Bolthole Index

Washington County, Maryland

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hagerstown, Maryland

Inside Hagerstown city limits, the City sets zoning under its own Land Management Code1, and building permits are issued by the City's Planning & Code Administration office2. Septic permits, where no public sewer is available, come from the Washington County Health Department3. Washington County's rules apply only outside city limits4.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, the City's own zoning ordinance (Article 4 of the Land Management Code)1
Building permit
Issued by the City's Planning & Code Administration office; county permits cover only land outside city limits25
Septic
Washington County Health Department permit, only where public sewer is not available36
Minimum lot, single-family
7,500 sq ft in RMOD; 5,000 sq ft in RMED and RO; 4,000 sq ft in RH789
Sewer connection
Required within 30 days of notice if public sewer is within 200 feet10
Manufactured homes
Outside a mobile home park, only on a fully enclosed masonry foundation11
RV and tiny home living
Not confirmed; only manufactured homes on masonry foundations are addressed11

Who to call

Building permits

City of Hagerstown Planning & Code Administration

Building permit applications and zoning questions inside Hagerstown city limits

301-739-8577

1 E. Franklin St. Hagerstown, MD 21740

Online permits →

Septic permits

Washington County Health Department, Environmental Health

Septic (onsite sewage disposal) and well permits, including for lots inside Hagerstown where no public sewer is available

240-313-3400

1302 Pennsylvania Ave. Hagerstown, MD 21742

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Hagerstown means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Hagerstown have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Hagerstown zones land inside city limits under Article 4, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Hagerstown Land Management Code1. Residential districts include RMOD for moderate density, RMED for medium density, RH for high density and RO12.

Minimum lot size for a single-family detached home depends on the district. In RMOD the minimum lot is 7,500 square feet and 50 feet wide7. In RMED and RO it is 5,000 square feet and 40 feet wide8. In RH it is 4,000 square feet and 40 feet wide9. A lot-averaging rule can raise these figures for single-family homes to match the surrounding block7.

Setbacks for a single-family home in RMOD are a 25-foot front yard, a 35-foot rear yard and two side yards of at least 4 feet13. In RMED and RO the front yard is 15 feet, the rear yard 30 feet and each of two side yards 5 feet14. RH uses the same 15, 30 and 5 feet15. Principal buildings in RMOD and RMED top out at 3 stories or 35 feet16.

Do you need a building permit in Hagerstown, and who issues it?

Maryland requires every local jurisdiction to ensure building permits are issued as a minimum enforcement activity17. Inside Hagerstown, building permit applications go to the City's Planning & Code Administration office at City Hall, 301-739-85772. Washington County's Division of Plan Review & Permitting serves property outside the corporate limits of Hagerstown and the county's other towns18; sending a city address there is the wrong counter.

We could not confirm the City's specific permit steps, fees, inspection schedule or owner-builder rules for new homes, so ask Planning & Code Administration before you design anything.

How do septic permits work inside Hagerstown?

Most Hagerstown addresses are on public sewer. A building within 200 feet of a public sanitary sewer must connect at the owner's expense within 30 days of official notice10.

Where no public sewer is available, a private septic system is allowed6. The owner must first get a written permit signed by the Washington County Health Department before construction begins19. The county Environmental Health office is the contact for septic permits20. If sewer later becomes available, the owner must connect and fill septic tanks and cesspools6.

We could not confirm Hagerstown's rules for private wells; ask the Environmental Health office.

Can you place a manufactured home, RV or tiny home in Hagerstown?

A mobile or manufactured home outside a mobile home park is allowed only when it sits on and is secured to a fully enclosed masonry foundation11.

We could not confirm whether Hagerstown allows living in an RV, camping on private land, tiny homes or accessory dwelling units inside city limits. The City's code has a storage rule for campers on residential lots, not a confirmed rule on sleeping in them. Ask the Planning & Code Administration office at 301-739-8577 before you buy2.

