QUICK FACTS:
Are Tiny Houses Legal In Maryland: Yes
Tiny House Costs In Maryland: $40,000 – $140,000
Tiny House Friendly Cities: Baltimore, Hagerstown, Oakland
Pure Simplicity Tiny House Annapolis, Maryland
PRICE RANGE
$8,000-$140,000
I Can Build It Hagerstown, Maryland
PRICE RANGE
$16,000-$65,000
Hobbitat Oakland, Maryland
PRICE RANGE
$2,000-$100,000
Located in Oakland, Maryland, Hobbitat has many options for tiny home lovers. You can partner with the company to design and build your dream tiny home or buy plans directly off of the website.
Bartley Trailers Woodbine, Maryland
PRICE RANGE
$3,000-$12,000
Pro-Line Trailers White Marsh, Maryland
PRICE RANGE
$1,000-$14,000
Pro-Line Trailers Rocky Mount, Virginia
PRICE RANGE
$1,000-$10,000
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Rockville, Maryland
- Hagerstown, Maryland
- College Park, Maryland
- Laurel, Maryland
- Cumberland, Maryland
- Westminster, Maryland
- Greenbelt, Maryland
- Salisbury, Maryland
- Annapolis, Maryland
- Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Frederick, Maryland
Tiny Houses For Sale In Maryland
People move to Maryland for many reasons, but one primary pull to the Old Line State is its extremely high employment rate. The surplus of jobs available in Maryland are largely due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. Many Maryland locals work government jobs, particularly in Baltimore. Marylandians also commonly endure the short commute to D.C.
Maryland residents are also attracted to the state’s abundant waterways, beaches, and coastlines along the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The most popular beach in the state if located in Ocean City, but natives know of the many additional, idyllic beaches scattered alongside the Eastern Shore.
The state of Maryland also has a vibrant foodie culture, abundant casinos, and a history of equestrian racetracks in its larger cities as well as many state and national parks, giving people plenty of reasons to migrate to the state.
Baltimore is the home to Fort McHenry, the birthplace of the U.S. National Anthem, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and the National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center. There are many reasons to visit Maryland on your family’s next vacation.
Blue Moon Rising
Blue Moon Rising is a vacation spot ideal for lovers of tiny homes. Created by the builders at Hobbitat, the village embodies a communal spirit. While it is a vacation spot, the village encourages camaraderie amongst its nature-loving, tiny-house adoring guests.
Blue Moon is located on Deep Creek Lake, the largest inland body of water in Maryland. Fit for two to four people, the 15 tiny house vacation rentals each have a unique design that you and your family can reserve for $225 a night on weekdays or $249 a night on weekends to create a home-away-from-home experience.
At Blue Moon Rising, you can also participate in many group activities in and around Deep Creek Lake including skiing, boating, horseback riding, swimming, white-water rafting, and even sleigh rides at Christmas time. Contact founder Lisa M. Jan through the website to book a stay.
Cecil County Permaculture
Located in Elkton, Maryland, Cecil County Permaculture is an intentional living community that prioritizes permaculture and homesteading habits as well as helping one another get through life through farms and community experiences.
This cohousing community has many living options for rent including tiny houses, rooms in a communal house, tents, campers, RVs, and plots of land.
- Tiny Houses
- Room in main house
- Camping tents
- Campers / RVs
- Plots of land
The community also has a shared greenhouse, farm with rabbits, chickens, cats and dogs, and a permaculture garden. Check out their Facebook page for more information.
Liberty Village
Liberty Village is an ecological cohousing community near Frederick, Maryland. This multigenerational intentional community currently includes 22 kids, adults up to age 83, and many free-range chickens and baby goats.
The community lives in 18 small houses on 8 acres of land. Members enjoy a multitude of common areas and parks, as well as a common house which is used for social activities, potlucks, and celebrations. All of this is enveloped by 15 acres of pristine natural meadows, woods, and wetlands to explore with your loved ones.
There is much more to the tiny life than the dimensions of your home. Tiny living is about simple living and connecting with others over ways you can live a more sustainable, self-sufficient life with loved ones. You can learn so much from joining virtual social groups or meeting others in person to celebrate the simple life.
I encourage you to look for your own social groups and comment your findings at the bottom of our page. Or better yet, start your own group and tell us about it!
Tiny Homes Maryland
The Tiny House Maryland Facebook page was created to focus on not only the physical building of Tiny Homes, but also on the legality of living in a tiny home in the state of Maryland and open up the community for discussion.
Anyone who lives in Maryland who has questions, wisdom, advice, or tiny house enthusiasm to share is welcome to post on the group page and encourage discourse about tiny living in Maryland.
Southern Maryland Homesteaders
The Southern Maryland Homesteaders Facebook page is a group of like-minded people who are interested in learning homesteading basics such as sewing, maintenance, gardening, farm care, animal basics, canning and food preservation, and more. Members share ideas about basic homesteading and gardening skills with others. Anyone from the area can join!
It’s hard to explicitly state whether or not tiny houses are legal in Maryland. They aren’t explicitly legal in the state, but they aren’t necessarily illegal either. At this time, there is not any official statewide requirements or restrictions on tiny houses in Maryland — they just aren’t really addressed.
The lack of statewide clarity on tiny houses puts a lot of power in the hands of local municipalities in specific Maryland cities and counties. This means you have to dig into the details of housing and building laws to determine if your tiny house is legal in your own municipality.
