Pocomoke City Updates Zoning Regulations on Accessory Dwelling Units

Pocomoke City, Md. — The Pocomoke City Council passed legislation Monday night updating the zoning regulations surrounding accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are smaller housing units either attached to a single-family home or located on the same property.

The changes come after the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 1466 in 2025, which required all municipalities in Maryland to adopt local laws authorizing the development of ADUs by Oct. 1, 2026. The Maryland Department of Planning website says the goal of the bill is to promote the development of the ADUs to help meet the state’s housing needs.

“Up until now, they had not had any accessory dwellings. You were only permitted to have one single family dwelling on each ward,” said Kristen Tremblay, the planning director with the City of Pocomoke. 

Tremblay said the new legislation opens up the possibilities for homeowners to build on their land after acquiring permits.

“[Before] There were many instances where someone had a larger lot that might have one and two dwellings where they previously had one and maybe something happened where there was a fire and they wanted to rebuild, but they were informed that they could not. This would grant them the opportunity to move forward with building that accessory dwelling,” Tremblay said. 

Tremblay added that building an ADU would require construction costs, and the buildings would have to be up to modern codes, but that for some people, the new buildings could serve as a form of income for those who get a renter’s license with the city.

Adding an ADU would impact property taxes, as Tremblay said the assessment office would come out to a property that builds an ADU and would do a valuation of the property.

“There would be some marginal impacts from that. But realistically, what you’re looking to do is to bolster the city’s housing supply by doing this infill,” Tremblay said. 

In Pocomoke City, the regulations now state that the maximum size of an ADU is 40 percent of the primary residence for ADUs attached to the residence and 50 percent for detached units. Both attached and detached units have a max cap at 850 sq. ft.

Despite the passage of the legislation Monday, Mayor Todd J. Nock explained that the policies would not be immediately enforced.

“It goes into effect 45 days after the passage. 45 days, Ms. Tremblay and the Planning Office will be ready for anyone who wants to put an accessory dwelling unit on their property,” Nock said.