Maryland's Jumbo Line Follows Washington, Not Wealth
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Two adjacent, affluent Maryland counties sit $416,375 apart in conforming ceiling. The reason is a metropolitan boundary, not a price difference.
The 2026 limits
| Jurisdiction | One-unit limit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | $1,249,125 | CBSA 47900, Washington metro. Two-unit $1,599,375 |
| Prince George's | $1,249,125 | CBSA 47900 |
| Frederick | $1,249,125 | CBSA 47900 |
| Charles | $1,249,125 | CBSA 47900 |
| Calvert | $1,209,750 | CBSA 30500. Two-unit $1,548,975 |
| Howard | $832,750 | Baseline |
| Anne Arundel | $832,750 | Baseline |
| Baltimore County and Baltimore City | $832,750 | Baseline |
| Harford, Carroll, Cecil, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Kent, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, St. Mary's, Washington, Allegany, Garrett | $832,750 | Baseline |
The Howard County point
Howard County sits between Baltimore and Washington, contains Columbia and Ellicott City, and is consistently among the highest-income counties in the United States. Its conforming ceiling is $832,750, the national baseline.
Montgomery County, immediately to its southwest, is $1,249,125. The gap is $416,375 and it has nothing to do with what homes cost in either place. Conforming limits are calculated per metropolitan statistical area, and Montgomery sits in CBSA 47900, the Washington area, while Howard is assigned to Baltimore.
The practical rule: look your county up rather than reasoning from local prices. The same house at the same price can be a conforming purchase on one side of a county line and a jumbo purchase on the other.
What changes above the line
Agency financing comes with a published rulebook for the home you are leaving. Fannie Mae B3-3.8-05, dated 09/02/2026, sets the offset, the documentation and the reserve requirement in writing. Above the conforming limit those are replaced by individual investor guidelines, with three differences that show up repeatedly:
- Reserve requirements are deeper, and the departing residence adds its own on top.
- Some investors will not remove the departing payment from the ratio until the sale actually funds.
- The planned exit on the departing home gets underwritten rather than assumed.
Above the line, carrying both payments with a later recast is often the most reliable structure, and in Maryland it has the additional advantage of recording no new lien on the departing home. See the structures page.
The Maryland taxes apply at every price
Neither the recordation tax rule in 12-108(e) nor the homestead reset in 9-105 depends on loan size. On a higher-value purchase the homestead reset is worth more in dollars, because the gap between a capped taxable assessment and current market value tends to be larger on long-held, higher-value homes. See the homestead reset page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the conforming loan limit in Montgomery County, Maryland for 2026?
$1,249,125 on one unit and $1,599,375 on two units. Montgomery sits in CBSA 47900, the Washington metropolitan area, along with Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties.
Why is Howard County at the baseline conforming limit?
Because limits are calculated by metropolitan statistical area rather than by local wealth or prices. Howard is assigned to the Baltimore area and sits at the $832,750 baseline, $416,375 below adjacent Montgomery County in the Washington area.
Which Maryland counties are above the baseline?
Five. Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles at $1,249,125, and Calvert at $1,209,750. The other 19 Maryland jurisdictions are at $832,750.
Does jumbo financing change how my departing Maryland home is treated?
Generally yes. The departing-residence rules in Fannie Mae B3-3.8-05 are agency guidelines; jumbo investors set their own, tend to require deeper reserves, and some will not remove the departing payment until the sale funds.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Maryland recordation tax rates are set by each county and Baltimore City, and the Homestead Tax Credit is administered by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; your county finance office, your CPA or a Maryland attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.