Maryland Container Questions

Delivery requires the following straight, unobstructed space:

• 20ft container: 110 feet of straight clearance from the drop point
• 40ft container: 130 feet of straight clearance from the drop point

The truck needs at least 15 ft of height to drive, at least 22 ft of height along the entire unloading path, and at least 10 ft of width. Low utility lines, tree limbs and roof overhangs can stop a delivery. If you are unsure, describe the approach when you ask for a quote.

Watch a delivery: container delivery video.

Warranty runs by grade: one-trip units carry a 10 year structural and 10 year no-leak warranty, cargo worthy and wind and water tight units carry a 5 year structural and 5 year no-leak warranty, and economy units carry a 1 year roof leak warranty. The warranty travels with the grade you buy, so if warranty length matters to you it is worth comparing grades before you compare prices.

We sell containers. We do not rent them. Rent-to-own runs through a third-party partner, My Container Rental, and spreads the payments until you own the container. Our rent vs buy guide walks through when each path makes sense.

As of October 14, 2026, yes. Container One priced every standard size and grade the same in all three cities, all shipped from its Baltimore depot, so the distance to these three cities did not change the price. Your written quote is priced for your own address.

The Maryland Building Performance Standards apply the 2021 International Building Code and the 2021 International Residential Code across the state, effective May 29, 2023, and the local jurisdiction enforces them. The state has proposed moving to the 2024 editions, so ask your building department which edition it applies.

Zoning is local in Maryland. Baltimore City, the county or an incorporated town with its own zoning answers that question, depending on the address. The rules differ from place to place: the City of Frederick allows a container as long-term storage only in its M1 and M2 industrial districts, and Baltimore lets all accessory structures together cover no more than half of a required rear yard.

A 20ft container covers 160 square feet and a 40ft covers 320. Baltimore City exempts storage sheds from a building permit only up to 120 square feet, Anne Arundel County exempts sheds of 150 square feet or less, and Frederick County exempts accessory structures under 150 square feet. The City of Annapolis requires a building permit for a shed over 200 square feet. Each office decides whether its shed rule covers a container, so describe the container and its use when you ask.

It is the land within 1,000 feet of the tidal waters and tidal wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, set by Section 8-1807 of the Natural Resources Article. A minimum 100-foot buffer runs along the shoreline, and Anne Arundel County says disturbance in that buffer generally needs an approved variance. In Annapolis, the city's Department of Planning and Zoning handles Critical Area compliance, so mention the water when you ask about a permit.

A design review comes first. Baltimore has 38 local historic districts, where a new exterior structure needs a permit that waits on an Authorization to Proceed from the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation. In Annapolis, the Historic Preservation Division reviews exterior changes in the Historic District, and in Frederick, the Historic Preservation Commission approves exterior work in the city's historic overlays.

Container One's Delivery/Dispatch department will contact you to schedule a delivery date and time. Timing depends on factors such as your location, when payment is received and weather conditions.

It can, with local approval. Section 3115 of the 2021 International Building Code, which Maryland applies statewide, covers containers repurposed as buildings and calls for construction documents and a check of each container's data plate by an approved agency. Ask the local building and zoning offices what the project needs before the container is modified.

Under Section 4-104(d) of Maryland's Land Use Article, a local legislative body may not prohibit placement of a new manufactured home or modular dwelling in a zone allowing single-family homes if it meets one of the following three conditions. The first is that it qualifies as a modular dwelling: it must be designed for habitation, include the necessary electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and other service systems, and be made or assembled by a manufacturer on or off the building site for installation there. It must be installed and set up according to the manufacturer's instructions on an approved foundation and support system. The second is that it qualifies as a manufactured home and is, or becomes after purchase, real property. Under Section 9-102(a) of the Commercial Law Article, a manufactured home must be transportable in one or more sections and built on a permanent chassis. Its body must be at least 8 feet wide or 40 feet long during transport, or the structure must cover at least 320 square feet when erected on site. It must be designed for use as a dwelling when connected to the required utilities, with or without a permanent foundation. Under Title 8B, Subtitle 2 of the Real Property Article, the home becomes real property when it is attached to a permanent foundation, the home and land have the same owners with identical ownership shares, and a sworn statement of attachment (an affidavit of affixation) has been recorded with the clerk of the court in the county where the land is located. The third condition is that the home or dwelling is on land larger than 80 acres that is currently or previously federally owned and was a former U.S. military reservation. Section 1-401 of the Land Use Article also applies this protection to Maryland's charter counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Talbot and Wicomico. For a Baltimore City address, call the Office of the Zoning Administrator at 410-396-4126 to ask whether your proposed container home qualifies. Elsewhere in Maryland, ask your county's zoning office, or your incorporated town's zoning office if the town has its own zoning, whether your proposed container home qualifies.

