MARYLAND · BALTIMORE CITY
Baltimore wind load requirements, harbor to rowhouse
Charm City on the Chesapeake: ASCE 7-22 design winds across the Inner Harbor waterfront and the dense historic urban core.
CHESAPEAKE · MID-ATLANTIC
Why Baltimore reads 110-120 mph
Wind speed and exposure swing with the water: open harbor frontage versus sheltered rowhouse blocks. The right number is location-specific.
Inner Harbor waterfront
Harbor East, Locust Point, Canton and Fells Point frontage: ~115-120 mph with Exposure C from open fetch.
EXPOSURE CDense urban core
Downtown, Mount Vernon, Charles Village and historic rowhouses: ~110-115 mph with Exposure B sheltering.
EXPOSURE BNor'easters & the bay
Coastal lows tracking up the Chesapeake drive Baltimore's primary wind threat, with tropical systems a secondary one.
FETCH-DRIVENBALTIMORE CITY · MBPS
What you need to comply
Maryland Building Performance Standards adopt the IBC and reference ASCE 7-22. Six pieces gate a Baltimore permit.
Design wind speed
110-120 mph (3-sec gust, Risk II), confirmed by project address per ASCE 7-22 maps.
110-120 MPHExposure category
B for the urban core, C for Inner Harbor and Patapsco waterfront, with transition zones judged on site.
B / CRisk category
ASCE 7-22 Table 1.5-1 sets the map; III/IV essential facilities read higher speeds than standard Risk II.
TABLE 1.5-1Maryland PE seal
All structural wind calcs prepared and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in Maryland.
SEALED CALCSHistoric / CHAP review
Work on historic rowhouses and districts (Fells Point, Federal Hill, Canton) needs CHAP approval.
CHAPCombined wind + flood
Waterfront projects evaluate combined wind and storm-surge loading, especially during nor'easters.
WATERFRONTCYAN · RESOURCES & MAPS
Nearby cities & statewide wind data
Compare mid-Atlantic neighbors or zoom out to state-by-state requirements and location wind speeds.
EMERALD · GET STARTED
Automate your Baltimore wind loads
Enter a Baltimore address for location-specific velocity, Exposure B/C guidance, and PE-ready ASCE 7-22 reports for Baltimore City permits.