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

Town of Keedysville’s own rules

• Building code adoptedPartial

  Construction and maintenance of buildings and structures inside Keedysville town limits, under the town's Code of Ordinances Chapter 4.

  • The notice says the chapter sets minimum construction standards but does not name the model code or edition it adopts.
  • The IRC edition in use was not confirmed; a search snippet from ecode360 was not tied to Keedysville and was not used.

  “on october 6, 2021 an ordinance was introduced and passed as an emergency ordinance entitled resolution/ordinance to revoke, amend, modify and re-enact chapter four(4) of the code of ordinances of the town of keedysville pertaining to minimum standards governing construction and maintenance of buildings/structures.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Keedysville town limits: the town administers its own Zoning Ordinance (the 2023 PDF on the town site).

  • The PDF is OCR text with no adoption or effective date stated; amendments posted on the town site (short-term rentals, temporary portable storage containers) were not opened.
  • District rules apply only within the zoning districts the ordinance defines.

  “giving effectto the policiesandproposalsof the comprehensive development planfor thetown of keedysville,maryland.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Keedysville town limits (names found in the Zoning Ordinance use table and district descriptions).

  • Only some district descriptions are legible in the OCR text; the full district list and map were not opened.
  • The traditional neighborhood design (TND) overlay is described in the ordinance's Article 5 standards.

  “4. traditionalneighborhood design- this disfrictprovidesfor more flexiblestandards in thedevelopment of residentialsingle-family, multi-familyandneighborhood commercialin a patternsimilar to theexistingtown.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwellings in the residential zoning districts listed in the Keedysville Zoning Ordinance Section 401 table of dimensional requirements (district names and numeric minimums not reliably legible in the OCR text)

  • Minimum lot area in Section 401 is based on the availability of a centralized water supply system and a centralized sewage disposal system.
  • Numeric minimums were not read with confidence; see followup.

  “b. theminimumlot areaspecifiedin section401arebaseduponthe availabilityof a centralizedwatersupplysystemanda centralizedsewage disposalsystem.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • None (with conditions) — Land developed under the traditional neighborhood design (TND) zone inside Keedysville town limits

    “2. lot size.thetnd zonedoesnotestablish a minimum lot size.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  All buildings in the traditional neighborhood design (TND) zone inside Keedysville town limits

  • Applies to the TND zone only; setbacks in other districts are in the section 401 table.

  front setback, TND zone: 0-25 feet

  “d. all buildingsshallbe setback0 to 25 feetfromthefrontlot line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Detached accessory buildings in required side and rear yards inside Keedysville town limits

    “accessory buildingsmayoccupyrequiredsideandrearyards accessory completell.detached but shatlnorbe locatedcloserthanfive (5) feetto anysideor rearpropertyline.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the traditional neighborhood design (TND) zone inside Keedysville town limits

  • Applies to the TND zone only; no lot coverage limit was located for other districts in the legible text.

  building coverage of lot area, TND zone: <= 60 percent

  “b. buildingcovershallnotexceedmorethansixtypercentof lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal and accessory buildings and structures inside Keedysville town limits (general height regulation, section 409); TND zone adds a three-story limit for single-family buildings

  • Exempts barns, windmills, silos, accessory farm structures, belfries, steeples, utility poles, water towers, chimneys, flagpoles, observation towers, cupolas, domes, monuments, penthouses and mechanical equipment, per section 409.
  • Fences and walls are capped at 8 feet in side and rear yards and 3 feet in front yards, subject to traffic visibility rules.
  • TND single-family buildings: three stories maximum.

  maximum height, principal building: <= 35 feet (Exemptions listed in section 409) · maximum stories, principal building: <= 3 stories (Stated in the general height rule and the TND zone) · maximum height, accessory building or structure: <= 20 feet (Exemptions listed in section 409)

  “no principalbuildingor stucture shallexceedthirry-five(35) feet or threestories in height,andno accessory building or structureshallexceedtwenty (20) feet in height;”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Development of land inside Keedysville town limits, including TND site plans

  • The zoning ordinance refers plan submittal, review and approval to the town subdivision ordinance; that ordinance was not located or opened.

  “an approvedsiteplanfor tnd development shallbe requiredandshall follow theproceduralandsubstantive requirements for plan submittal, review,andapproval,assetforth in thesubdivisionordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Keedysville

Town of Keedysville 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems on lots inside Keedysville town limits where no public sewage system is available

  • The zoning ordinance requires compliance with state COMAR sewage rules, so the state rule governs the system.
  • The ordinance does not name the permitting agency; the county or district health department role under state delegation is not verified for Keedysville.
  • Applies only where a public sewage system is not available.

  “comar 26.04.02,sewagedisposalandcertainwater systemsfor homesandcertainestablishments wherepublicsewage systemsis not available”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Keedysville town limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting exemption inside Keedysville town limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Keedysville town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Keedysville town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Keedysville town limits

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.