Greater Baltimore
Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County, from the harbor north to the Pennsylvania line.
For delivery on a rowhouse block in Canton, Hampden or Pigtown, Container One requires 110 feet of straight, unobstructed space for a 20ft container and 130 feet for a 40ft container. If you want to put a container on a Baltimore City street or alley, contact the Department of Transportation for a Temporary Use of Right of Way Permit. Driveways in Towson, Catonsville and Perry Hall can give more room, and farms in northern Baltimore County and Harford County bring long lanes that soften after rain.
Annapolis and Southern Maryland
Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
Tidal rivers such as the Severn, the South and the Magothy cut through Anne Arundel County, and land within 1,000 feet of tidal water or tidal wetlands falls in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, where the county requires a permit for every shed. South of Annapolis, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties bring longer drives on MD-2, MD-4 and MD-5 to wooded lots and farm lanes.
Frederick, Howard and Carroll Counties
Rolling Piedmont farmland and towns between Baltimore and Catoctin Mountain.
The Maryland Geological Survey names the Frederick and Wakefield valleys among the areas most associated with collapse sinkholes, so have the ground checked before a permanent foundation goes in. Inside the City of Frederick, the Land Management Code allows a container as long-term storage only in the M1 and M2 industrial districts. On farm lanes and in new subdivisions, check the width and the turns: the truck needs 10 feet of width and a straight run to the drop spot.
Montgomery and Prince George's Counties
Townhouse communities, suburban lots and farmland from Germantown to Upper Marlboro.
For truck access in either county, allow at least 10 feet of width and 15 feet of overhead clearance for driving, with at least 22 feet of overhead clearance along the entire unloading path. In Prince George's County, the Maryland Geological Survey describes a clay layer called the Marlboro Clay as highly susceptible to slope failure, with failures particularly numerous in the southwestern and east-central parts of the county, so keep a container off steep slopes there.
Western Maryland
Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties, from the Hagerstown Valley to the Appalachian Plateau.
Hagerstown sits in a limestone valley that the Maryland Geological Survey lists among the areas most associated with collapse sinkholes. Allegany and Garrett counties are in Climate Zone 5A, the colder of Maryland's two energy code zones, which calls for more floor insulation in a heated container. Ask each county's building office for its frost depth before a permanent foundation goes in; the table posted for Garrett County lists 36 inches. Mountain driveways can be steep and narrow, so a level landing and room for the truck to turn decide the delivery.
The Eastern Shore
Nine counties east of the Chesapeake Bay, from Elkton to Ocean City and Crisfield.
The Maryland Geological Survey notes that true sinkholes do not form in the Coastal Plain's loose sediments, so the ground question on the Eastern Shore is water: field edges and grass shoulders can stay soft for days after heavy rain. Waterfront parcels within 1,000 feet of the Bay's tidal waters fall in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, so ask the county about it before placing a container near the water.