Building permits, zoning and land rules in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

Unincorporated Queen Anne's County requires a building permit or zoning certificate for new construction and for alteration, renovation or repair of a residential or accessory structure; applicable plumbing, electrical, HVAC and septic permits must be in place before the building permit is issued¹. Inside Centreville, the town's Zoning Administrator issues building permits; septic and well approvals remain with the Queen Anne's County Health Department^3,5. Queen Anne's County enforces adopted residential, building, mechanical, energy, plumbing, electrical, life-safety, fire and related codes¹⁶.

Residential work proceeds through the inspections required for the particular permit, potentially including footing, foundation, framing, insulation, fire-code and final building-code inspections⁶. The owner must ensure all applicable final inspections are approved, including a passing duct-tightness test certificate where required⁶. The owner must then obtain a Certificate of Occupancy from the Zoning Department before occupying the building⁶. Fire alarms, sprinkler systems, LP-gas work and certain fuel tanks require separate Fire Marshal permits¹⁷.

The Permits, Licenses and Zoning Division, at 110 Vincit Street, Suite 104 in Centreville, is open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; call 410-758-4088². Since October 21, 2024, permit applications can be submitted, paid for, and tracked online through the county's Citizen Self Service Portal, in addition to the in-person option^2,18. The Planning line at the same address, 410-758-1255, handles zoning, subdivision, critical area and forest conservation questions on weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m²..

Inspections themselves are not done by county staff: Queen Anne's County contracts building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC inspections to the Middle Department Inspection Agency (MDIA), reached at 410-822-8300¹⁷. Fire-related permits and inspections, including for fire alarms, sprinklers and fuel tanks, go through the Office of the Fire Marshal instead; call 410-758-4500, extension 1144, at least three working days ahead to schedule¹⁷.

County Planning & Zoning administers zoning, subdivision, Critical Area and forest conservation regulations for unincorporated Queen Anne's County; Centreville administers its own zoning, while septic and well approvals remain with the Queen Anne's County Health Department^2,4,5. County minor subdivisions create no more than 7 lots; major subdivisions exceed 7 and require Planning Commission approval, and administrative and sliding-scale subdivisions require stormwater planning for future development^19,20.

Minimum lot sizes depend on the district²¹. The county's 2004 residential-lot ordinance states a 20-foot building-height limit below 2 acres and, above 2 but below 5 acres, the greater of 20 feet or the principal building's height; ask Planning which structures and current provisions govern your parcel^1,2. One accessory guest residence or apartment per single-family lot may occupy the principal dwelling or an approved accessory structure, up to 1,500 square feet; the owner must reside onsite and obtain Health Department approval without public sewer¹². We could not confirm a general setback schedule or minimum dwelling size; ask Planning & Zoning².

The Queen Anne's County Health Department approves onsite sewage disposal and well construction under Maryland's delegated program⁵. Sewage disposal requires an approved onsite permit, and new or altered systems cannot be covered or used before approval and inspection^7,8,22. Environmental Health evaluates new and existing systems; call 410-758-2281 at 206 N. Commerce St., Centreville⁹. Any Maryland well requires a construction permit; a licensed Maryland driller applies to the county approving authority, submits a completion report, and obtains a Certificate of Potability before drinking-water use^5,10.

Covered septic systems generally require pumping every 5 years or a licensed hauler's qualifying inspection certification; holding tanks and qualifying nutrient-removal systems under maintenance contracts are excepted²³. Privies, portable units, holding tanks and nonconventional sanitation require Health Department approval under limited conditions²⁴. The approving authority may require connection to adequate, economically available community sewerage; an interim individual system must connect when community sewer becomes available^8,25.

We could not confirm a general Queen Anne's County rule allowing an RV as a residence on an ordinary private lot; ask Planning & Zoning before buying or moving one onto a parcel². A qualifying Waterfront Village Center fraternal use may host up to 15 RVs overnight for no more than 4 consecutive days per RV, while a Suburban Residential camping cooperative is seasonal and prohibits year-round residency^13,26. In a special flood hazard area, an RV must meet manufactured-home requirements, be highway-ready, or remain onsite fewer than 180 consecutive days¹⁴.

Tiny-home occupancy also remains unconfirmed; ask Planning & Zoning how the proposed unit is classified in the parcel's district². In the Agricultural district, a single-wide manufactured home is limited to replacing a legal existing mobile or single-wide home, providing temporary shelter, or serving as the primary residence on a farm under the applicable use rules²⁷. An accessory dwelling is another possible route on a single-family lot, subject to the county's location, size, owner-occupancy and septic conditions¹².

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district, subdivision status and any critical area or forest conservation overlay with Planning before designing^2,19.
2. Obtain onsite sewage and, if needed, well approval through Environmental Health^5,7,9.
3. Check floodplain requirements and driveway access; paved-driveway review requires a site plan and zoning inspection, with a State Highway or County Roads entrance permit when applicable²⁸.
4. Submit the residential building-permit application after applicable trade and septic permits are in place^1,2. The landowner affirmation requires direct construction solely for personal use without contracting a builder or construction manager; notify the building-permit office before later hiring one¹¹. Maryland also has a limited owner HVAC licensing exception for a single-family dwelling the owner occupies or is building to occupy; required county building and trade permits still apply²⁹.
5. Apply separately for Fire Marshal-regulated work¹⁷.
6. Schedule the required building and trade inspections through MDIA^6,17.
7. Obtain the Certificate of Occupancy after final approvals and before moving in; allow 7–10 business days after requesting final building inspection unless Zoning is notified in advance⁶.

Ask Environmental Health whether the parcel can support a septic system and whether it has an approved well site⁹. Confirm legal driveway access before closing: a paved driveway needs a site plan and county zoning inspection, and access may also require approval from State Highway or County Roads²⁸. Check the flood map because all construction or fill in a floodplain needs a permit, and check whether Critical Area lot-coverage limits apply^15,30. Qualifying farm employee dwellings in Agricultural or Countryside districts with specified conservation protections may receive an impact-fee exemption; that exemption does not waive building, zoning or septic approvals³¹.

Although 99.1% of the county's land has a slope of 15% or less, the NRCS rates 0% of its soils free of severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field; do not assume gentle ground will support a standard system³². If rental income matters, short-term residential rentals require an annual zoning certificate and compliance with occupancy, inspection, parking and local-manager conditions³³. Also price the carrying costs: farmland averages $8,163 an acre, and the median property-tax bill is $3,503 a year³².