How do you build a home in Hagerstown? The steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and its lot size and setbacks with the City122.
  2. Find out whether public sewer is within 200 feet; if so, plan to connect10.
  3. If there is no sewer, get the Washington County Health Department septic permit before construction1920.
  4. Apply for the building permit with the City's Planning & Code Administration office2.
  5. Ask the City about inspections and the certificate of occupancy; we could not confirm those steps.

What stays with Washington County, and what should you check before you buy in Hagerstown?

Septic permits for Hagerstown lots without sewer come from the Washington County Health Department3. Land outside city limits falls under county zoning and county building permits instead; see the Washington County page4.

Washington County's effective property tax rate is 0.9%21. Typical home value in the county is $335,49722.

For floodplain, the State of Maryland requires development permits in FEMA-mapped 100-year floodplains in cities and most towns23.

Watch-outs

  • The City has posted proposed changes to Article 4 of its zoning rules, so confirm the current adopted version with Planning & Code Administration before relying on any lot size or setback figure1.
  • Dimensional rules vary by district and by lot averaging, so check the lot's district first7.
  • We could not confirm Hagerstown's permit fees, minimum dwelling size, driveway rules or short-term rental rules; ask the City at 301-739-85772.

Sources

  1. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Hagerstown Planning & Code Administration (hagerstownmd.org)
  3. City of Hagerstown Code Chapter 240 Water Pollution Control, Article III Private Sewage Disposal (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  4. Zoning Ordinance for Washington County, Maryland, quoted and re-checked
  5. Homeowner’s Procedures for Filing a Building Permit Application for Washington County, Maryland, quoted and re-checked
  6. City of Hagerstown Code Chapter 240 Water Pollution Control, Article III Private Sewage Disposal (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  7. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  8. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  9. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  10. City of Hagerstown Code Chapter 240 Water Pollution Control, Article II Use of Public Sewers Required (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  12. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  13. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  14. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  15. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  16. City of Hagerstown Land Management Code v3.12, Article 4 Zoning Ordinance (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  17. Maryland Public Safety Article § 12-505 (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Homeowner’s Procedures for Filing a Building Permit Application for Washington County, Maryland (2026 county census)
  19. City of Hagerstown Code Chapter 240 Water Pollution Control, Article III Private Sewage Disposal (Hagerstown), quoted and re-checked
  20. Washington County Health Department, Environmental Health (washcohealth.org)
  21. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  23. Floodplain Permitting in Maryland (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 23, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Hagerstown

Hagerstown’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Hagerstown city limits: the City's own zoning ordinance (Article 4, Zoning Ordinance, of the City of Hagerstown Land Management Code)

    • Reviewed text is Land Management Code v3.12 as posted on the City website; a 2026 text-amendment package posted by the City proposes changes to Article 4 sections C and D and was not reviewed, so the current adopted version should be confirmed.
    “title. this article shall be known and may be cited as the "zoning ordinance, city of hagerstown."”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Hagerstown city limits

    • Article 4 sets out the residential district purposes; the City zoning map (2023 map posted on hagerstownmd.org) was located but not opened.
    “a. rmod district. to provide areas for moderate-density residential development.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the RMOD (moderate-density residential) district inside Hagerstown city

    • Column order of the chart: lot area, lot width, lot area per dwelling unit, front yard depth (or to established line on same side of street for infill), rear yard depth, minimum aggregate side yards, minimum width of each side yard, number of side yards.
    • The section's lot-averaging text (not fully reviewed) says that for single-family residences the lot area and width requirements shall be not less than the average lot area and width of all lots on that side of the same street block.
    • Two-family and semi-detached dwellings use the district minimum without averaging, per the same section.

    minimum lot area, single-family detached: >= 7500 square feet (lot averaging rule for single-family residences in the same section) · minimum lot width, single-family detached: >= 50 feet (lot averaging rule for single-family residences in the same section)

    “single-family dwellings rmod district 7,500 50 7,500 25 35 ++ 15 4 2”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the RMOD district inside Hagerstown city

