| Structure | County permit? |
|---|---|
| Shed 150 sq ft or less and 10 ft tall or less | Not required (outside the Critical Area) |
| Larger or taller shed | Yes |
| Any shed in the Critical Area | Yes |
| Shed or garage within 3 ft of the house | Yes, treated as attached |
| Detached garage or carport | Yes, always |
| Power to a shed or garage | Yes, electrical permit |
1. The 150-square-foot rule
Anne Arundel County doesn't require a permit for a shed that is 10 feet tall or less and 150 square feet or less, except in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, where every shed needs a permit. Gazebos follow the same rule. Garages and carports always need a permit, and a shed or garage within 3 feet of the house is treated as attached, which also needs one.
2. Where it can go
On a typical lot, accessory structures can't go in the front yard (waterfront lots can sometimes place them on the water side with Planning and Zoning review), and an accessory building can't have more floor area than the house. Setbacks depend on your zoning district. For example:
| Zone | Side / rear setback | Max height |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | 15 ft (10 ft if under 8 ft tall) | Up to 45 ft, with larger setbacks over 25 ft |
| R2 | 7 ft (5 ft if under 8 ft tall) | 25 ft or the house height, whichever is less |
| R5 | 7 ft (5 ft if under 8 ft tall) | 25 ft or the house height, whichever is less |
Very small sheds, 64 square feet or less and 8 feet or less tall, are excluded from these accessory setbacks. Look up your zoning district on the county's map, and keep sheds clear of septic systems, wells and easements, which must be shown on any site plan.
3. Near the water
In the Critical Area, every shed needs a permit, and sheds count toward your lot coverage limit (15% to 31% of the lot, depending on lot size). Keep them out of the 100-foot shoreline buffer. See our Critical Area guide.
4. Applying, inspections and fees
File through the Land Use Navigator as a Residential Accessory Structure with construction plans, a scaled site plan, a standard grading plan and, near the water, a Critical Area worksheet. A garage needs footings at least 30 inches deep, the county's frost depth. Running power needs a separate electrical permit by a licensed electrician ($95 for a residential alteration). The building permit fee is based on cost: $86 up to $3,000, $103 up to $5,000, $147 up to $10,000 and $242 plus 1% over $25,000 for larger garages, plus a $43 application fee.