A container used only to store tools, stock or equipment does not need insulation for that use. If you plan to heat or cool a container as an office, workshop or home, the energy code applies, and the local building department reviews the insulation as part of the permit. Table R402.1.3 of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code gives insulation values for wood-framed construction. Allegany and Garrett counties are in Zone 5A; all other Maryland counties and Baltimore City are in Zone 4A. The table lists R-60 for ceilings in both zones, R-19 for floors in Zone 4A and R-30 for floors in Zone 5A. Its wood-frame wall options in both zones are R-30, R-20 plus R-5 continuous insulation, R-13 plus R-10 continuous insulation, or R-20 continuous insulation. Maryland also offers an alternative under COMAR 09.12.51.04. For Maryland, its Table R402.1.3.1 uses the Zone 4 row for Zone 4A and the Zone 5 row for Zone 5A. It lists R-49 for ceilings in both zones, R-19 for floors in Zone 4 and R-30 for floors in Zone 5. For wood-frame walls in both zones, it gives two options: R-20, or a combination of R-13 cavity insulation and R-5 continuous insulation. This alternative must be combined with features from Section R408.3's table that provide at least a 6% increase in energy efficiency in either zone. The code's steel-frame table, Table R402.2.6, requires more wall insulation to reach the same rating as a wood-frame wall. Your designer and local building official decide how the container walls are classified.

• One-trip: made one loaded ocean crossing. Clean floors, intact paint, close to new.
• Cargo worthy: can pass a marine survey to be re-certified for shipping. Structurally sound, cosmetically used.
• Wind and water tight (WWT): inspected to confirm the doors seal, there are no holes, and the interior stays dry. Surface rust, paint wear and minor dents are normal.
• Economy: the lowest grade we sell. Weathered, and priced accordingly.

For a grade-by-grade walkthrough, see the container condition guide.

It depends on what the container is for. If it is going to be seen, lived in, or converted, the clean interior and intact paint save real work later and the 10 year structural and 10 year no-leak warranty is the longest available. If it is going behind a shed to hold equipment, a wind and water tight unit does the same job for less.

We offer 20ft standard, 40ft standard and 40ft high cube containers, plus modified containers and refrigerated units in 20ft and 40ft.

Personnel doors, roll-up doors, windows, vents, partition walls, electrical packages with outlets and a service panel, LED lighting, insulation, spray foam, A/C units with heat, shelving, interior wall panels and vinyl flooring. Insulation and HVAC choices depend on the climate the box will sit in: Maryland has humid summers and cold winters, with colder winters in Allegany and Garrett counties. A heated or cooled container needs insulation for both seasons and an air seal that keeps moist air off the cold steel.

A reefer has a refrigeration unit built into one end. It runs on a 480V 3-phase supply, or a compatible generator where 3-phase power is not available. The walls are insulated as part of the original build.

A container is built to carry its weight through its four corner castings, so each corner needs firm, level ground. The Maryland Geological Survey records collapse sinkholes in the limestone valleys around Frederick and Hagerstown. If signs of a sinkhole appear in an area of known sinkholes and buildings could be at risk, the Survey advises owners to consider consulting an engineering geologist or a foundations engineer.

For temporary placement: Container One asks for flat, level ground. Concrete blocks or treated timbers under the four corner castings, or a compacted gravel pad, keep the frame square and the doors working. Grade the spot so water runs away from the corners.

For permanent placement or a conversion: A design professional sizes the footings for the soil and the local frost depth, and the local building department reviews the plans before the container is set.

Frost depth: Each local building department sets it in its design table. Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County list 30 inches, and the table posted for Garrett County lists 36 inches. Ask the building department for the depth at your address.

Ask the county or city early when the site is on a slope in Prince George's County, where a clay layer called the Marlboro Clay is highly susceptible to slope failure, or within 1,000 feet of tidal water, where the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area rules apply.

Place the container on flat, level ground. Clear debris, rocks and brush from the placement area, confirm the straight space the delivery truck needs, and check for overhead lines and limbs. If the delivery truck gets stuck, you are responsible for getting it out or having it towed. Container One does not move the container once it is placed.

The box itself is corrugated Corten steel. The lock is the weak point, so use a hidden shackle lock, sometimes called a puck lock, inside a lockbox welded over the handle. Container One sells a lock box that covers the padlock as a separate accessory.

The recurring signs are a price far under the market, payment demanded by wire transfer or crypto, no verifiable business identity or contact route, and pressure to decide today. A real dealer will give you a phone number, answer questions before payment, and put the quote in writing.