    • Front yard depth may be measured to the established line on the same side of the street for infill, per the chart header.
    • The '++' footnote on the chart row was not resolved and may modify the rear yard figure.
    • Accessory buildings have separate setbacks under the same section (not extracted).

    minimum front yard depth: >= 25 feet (or to established line on same side of street for infill) · minimum rear yard depth: >= 35 feet ('++' footnote not resolved) · minimum width of each side yard: >= 4 feet · minimum aggregate width of side yards: >= 15 feet · number of side yards required: 2 count

    “single-family dwellings rmod district 7,500 50 7,500 25 35 ++ 15 4 2”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    Principal structures in the RMOD district inside Hagerstown city

    • Accessory structures in residential districts may not exceed one story; an accessory structure on a property of 20,000 square feet or more may be two stories if it meets principal-structure setbacks without variance.
    • RMED: 3 stories or 35 feet; RH: 5 stories or 60 feet; RO: 3 stories or 40 feet (same row of the same height table).

    maximum height, principal structure: <= 35 feet (also limited to 3 stories)

    “zoning district rmod rmed rh ro maximum height 3 stories or 35 feet 3 stories or 35 feet 5 stories or 60 feet 3 stories or 40 feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Mobile or manufactured homes used as dwellings on private lots inside Hagerstown city, outside a mobile home park

    • Permitted outside a mobile home park only when the dwelling is placed on and secured to a fully enclosed masonry foundation as set forth in the building code.
    • Mobile home park minimums (10 acres, building setbacks) apply inside parks and are not extracted here.
    • The section is part of the residential districts section (d) of Article 4.

    foundation: fully enclosed masonry foundation

    “mobile homes shall be permitted outside of a mobile home park only when the dwelling is placed on and secured to a fully enclosed masonry foundation as set forth in the building code.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private sewage disposal (off-public-sewer sanitation) for buildings inside Hagerstown city

    • Allowed only where a public sanitary sewer is not available under section 240-7.
    • System must comply with Article III and the county health department permit requirement.
    • Once public sewer becomes available, a direct connection must be made within 30 days of notice and septic tanks and cesspools must be cleaned and filled (section 240-12).
    “where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of § 240-7, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this article.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Buildings abutting a street with a public sanitary sewer inside Hagerstown city (new homes included)

    • Owner must connect at owner's expense within 30 days after the date of official notice.
    • Applies where the public sanitary sewer is within 200 feet of any point of the property line (metric figure 61 meters given in the code).
    • If the owner does not connect after notice, the city may make the connection and the cost becomes a lien on the property.
    • Water connection (Chapter 238) was not reviewed.

    distance from property line to public sanitary sewer triggering connection: <= 200 feet

    “provided that said public sanitary sewer is within 61 meters (200 feet) of any point of the property line.”

Rules another office applies inside Hagerstown

Hagerstown does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    Private sewage disposal systems for land inside Hagerstown city where no public sanitary sewer is available: the Washington County Health Department issues the construction permit (the county-level scope is stated as countywide by schema; the rule applies inside city limits only where section 240-7 does not require sewer)

    • Applies only where a public sanitary sewer is not available under City Code section 240-7 (see utility_connection claim).
    • Permit must be obtained before construction of the private system, applied for in the manner the Washington County Health Department specifies.
    “before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the washington county health department.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New private sewage disposal (septic) systems on land inside Hagerstown city where no public sewer is available

    • Written permit signed by the Washington County Health Department is required before construction of the system begins.
    • Percolation tests are required before a permit may be issued for subsurface soil-absorption systems (section 240-11 text, not fully quoted here).
    “before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the washington county health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Hagerstown or Washington County directly.

  • Building permit — New single-family construction inside Hagerstown city
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Hagerstown city
  • Building code adopted — Building codes for construction inside Hagerstown city
  • Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Hagerstown city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Hagerstown city
15 more unanswered
  • Minimum dwelling size
  • Lot coverage
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Hagerstown publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Washington County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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