Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Yes, a new single-family dwelling in unincorporated Anne Arundel County requires an Anne Arundel County building permit¹. The county administers locally amended editions of the International Building, Residential and Energy Conservation Codes within Maryland's statewide building-code framework^11,12. A project may also need trade or grading permits and approvals from Planning and Zoning or Public Works¹. The permit holder must request county inspections as work reaches each required stage¹³. A qualifying agricultural building can be exempt if it is on a farm with a current soil-conservation and water-quality plan, has the required agricultural zoning or assessment, is no more than 40 feet tall and at least 60 feet from other buildings, and is not open to the public¹⁴.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits runs the Permit Center at 2664 Riva Road in Annapolis; call (410) 222-7730 or email permitcenterhelp@aacounty.org¹⁵. New applications generally must be submitted online through Land Use Navigator, with exceptions for apartment submissions, associated trades and revisions to existing paper applications¹⁵. A non-refundable $43 application fee is added to every building permit¹⁶. A landowner building directly on personally owned Maryland land solely for personal use may submit a Homeowner Affidavit, but hiring someone to manage or supervise the build changes that status⁴.

Unincorporated Anne Arundel County has zoning enforced by the county Office of Planning and Zoning⁵. Inside Annapolis, the city administers its own zoning ordinance⁶. Private septic construction permits in Annapolis remain with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health³. The county zoning ordinance is Article 18 of the county code, with eight residential districts alongside commercial, industrial, maritime and mixed-use districts, and each district has its own bulk regulations¹⁷. Allowed uses and bulk standards depend on each parcel's district, so use the county's zoning viewer and confirm the classification before designing a project². In the R1 district, for example, the minimum lot size is 30,000 square feet, structures may cover up to 50% of the lot, and principal buildings top out at 45 feet^10,18. Setbacks depend on the zoning classification, development type and kind of structure⁷. Overlay zones can add further development rules¹⁸, and subdivision and site-plan activity goes through county development review¹⁹.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health's Sanitary Engineering Program reviews properties, issues construction permits and inspects private septic systems and wells³. A Septic Installation Permit is required for an onsite sewage system²⁰. For new residential subdivisions, the growth tier controls the sanitation path: Tier 1 requires public sewer, Tier 2 allows septic for minor subdivisions only until public sewer becomes available, and Tiers 3 and 4 require onsite septic or private community systems; private-septic proposals need Health Department review and an approved perc test before the development application proceeds²¹. A nitrogen-reducing BAT unit installed through the Bay Restoration Fund process must be inspected by the Health Department and a manufacturer representative²². Where public sewer and water are available, a water/sewer connection permit is required for the final connection to a structure, and a single-lot connection without an executed public works agreement needs a TAP Permit from an AB Licensed utility contractor²¹. Wells require a permit submitted by a licensed well driller²³. Call 410-222-7193 or email septic_sod@aacounty.org³.

An RV parked on a highway in Anne Arundel County may not be used as a dwelling, residence or accommodation between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m⁹.. The highway restriction covers camping vehicles, motor homes, park model RVs and travel trailers; a violation is a Class E civil offense⁹. We could not confirm private-land RV occupancy or temporary camping rules; ask the Office of Planning and Zoning before relying on either use^9,24. A manufactured home has a clearer path: since January 1, 2025, it is allowed in any zoning district that permits single-family dwellings if it sits on a permanent foundation, the same person owns the land and home, and an affidavit of affixation is recorded⁷. Anne Arundel County also allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in most residential districts, with no minimum lot size⁸. The county does define cottage homes, detached dwellings of no more than 800 square feet excluding loft space, on a permanent foundation, but those units sit in cottage home developments with deed restrictions limiting occupancy to income-eligible households, so the definition does not open general tiny-home placement on a rural lot²⁵. We could not confirm a countywide minimum dwelling floor area or a general tiny-home occupancy rule; ask Planning and Zoning about the proposed design²⁴.

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district, allowed use and bulk limits with the Office of Planning and Zoning².
2. Ask whether subdivision, site-plan or floodplain review applies^19,26.
3. Determine the parcel's growth tier and whether public sewer is required or private septic can be reviewed²¹.
4. Obtain Health Department approval for any private well and septic system³.
5. Submit the building application through Land Use Navigator; qualifying owner-builders should include the Homeowner Affidavit^4,15.
6. Obtain a Residential Driveway Access Permit for a new or modified entrance onto a county road²⁷.
7. Request each required construction inspection when the permitted work reaches that stage¹³.

Only about 2% of Anne Arundel County's soils are rated not limited for conventional septic drain fields; site evaluation or an engineered system may be needed, so get a perc test before counting on a standard system²⁸. A typical home here runs around $514,257 and farmland has recently been valued near $12,289 an acre²⁸; the effective property tax rate is about 0.9%, with a median annual bill around $3,836²⁸. A new or modified entrance onto a county road needs a Residential Driveway Access Permit²⁷; an entrance within a State right-of-way requires a separate MDOT State Highway Administration permit²⁹. Check the zoning district, overlay zones, floodplain status, water source and growth tier before treating a parcel as buildable^2,21,26.