Baltimore City, Maryland
Decks, fences, patios, and concrete for Baltimore City homeowners
Baltimore City is a jurisdiction of its own, separate from Baltimore County, and we serve all of it: the rowhouse neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Federal Hill, and Locust Point with their small rear yards and rooftop decks, and the leafy northern neighborhoods of Hamilton-Lauraville, Mount Washington, Roland Park, and Homeland with full-size yards.
Communities we serve
Find your Baltimore City community
Each community page covers the local planning details for that service, from who issues permits to what the housing stock usually needs. We serve all of Baltimore City; these are the communities with dedicated pages so far.
Hamilton-Lauraville
Northeast Baltimore neighborhoods along Harford Road where Lauraville was developed between 1910 and 1930 on double lots and Hamilton followed with 1920s to 1940s bungalows, cottages, and semi-detached houses. Unlike most of the city, these blocks have detached homes with front porches, driveways, and full rear yards.
Permits: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits
Mount Washington
A northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Victorian and early-twentieth-century houses on wooded, sloping lots along the Jones Falls, with a village center near the light rail. Lots are larger than almost anywhere else in the city, and grades and mature trees shape nearly every deck, patio, and fence layout.
Permits: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits, with CHAP review inside the Mount Washington local historic district
Roland Park-Homeland
Two of the country's earliest planned garden suburbs, now inside north Baltimore: Roland Park laid out from the 1890s and Homeland from 1924, with large houses on generous, tree-covered lots, deep setbacks, and recorded covenants that still govern exterior changes. Original slate patios, stone walls, and wood fences are common and often due for rebuilding.
Permits: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits; covenant review by the Roland Park Roads & Maintenance Corporation or the Homeland Association
Canton-Highlandtown
Southeast Baltimore rowhouse neighborhoods of two- and three-story brick houses built around the turn of the twentieth century, with rear yards typically 12 to 20 feet wide, alley access, and shared party walls. Rooftop decks, rear parking pads, and small fenced yards are the standard outdoor projects here.
Permits: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits; Department of Transportation for alley, sidewalk, and curb work
Federal Hill-Locust Point
South Baltimore's peninsula neighborhoods: Federal Hill's brick rowhouses, listed on the National Register in 1970 and protected by a CHAP local district, and Locust Point's rowhouses and newer infill around Fort McHenry. Yards are small and alley-served, and rooftop decks with harbor views are a signature project.
Permits: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits, with CHAP review inside the Federal Hill local historic district
City guidance
Building in Baltimore City
These points apply city-wide. Community pages note where a town, historic district, or overlay changes the picture.
- City permits for decks and fences come from the Department of Housing and Community Development's Plans Review and Permits office through the ePermits system; Roso pulls the permit as part of the project.
- The city building code limits front-yard fences to 42 inches and allows fences up to 6 feet in side and rear yards; corner lots and fences on retaining walls are reviewed case by case.
- In the city's 33 local historic districts, including Mount Washington and Federal Hill, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) must authorize exterior work visible from the street, including fences, porches, and decks, before a permit issues.
- Any work in the public right-of-way, including a new or altered driveway apron, curb cut, or sidewalk, needs a Department of Transportation right-of-way permit; new residential curb cuts are approved only in limited cases, so alley-served rear parking pads are the usual path.
- Rooftop decks are reviewed structurally by the city and are subject to height and street-visibility rules in rowhouse districts.
Source: Baltimore City DHCD, Plans Review and Permits. Requirements change; we confirm current rules for each project.
Our services
- Custom Deck BuildingFrom simple platform decks to multi-level outdoor rooms, Roso designs and builds decks in wood or composite for homeowners across Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel, and Carroll counties.
- Fence InstallationRoso installs wood, vinyl, and aluminum fences for yards, pools, and pets across Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel, and Carroll counties, set straight, set deep, and built to hold up through Maryland winters.
- Paver Patios & HardscapingRoso builds paver patios, walkways, and seating walls with a properly compacted base and drainage planned from the start, for homeowners in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel, and Carroll counties.
- Concrete Driveways, Walkways & SlabsRoso pours driveways, walkways, steps, patio slabs, and pads on a compacted base with reinforcement and jointing planned for our clay soils and freeze-thaw cycles, for homeowners in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Anne Arundel, and Carroll counties.
Free estimate
Request a free estimate in Baltimore City
Tell us about the project. We'll follow up to schedule a site visit and send a written estimate you can review at home.
What happens next
- Tell us about your project. Send the estimate form or call. Share your project type, ZIP code, and what you have in mind so we can prepare for the conversation.
- Site visit and measurements. We walk the property with you, measure, check grade and access, and talk through layout, materials, and anything that affects cost.
- Written estimate. You receive a written estimate that spells out scope, materials, and price so you can compare options and ask questions before deciding.
- No cost, no obligation
- Your details are used only to discuss your project
Prefer to talk? (410) 871-8175
Ready to plan your project?
Send a few details and we'll follow up to schedule a site visit and prepare a written estimate. No cost, no obligation.