Rankings

Best Maryland Counties for Public Land Access

A sourced public land ranking from county-clipped public land layers.

Ranking boundary

Rankings Are Discovery Leads

A high ranking means a county is worth researching first. It is not legal advice, a recommendation to buy land, or proof that any parcel will qualify for a specific use.

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sourced

Public land access uses county-clipped public land acreage and a derived access score.

Source confidence

Ranking Confidence Strip

A quick trust check for the top-ranked counties: verified profiles, major source coverage, citation depth, and the number of source inputs behind this ranking.

top 10 covered

Top 10 profilesverified

10/10

Sourced county profiles

Source coverageverified

10/10

Major sourced layers present

Citation depthsourced

201

Top 10 county citation URLs

Ranking inputssourced

Source groups used by this ranking

Methodology Data status Source glossary

#1Dorchester CountyPartially sourced181,378 acres

Dorchester County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#2Harford CountyPartially sourced127,043 acres

Harford County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#3Carroll CountyPartially sourced124,187 acres

Carroll County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#4Worcester CountyPartially sourced123,540 acres

Worcester County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#5Baltimore CountyPartially sourced121,332 acres

Baltimore County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#6Frederick CountyPartially sourced103,728 acres

Frederick County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#7Queen Anne's CountyPartially sourced101,609 acres

Queen Anne's County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#8Caroline CountyPartially sourced101,153 acres

Caroline County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#9Charles CountyPartially sourced89,749 acres

Charles County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#10Montgomery CountyPartially sourced79,370 acres

Montgomery County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#11Kent CountyPartially sourced76,078 acres

Kent County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#12Washington CountyPartially sourced74,277 acres

Washington County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#13Somerset CountyPartially sourced71,920 acres

Somerset County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#14Anne Arundel CountyPartially sourced68,093 acres

Anne Arundel County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#15St. Mary's CountyPartially sourced60,138 acres

St. Mary's County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#16Cecil CountyPartially sourced59,187 acres

Cecil County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#17Prince George's CountyPartially sourced58,754 acres

Prince George's County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#18Wicomico CountyPartially sourced51,865 acres

Wicomico County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#19Talbot CountyPartially sourced50,472 acres

Talbot County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#20Garrett CountyPartially sourced50,024 acres

Garrett County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#21Howard CountyPartially sourced34,296 acres

Howard County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#22Calvert CountyPartially sourced29,120 acres

Calvert County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#23Allegany CountyPartially sourced15,021 acres

Allegany County now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

#24Baltimore cityPartially sourced2,795 acres

Baltimore city now has a first-pass Maryland statewide source anchor for routing. Tiny home, RV, off-grid, container-home, ADU, water, septic, access, floodplain, wetland, Critical Area, municipal jurisdiction, and building-permit feasibility should still be confirmed through local staff, state environmental review, subdivision rules, private covenants, and parcel-level research before purchase.

Ranking Source Trail

Public land rankings use county-clipped acreage and a derived access score for recreation context.

Source glossary

Primary Public Land Layer

Public land acreage layersCounty-clipped public land acreage and derived recreation access signal.

Context

Climate and snowfall layersCounty-level climate context used for off-grid and homesteading discovery, not parcel design.Dataset coverage reportLayer-by-layer coverage status for live county datasets.