard to new construction, directing the Director of Planning to weigh massing, building materials, cornice lines, window lines, roof pitch and entry when judging compatibility with neighboring residential communities.

B(8) makes the county's Rural Village Study the guide the Director of Planning uses to determine architectural compatibility. General regulations in the same section also require lighting to be shielded and directed so it stays "consistent with the village character" and cap use intensity: business uses may occupy no more than 2 acres (with limited exceptions), maximum building coverage is 40% of the lot, maximum impervious surface is 85%, and most uses must be conducted within an enclosed building. Dimensional standards for lot area, setbacks, width and height come from Table 58-1.

This VB framework governs unincorporated village centers only; Bel Air, Aberdeen and Havre de Grace, the county's three incorporated municipalities, are outside its reach and control their own downtown design review.