Rental conversions in Hagerstown

Washington County's commissioners approved an ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units on October 14, 2025; an ADU may be attached, which the county says includes interior renovations, additions and finished basements or attic space, or detached.¹⁰ In Washington County an ADU may be no larger than 75 percent of the main house's gross floor area or 1,200 square feet, whichever is less, but that limit does not apply to a finished basement or converted attic.¹⁰

Washington County allows ADUs in the AR, EC, P, RV, RT, RS, RU, RM, RB, BL, BG and HI zoning districts, but not on lots with semi-detached dwellings, townhouses or multi-family dwellings.¹⁰ A Washington County ADU may not be used as a short-term rental, can't be subdivided off or sold separately from the main house, and needs one parking space.¹⁰

For an attached ADU or an interior conversion in Washington County, the contractor needs a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license, and ADUs are exempt from the county's excise tax, though other permit fees apply.¹⁰ Washington County requires a sprinkler system in an attached or detached ADU, except that a basement or attic converted into an ADU is exempt when the existing house is not sprinklered.¹⁰ The county's guidance memo is from July 2026, so confirm the details with the Division of Permits and Inspections before paying for drawings.

Maryland's HB 1466, passed in 2025, requires every county and municipality with planning and zoning authority to adopt a local law allowing ADUs on lots with a single-family detached house by October 1, 2026.¹³ Hagerstown planning staff proposed in 2026 to permit one accessory dwelling unit, no larger than 75 percent of the main house, on a property with one single-family detached house, to meet a state law that expects local rules by October 1, 2026; the proposal does not apply to semi-detached houses, two-family dwellings, townhouses or apartment buildings.¹⁴

Under the city's proposal, an accessory dwelling unit must meet all building, fire and housing codes without waiver, goes to the Historic District Commission when the property is in a district it reviews, can't be built in an accessory building reached only by an alley, and needs no added on-lot parking.¹⁴ When we checked, the zoning code posted on the city's site didn't yet include this section, so ask the planning office what applies to your lot on the day you apply.

Larger older houses have another route. Hagerstown allows mansion house apartments in existing buildings in locally designated historic districts in the RMED, RO and CC-MU districts only if the building went up before October 1, 1956, has at least 4,000 square feet and holds no more than one unit per 1,000 square feet of floor area, with off-street parking the Board of Zoning Appeals cannot waive.¹⁵ Every new dwelling unit created in the City of Hagerstown since April 24, 2020 must have at least 400 square feet of finished living area for an efficiency, 500 for one bedroom, 650 for two and 900 for three or more; in existing buildings the Zoning Administrator may allow reductions of up to 15 percent if another new unit is larger by the same amount.¹⁵

Owners who rent units to tenants in the City of Hagerstown must register them in the city's rental licensing program, with a signed application, a supplemental lead paint form and a nonrefundable annual license fee of $75 per rental unit.¹⁶ Hagerstown's rental licensing program exempts 'owners-plus-one' properties, where the owner lives in part of the building and there is no more than one rental unit.¹⁶ That exemption fits an owner who lives in the house and rents out one apartment, but not a second unit in a house you don't live in.

Hagerstown inspects licensed rentals from the outside every year and inside every 48 months, at a change of tenant.¹⁶ Hagerstown's interior rental inspection, which only the owner or agent can request, at least three business days before a new tenant moves in, focuses on working smoke detectors, emergency exits, ceiling height, ventilation and electrical hazards.¹⁷ Schedule that inspection after the construction inspections are signed off, since the inspector will look at the same alarms, exits and ceiling heights.

Hagerstown's Lodging Facilities Licensing program, approved in 2023 and revised in 2024, covers short-term rentals, meaning a residential unit or a room in a dwelling rented for less than 30 consecutive days through platforms such as Airbnb or VRBO, with inspections by the city's housing, permits and fire departments.¹⁸

In the county, an ADU can't be used that way at all. Washington County's 2021 zoning amendment defines a short-term residential rental as a non-owner-occupied residential structure that provides temporary lodging to transient guests for compensation, for stays of no more than 30 consecutive days per reservation, with off-street parking required.¹⁹ Decide early whether the unit is for a long-term tenant, a relative or guests, because the answer changes which rules apply.

EPA's lead renovation rule generally doesn't cover homeowners working on their own pre-1978 homes, but it does apply if you rent out all or part of your home.²⁰ A landlord who does renovation work on pre-1978 rental housing personally needs both EPA firm and renovator certification; a landlord who hires the work out needs neither, but the firm must be Lead-Safe Certified.²¹

The 2021 IRC requires the units of a two-family dwelling to be separated by walls and floors with at least a 1-hour fire-resistance rating, or a 1/2-hour rating if the building has an automatic sprinkler system throughout.²² In a basement unit, the floor above is usually that separation, so expect a fire-rated ceiling.

The 2021 IRC requires at least one egress door for each dwelling unit, reached by a continuous path that does not pass through a garage, and opening to a public way or a yard or court that leads to one.²² The 2021 IRC requires smoke alarms in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area and on every story including basements, interconnected within each dwelling unit so that one sounding sets off all of them.²²

Some conversions house family rather than tenants. More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²³ In Washington County, 33%²²⁴ of owner-occupied homes are headed by someone sixty-five or older.

For an aging parent, a split-level's lower floor often has the advantage of a near-grade side door. Keep that entry free of steps, give the bath a curbless shower and a wide door, and skip a layout that depends on an outside stair. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²⁵

Calling the number on this page connects you on a recorded line with one independent company that handles rental conversions in the Hagerstown area. The unit, the construction and the price are things you discuss with them directly.

That company pays us for putting you through. You owe us nothing, and nobody from our side will call or text you. How we make money

Check the company's license on the state's own site before you sign a contract. Maryland's Home Improvement Commission licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons, and its License Search shows whether a license is current.²⁶ Check a Maryland license