I tried to do a little bit of the leg work for you below, but these things are never entirely black and white.
Are Tiny Houses On Foundation Legal In Maryland?
Tiny houses on foundations are allowed in the state of Maryland and are treated under the same rules and regulations as any traditional dwelling under the State’s building codes.
Maryland uses the Appendix Q in the 2018 International Residential Code, while adding a few of its own amendments to the code.
Appendix Q legalizes lofts, lowers the minimum ceiling height for traditional dwellings, creates egress requirements specifically for lofts, and allows the building of stairs and ladders in small spaces. It applies to tiny houses used as single-dwelling units.
Here are some of the regulations worth noting that apply to tiny houses on foundation:
- Habitable space and hallways in tiny houses shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet, 8 inches.
- Bathrooms, toilet rooms, and kitchens shall have a ceiling height of not less than 6 feet, 4 inches.
- Obstructions such as beams, girders, ducts, and lighting shall not extend below the minimum ceiling heights.
Lofts may have ceiling heights less than 6 feet, 8 inches. - Lofts shall have a floor area of not less than 35 sq. ft. and shall not be less than 5 ft. in any horizontal dimension.
- The loft guards shall be located along the open side of the lofts.
- Loft guards shall not be less than 36 inches in height or one-half of the clear height to the ceiling, whichever is less.
- Tiny houses shall meet the requirements of Section R310 in the One-and-Two-Family Dwelling Building Code for Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings (Read The PDF Here).
- In sleeping lofts, egress roof access windows shall be deemed to meet the requirements of Section R310
- (Read The PDF Here).
- Windows shall be installed such that the bottom of the opening is not more than 44 inches above the loft floor, provided the egress roof access window complies with the minimum opening area requirements of Section R310.2.1 (Read The PDF Here).
- As a general observation, there are often many zoning restrictions in urban and suburban areas that are more likely to make it harder for tiny homeowners to live there. This means that many tiny homes in Maryland are found in rural areas that have fewer housing and building code restrictions.
Are Tiny Houses On Wheels Legal In Maryland?
THOWs aren’t addressed at the statewide level in Maryland. However, laws at the city and county level throughout the state tend to classify tiny houses on wheels as recreational vehicles as opposed to traditional dwellings.
Due to this classification, tiny homes on wheels can only be placed in an RV park in most areas of Maryland. This can be a real bummer for tiny homeowners in the state who are looking to live full time in their mobile tiny home.
There are certainly ways around this restriction, but you would have to contact your local council for help to deciphering what is specifically allowed.
Specific restrictions regarding the dimensions of the vehicle, the allowed occupancy, and the duration you are allowed to park are usually established by the RV parks themselves and can be found out by contacting Maryland’s many RV parks.
Tiny House Building Codes In Key Counties Of Maryland
Some counties are more friendly to tiny homeowners while others prohibit the lifestyle. County building laws have a lot of power in the state of Maryland when it comes to what is and is not allowed.
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of the more tiny house-friendly counties in the state, causing many tiny homeowners to consider this county as an option. They have recently voted to allow tiny houses as accessory dwelling units specifically.
Tiny House Building Codes In Key Cities Of Maryland
It’s harder to live in a tiny home full time in cities in Maryland than it is to live in rural areas. Many laws in certain cities throughout the state make living in a tiny house a challenge to maintain, but that does not mean it’s impossible.
Silver Springs and Bethesda, Maryland
Silver Springs and Bethesda, Maryland, unfortunately prohibit the use of tiny houses as accessory dwelling units. While Montgomery County, the county they reside in, has recently voted to allow tiny homes as ADUs, these cities have opted on their own to sit out from this decision.
Baltimore, Maryland
It’s difficult to live the tiny life in Baltimore. Due to the urban nature of the city, Baltimore has zoning laws in place that restrict tiny homes and even bar individuals from living legally in them. However, many residents in the city are pushing back on this.
Tiny House Building Codes In MARYLAND:
Tiny House Laws In MARYLAND:
*Disclaimer: The information provided on this website should not be taken as an expert opinion, consultation, or advisement of any kind. Building codes, home building, zoning, local laws etc are complicated and ultimately your responsibility to execute legally and safely. You must do your own research, consult with and verify with all applicable authorities, local officials, regulatory bodies, code and zoning officials, and city/state/federal governments. See our full legal page for further information here: https://thetinylife.com/about-us/legal/
Hi, I’m a career educator who wants to move into a new industry. How can I join your team and start selling tiny homes?
Hello, My name is Vincent Taylor and I am interested in Tiny House. I would like to know if there is a way to take a tour of a tiny house in the state of Maryland and if so where is it located. I’m mainly interested in 1 to 2 Bedroom. i also want to know do you build in Prince Georges County, MD
not true about Silver spring and bethesda. neither are incorporated cities and in and any event county rules aare what matter.
I know of a good sized property in both Baltimore city and county and I’m wondering if there is someone I can talk with who knows if either property can be used by 1 or more tiny houses?
Hello,
We are selling our property in Rockville, Maryland. Have you thought about purchasing property to build tiny homes in Montgomery County, Maryland?
Interested in supporting a friend in Howard County MD who has just lost her housing and is working and having to live out of her CAR! Is there a tiny house community? And support ? what would you recommend for her to get connected with ?
Thank you for your support as Tiny is Tremendous and can meet so many of our challenges these days.
thank you so much this has been very helpful and informative