Bolthole Index

Worcester County, Maryland

Town of Ocean City, Maryland: building permits, zoning and sewer rules

The Town of Ocean City, Maryland requires building permits for nearly all construction, structural repairs and accessory structures; the Town handles building review and zoning.123 In Worcester County, Ocean City’s municipal sewer rules require qualifying properties to connect and generally prohibit private wastewater systems.45 Start with the Town’s Planning & Community Development offices before designing a home or planning off-grid sanitation.26

At a glance

Building permits
Town building permits required for nearly all construction and structural repairs1
Zoning
Town zoning applies; lot standards depend on district378
Sewer and septic
Public sewer connection required for qualifying properties; private wastewater facilities generally prohibited45
Building inspections
Required for issued building permits; request 24 hours ahead9
Building application
Digital submissions with plans or drawings; paper applications not accepted10

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Ocean City Planning & Community Development — Building Division

Town building permit review, issuance and inspections

410-289-8855

301 N. Baltimore Avenue – Ocean City, MD 21842

Floodplain permits

Town of Ocean City Planning & Community Development — Flood Hazard Information

Property flood hazard information and Town floodplain development requirements

410-289-8855

Septic permits

Worcester County Department of Environmental Programs

County sewage-disposal and drinking-water programs; consult about any Town-approved private-system exception

(410) 632-1220

Also useful

Town of Ocean City Water/Sewer/Public Works

Town water and sewer connection questions

410-524-6760

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Ocean City, MD?

Ocean City requires a building permit for nearly all construction, structural repair work and placement of accessory structures.1 Ocean City’s Building Division reviews construction, issues building permits and performs inspections.2 Do not use Worcester County’s accessory-structure exemption as the answer for a lot inside town limits; Ocean City lies outside the County’s land-use jurisdiction.11 For land outside town limits, use the Worcester County guide to follow the county jurisdiction instead.11

Who issues building permits in the Town of Ocean City?

Ocean City’s Planning & Community Development Building Division is the Town building-permit office; use the building contact listed below for construction review and inspections.2 Ocean City accepts digital building applications and does not accept paper applications.10 Submit the property’s correct address, scope of work, valuation, contact information and plans or drawings; missing plans can cause rejection.10 Ocean City publishes a downloadable building-permit fee schedule, and applicants can pay online after the application is processed and a permit number is created.12

Does the Town of Ocean City have zoning and minimum lot sizes?

Ocean City has its own zoning, and district-specific bulk regulations govern residential lots.3 In Ocean City’s R-1 single-family residential district, the minimum lot area is 7,500 square feet, subject to the code’s supplementary provisions.7 In the MH district’s mobile-home subdivisions, the minimum lot area is 4,800 square feet, also subject to supplementary provisions.8 Ocean City’s R-1 principal buildings may be no more than 35 feet high; accessory buildings may be no more than 20 feet high, with additional story limits.13 Ask the Town Zoning Department to identify the parcel’s district and applicable setbacks before fitting a home onto the lot.6

How do sewer and septic rules work inside the Town of Ocean City?

Ocean City generally prohibits constructing or maintaining septic tanks, privies, cesspools and other private wastewater collection, treatment or disposal facilities, subject to the code’s stated exceptions.5 Ocean City requires qualifying occupied properties abutting a right-of-way containing the Town’s public sewer to connect at the owner’s expense within 30 days after official notice.4 A written Town permit is required before connecting to or disturbing the public sewer.4 Ask Town Water/Sewer/Public Works about connection arrangements; Worcester County Environmental Programs handles county sewage-disposal programs, but that role does not override Ocean City’s prohibition.14155

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Ocean City?

We could not confirm an Ocean City private-lot RV living or tiny-home occupancy rule; ask the Town Zoning Department about the proposed dwelling and parcel before buying.6 Ocean City’s MH mobile-home subdivision lot standard does not establish permission for RV occupancy or a tiny home on any residential lot.8 Maryland protects placement of qualifying manufactured homes in zones allowing single-family residences when the statutory conditions, including conversion to real property, are met; local building, zoning and other requirements still apply.16 Ocean City’s private-wastewater prohibition also matters when planning an off-grid dwelling.5

Building a home in the Town of Ocean City: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Ocean City’s Zoning Department to confirm the parcel’s zoning district and the standards for the proposed home.63
  2. Resolve the Town’s sewer connection requirements and ask Water/Sewer/Public Works about the connection.414
  3. Ask Planning & Community Development about floodplain requirements before grading or filling; floodplain land development requires approval.1
  4. Submit the digital building application with plans and necessary information; the building permit issues only after all reviewing agencies approve.10
  5. Arrange the Town’s required building inspections at least 24 hours in advance and complete them before building-permit closeout.9

Watch-outs

  • Ocean City’s private-wastewater prohibition makes sewer availability a purchase question, even when a property appears suitable for septic.54
  • Ocean City requires approval before floodplain grading or filling, as well as building construction review.1
  • We could not confirm Town rules for accessory dwellings, minimum dwelling size or temporary camping; ask the Town Zoning Department about the specific proposal.6

