City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Rock Hall, MD
How Rock Hall regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- No town STR-specific licensing, registration, or permit process
- No municipal supply device (no residential-zone STR exclusion, cap, or moratorium found)
- In-force Kent County 5% Short-Term Rental Tax (Chapter 152, Art. III) reaches Rock Hall STR stays — a governing-jurisdiction lodging tax
- Town zoning permits owner-occupied Bed & Breakfast (<=5 rooms) as a use in residential districts; no confirmed whole-home STR prohibition
Based on: Zoning Ord. Chapter 225 (Ord. 94-08, adopted 1994-10-27; legislation current through 2025-08-14). No STR-specific
Summary of the rule
Rock Hall Zoning Ch. 225 is a permissive (enumerated-use) code. Sec. 225-4-5 'Uses not permitted are prohibited': 'For the purpose of this chapter, permitted uses are listed for the various districts. All uses not specifically listed are prohibited.' The residence districts R-1/R-2/R-3 (Sec. 225-5-1/-2/-3) enumerate only residential dwellings + institutional uses; the only transient-lodging use permitted in residential zones is OWNER-OCCUPIED Bed-and-Breakfast (host-present, <=5 rooms). A non-owner-occupied whole-home transient STR is not a listed use -> prohibited by Sec. 225-4-5 = residential-zone exclusion. Sec. 225-6-1 additionally states 'Short-term rentals are prohibited' for accessory-apartment/ADU uses.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Rock Hall · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Rock Hall
Following Rock Hall adds it to the Followed cities list on your ASTRO dashboard, linked to its city page.
Add a home to the ASTRO registry and confirm ownership of it.
City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.