Pole barns and barndominiums in Ocean City, Maryland.
Building in Ocean City.
Ocean City is an Atlantic Ocean resort town on the Fenwick Island barrier spit, where a 2.25-mile boardwalk and the beaches draw up to eight million visitors a year. The town had 6,844 residents in the 2020 Census. US 50 comes in over the Harry W. Kelley Memorial Bridge and MD 90 over the Assawoman Bay Bridge, and Coastal Highway is MD 528.
Building here starts with the yard rules and the flood map, not with acreage, so farm buildings are off the table. We handle the Town’s permits from the first drawing to the final inspection, with a project manager keeping you posted, and the trip from Dover runs about 71 miles and about 106 minutes for our crews.
- County
- Worcester County, Maryland
- Population
- 6,844 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21842
- From our office
- About 1 hr 46 min (71 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Ocean City Department of Planning & Community Development, Building Department
- Main roads
- MD 528 (Coastal Highway), US 50 (Ocean Gateway, Harry W. Kelley Memorial Bridge), MD 90 (Ocean City Expressway, Assawoman Bay Bridge)
Permits and rules in Ocean City.
The Town of Ocean City Department of Planning & Community Development, Building Department, runs building, zoning, floodplain and Critical Area review from City Hall, 301 N. Baltimore Avenue (410-289-8855). The Town requires a building permit for nearly all construction, structural repairs and the placement of accessory structures. For a shed or other accessory structure, the application (rev. 2/2026) asks for a site plan showing existing structures, property lines with dimensions, streets, easements, setbacks, utilities, drainage and grading. Permits can be filed by PDF or online, and plumbing takes a separate application.
Zoning lets an accessory building that is not part of the main building stand in the required side and rear yards if it covers no more than 30 percent of the required yard and stays at least 5 feet from every lot line. It cannot go up more than six months before construction of the main building begins. On the waterside, nothing may be built over bulkheads, deadmen or tiebacks except accessory buildings of 100 square feet or less. The Town also designs for an ultimate wind speed of 128 mph, a step above Worcester County’s 125 mph.
Who issues the permit
Town of Ocean City Department of Planning & Community Development, Building Department
- Address
- City Hall, 301 N. Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, MD 21842
- Phone
- 410-289-8855
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- oceancitymd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- ecode360.com (opens in a new tab)
- oceancitymd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- library.municode.com (opens in a new tab)
- oceancitymd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- library.municode.com (opens in a new tab)
Permit details checked October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm the current requirements for your parcel before anything is drawn.
What people build around Ocean City.
On a resort lot, think small and practical: a post-frame storage building, a detached garage, or an open pavilion for shade beside the house. The flood map shapes them first. FEMA’s maps for Ocean City took effect in July 2015, with base flood elevations of 10 to 14 feet above mean sea level on the ocean front and 4 to 6 feet on the bayside, and elevation certificates are part of the Town’s permit process.
Ocean City questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Does Worcester County issue permits in Ocean City?
No. The county’s building code section applies everywhere except incorporated towns, and Ocean City handles its own building, zoning, flood and Critical Area review. The application asks contractors for MHIC or MHBR numbers and an Ocean City business license number.
Is all of Ocean City in the Critical Area?
Yes. All land in Ocean City is in the Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area and is designated an Intensely Developed Area. Critical Area and stormwater measures apply to work that disturbs more than 250 square feet, and inside a Buffer Management Area there is no minimum.
How far is Ocean City from your office?
About 71 miles from 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, about 106 minutes by car. Before we draw anything, we ask the Department of Planning & Community Development for the property’s flood-zone determination.
Let’s plan your building in Ocean City.
Tell us what you’d like to build and where, and we’ll come back with drawings and a free quote.
- info@pbuincde.com
- Office
- 575 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901 (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
- Hours
- Mon to Fri, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
- We build in
- Ocean City and all of Worcester County