Sources

  1. Town of Ocean City Planning & Community Development — Flood Hazard Information (oceancitymd.gov)
  2. Town of Ocean City Planning & Community Development — Building Division (oceancitymd.gov)
  3. Ocean City Code § 110-276, Bulk regulations (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  4. Ocean City Code § 94-64, Use of public sewers required (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  5. Ocean City Code § 94-64, Use of public sewers required (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  6. Town of Ocean City Zoning Department (oceancitymd.gov)
  7. Ocean City Code § 110-276, Bulk regulations (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  8. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 110-426—Bulk regulations for mobile home subdivisions (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  9. Building/Construction Permit (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  10. Ocean City Code § 110-52, Application for building permit or zoning approval (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  11. Worcester County Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Chapter, quoted and re-checked
  12. Building/Construction Permit (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  13. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 110-276—Bulk regulations (Town of Ocean City), quoted and re-checked
  14. Town of Ocean City Water/Sewer/Public Works (oceancitymd.gov)
  15. Worcester County Department of Environmental Programs - Septic System Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  16. mgaleg.maryland.gov (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 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 Town of Ocean City

Town of Ocean City’s own rules

  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted building work inside Ocean City town limits.

    • Inspections occur after the permit is issued and work has started.
    • Applicant must call the Town to obtain required inspections.
    “Our inspectors are available to verify work and approve required inspections once your permit is issued and the project has started. It is the applicant’s responsibility to call into our office and follow through with these steps.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Ocean City town limits, including the R-1 single-family residential district.

    • Bulk regulations are subject to article V, division 2, of chapter 110.
    “Bulk regulations are as follows except as otherwise provided in article V, division 2, of this chapter: (1) Minimum lot area: 7,500 square feet.”
  • Septic permitLimited

    Private septic and similar wastewater facilities inside Ocean City town limits.

    • The prohibition is expressly subject to the ordinance's 'Except as herein provided' exception.
    “Except as herein provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Private off-grid wastewater disposal facilities inside Ocean City town limits.

    • The prohibition has an 'Except as herein provided' exception.
    “Except as herein provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Houses, buildings, and properties for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes in Ocean City that abut a street, alley, or right-of-way containing an Ocean City public sanitary sewer.

    • Connection is at the owner's expense.
    • Connection must occur within 30 days after official notice.

    connection deadline after official notice: <= 30 days (only for properties abutting a street, alley, or right-of-way with an Ocean City public sanitary sewer)

    “The owners of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes, situated within Ocean City and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is now located, or in the future may be located, a public sanitary sewer system belonging to Ocean City, is hereby required, at the owner's expense, to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities to the community or multi-use sewerage system in accordance with the provisions of this article, within 30 days after date of official notice to do so.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivided two-family dwellings, townhouses, and listed major uses inside Ocean City.

    • Site plans for listed major uses are subject to Planning Commission review.
    “Site plans for the following major uses shall be subject to review by the planning commission: (1) Subdivided two-family dwellings and townhouses. (2) Multiple-family dwellings containing three or more dwelling units or forming a part of a multiple-family development of two or more buildings.”
  • Short-term rentalsLimited

    Premises for habitation or rental housing units rented in whole or part as short-term rental units inside Ocean City.

    • Effective January 1, 2025, an applicable rental license and supplementary short-term rental license are required.
    • A second noise permit is not required for the supplementary license if the underlying license's noise-control permit is maintained.
    “Effective January 1, 2025, in addition to the license in subsection (a), any person renting a premise for habitation or a rental housing unit in whole or part as a short-term rental housing unit shall obtain a supplementary short-term rental license on the forms required by the Town.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Building/construction permits inside Ocean City town limits.

    • The Town's construction-permit page links a Permit Fee Schedule; exact fees were not extracted from the reviewed webpage.
    “Building Inspection Types Permit Fee Schedule”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building-permit and zoning-approval applications inside Ocean City town limits.

    • Applications require a prescribed form, site plan, and other information needed to enforce regulations, including construction plans.
    “All applications for building permits and zoning approvals shall be on forms as prescribed by the department. All applications shall be accompanied by a site plan prepared in accordance with article II, division 8, of this chapter and such other information as may be necessary to provide for the enforcement of these regulations, including construction plans.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Ocean City

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-1 single-family residential district inside Ocean City.

    • Subject to chapter 110, article V, division 2.

    minimum lot area: >= 7500 square feet

    “Bulk regulations are as follows except as otherwise provided in article V, division 2, of this chapter: (1) Minimum lot area: 7,500 square feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-1 single-family residential district inside Ocean City.

    • Bulk regulations are otherwise subject to Chapter 110, Article V, Division 2.

    principal-building maximum height: <= 35 feet (maximum three stories) · accessory-building maximum height: <= 20 feet (maximum 1½ stories)

    “Principal building: Shall be no more than 35 feet, and shall be no more than three stories. b. Accessory building: Shall be no more than 20 feet, and shall be no more than 1½ stories.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Ocean City town limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Residential construction or change of use inside Ocean City town limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — R-1 single-family residential district inside Ocean City.
  • Lot coverage — R-1 single-family residential district inside Ocean City.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Ocean City town limits.
6 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access

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 Town of Ocean City publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Worcester County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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