Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Mardela Springs, Maryland

Town of Mardela Springs’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Mardela Springs town limits under the Town's adopted residential building code ordinance

  • Evidence is the Town's ordinance index by title; the adopted code editions and amendments were not checked.
  • Ordinance 15 is listed as the Southern Building Code by title; the residential code is Ordinance 46.

  “ordinance 46 international residential code ordinance 47 billboards”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Mardela Springs town limits: the Town administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 39, Zoning Ordinance)

  • Ordinance 39 text was not opened; its existence is shown by the Town's ordinance index.
  • The Town's plan (adopted 2011) recommends revising the zoning ordinance, so the current text may differ.

  “ordinance 39 zoning ordinance ordinance 40 nuisance ordinance ordinance 41 storm water management”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts of Mardela Springs town

  • Districts are named only in the Town's 2011 growth element; the zoning map and ordinance text were not located.

  “the capacity is distributed between three zoning districts: rural residential, village center, and village residential.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residences in the Village Residential district inside Mardela Springs town limits

  • Source is the Town's 2011 Municipal Growth Element describing zoning at that time; the Ordinance 39 text was not opened.
  • The plan ties the 22,000 sq ft minimum to well and septic constraints.

  minimum lot size for single-family residence: >= 22000 square feet

  “all three zoning districts allow for single family residences on a minimum lot of 22,000 square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family residences in the Rural Residential district inside Mardela Springs town limits

    “all three zoning districts allow for single family residences on a minimum lot of 22,000 square feet”

• Mandatory utility hookupNone (with conditions)

  New homes inside Mardela Springs town limits: no municipal sewer system exists, and the Town's 2011 plan describes no community water and sewer system

  • Source is the Town's 2011 plan; current water service was not checked.
  • Homes rely on private wells and septic, per the Town plan.

  “the town does not have a municipal sewerage system”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Mardela Springs town limits under the Town's subdivision regulations

  • Subdivision ordinance text (Ordinance 48) was not opened.
  • The plan recommends adding time limits to subdivision regulations.

  “ordinance 48 subdivision enforcement ordinance 49a parking”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Mardela Springs

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

• Building permitRequired

  New construction inside Mardela Springs town limits: Wicomico County issues building permits on behalf of the town, upon the Town Commissioners' approval

  • The county acts under a cooperative arrangement stated in the Town plan; the county's own permit ordinance was not opened.
  • Source is the Town's 2011 plan; current arrangement not re-confirmed.

  “the county issues building permits on behalf of the town, upon approval by the mardela springs' town commissioners”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction inside Mardela Springs town limits: Wicomico County performs the Town's building inspections

  • Source is the Town's 2011 plan; the inspection schedule was not found.
  • Inspection scope is not stated in the plan.

  “the town should continue its current cooperative arrangement with wicomico county for the county to issue building permits upon the town's approval and for the county to perform the town's building inspections.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private septic systems for homes inside Mardela Springs town limits: the Wicomico County Health Department handles septic and well requests under a cooperative arrangement with the Town

  • Source is the Town's 2011 plan; the health department's current service rules were not opened.
  • Authority rests on the Town's cooperative arrangement.

  “the town should continue its current cooperative arrangement with the wicomico county health department involving health department inspections for private well and septic system requests.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Mardela Springs town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Mardela Springs town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Mardela Springs town limits
• Setbacks — Setbacks for residential lots inside Mardela Springs town limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Mardela Springs 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.