Pole barns and barndominiums in Davidsonville, Maryland.

Davidsonville is unincorporated, so building permits come from the Permit Center of the Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits, 2664 Riva Road, Annapolis, (410) 222-7730, through the online Land Use Navigator. Because homes here generally use wells and septic, the site plan for a garage or other accessory building has to show both. Placement matters: in a 2024 county variance case, a 28 by 38 foot pole barn needed a Health Department variance for missing the 30-foot separation from a well.

Farm buildings can skip the building permit under the county code’s agricultural exemption, which covers barns, stables, riding arenas, equipment and machinery storage, poultry and livestock shelters and similar buildings. The farm needs a current soil conservation and water quality plan from the Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District, and the building can’t be open to the public, over 40 feet tall or within 60 feet of another building unless cleared in a fire-safety review. Zoning and agricultural assessment also factor in, and the county’s handouts word that test differently, so we confirm eligibility with the District first.