Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Emmitsburg, Maryland

Town of Emmitsburg’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Emmitsburg town limits

  • Town zoning is Title 17 of the town code, with its own planning commission and board of zoning appeals.

  “"commission" means the emmitsburg planning commission.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the R-1 (low density) district, Emmitsburg

  • Table gives lot area per dwelling unit; R-S, R-2 and R-3 differ (R-S 20,000 sq ft; R-2 and R-3 8,000 sq ft).

  minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 12000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 85 feet

  “r-1 district single-family dwelling 12,000 85 35 12 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwelling in the R-S district, Emmitsburg

    “r-s district single-family dwelling 20,000(4) 100 35 12 30”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the R-1 district, Emmitsburg

  • Corner lots have two front and two side yards; accessory structures stay 6 ft from side and rear lines and are not allowed in front yards (17.32.110).

  front yard: >= 35 feet · each side yard: >= 12 feet · rear yard: >= 30 feet

  “r-1 district single-family dwelling 12,000 85 35 12 30”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwelling in the R-S district, Emmitsburg

    “r-s district single-family dwelling 20,000(4) 100 35 12 30”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Accessory structures on residential lots (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-S), Emmitsburg

  • Only a limit on accessory structures in the rear yard; no overall lot coverage figure was found.
  • Only one accessory structure may use the zero lot line setback on lots under 30 ft wide; a clear six foot path from rear of lot to the principal structure is required.

  rear yard coverable by accessory structures: <= 30 percent

  “no more than thirty (30) percent of the rear yard of a lot, as defined in section 17.04.020, is allowed to be covered with accessory structures.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in residential districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-S), Emmitsburg

  • Height may exceed 35 ft only if each side yard is increased by 5 ft for every 5 ft (or fraction) of extra height.
  • Absolute cap of 50 feet.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (up to 50 ft with larger side yards) · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

  “no building will exceed two and one half (2½) stories or thirty-five (35) feet in height, unless each side yard is increased over the required minimum by five (5) feet for every five (5) feet, or fraction thereof, of additional height over thirty-five (35) feet. in no case shall the building height exceed fifty (50) feet.”

• Camping on your landProhibited

  Camping in Emmitsburg town parks and recreation areas only

  • Covers town parks only; camping on private land was not found.

  “camping is prohibited at emmitsburg's parks.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in special flood hazard areas inside Emmitsburg

  • The town manager is the floodplain administrator.
  • Permits issue only if the floodplain regulations are met.

  “approve applications and issue permits to develop in flood hazard areas if the provisions of these regulations have been met, or disapprove applications if the provisions of these regulations have not been met.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Emmitsburg or Frederick County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Emmitsburg
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Emmitsburg
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Emmitsburg
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Emmitsburg
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Emmitsburg

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.