Columbia
Columbia Association covenants — the second approval nobody warns you about
Local rules & what we buildHome›Service Area
Where we work
All of Howard County and the counties around it — and the local rules that change from one town to the next.
Reviewed by Bill Gmeinwieser, President ·
MHIC #16606 · MD Home Builder #1369 · Updated September 2026
Direct answer
Horizons Unlimited Home Improvements serves Howard County, Maryland and the counties around it from its office at 7387 Washington Blvd., Suite 104, Elkridge, MD 21075. Core coverage is all of Howard County — Elkridge, Columbia, Ellicott City, Jessup, Savage, Clarksville, River Hill, Fulton, Highland, Dayton, Glenelg, West Friendship, Woodbine, Lisbon and Marriottsville — extending into adjoining parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Prince George's counties. The company has worked this territory since 1993 under MHIC license #16606 and Maryland Home Builder Registration #1369. Free estimates, performed by the owner: 410-796-1333.
By location
Eight places, eight different sets of rules.
These are not the same page with the town name swapped out. Building in Columbia means covenant approval. Building in Glenelg means septic capacity. Building in Ellicott City may mean historic district review and a 25% tax credit. Each page below covers what is actually different about building there.
Ellicott City
Historic district review, the 25% county tax credit, and flood-zone reality
Local rules & what we build
Elkridge
Home turf — same address since the 1990s; oldest-to-newest housing stock in the county
Local rules & what we build
Clarksville & River Hill
Well and septic — the bedroom application that stops in-law suites
Local rules & what we build
Glenelg, West Friendship, Woodbine & Lisbon
Rural zoning (RC/RR), agricultural land, long driveways and site access
Local rules & what we build
Jessup & Savage
Mill-town housing stock, small lots, and older-home systems work
Local rules & what we build
Laurel
A Laurel address can be in three different counties — three different permit offices
Local rules & what we build
Marriottsville & Sykesville
The Howard/Carroll county line — and larger, newer homes on wooded lots
Local rules & what we buildEverywhere else we work
The pages above cover the places where local rules change the job. Plenty of towns in our radius have no such quirk — the county permit is the county permit, and the work is the work. Rather than publish a near-identical page for each one, here is the honest list:
Elkridge, MD
Columbia, MD
Ellicott City, MD
Jessup, MD
Savage, MD
Laurel, MD
Clarksville, MD
Fulton, MD
Highland, MD
Dayton, MD
Glenelg, MD
West Friendship, MD
Woodbine, MD
Lisbon, MD
Marriottsville, MD
Hanover, MD
Severn, MD
Glen Burnie, MD
Annapolis Junction, MD
Odenton, MD
Catonsville, MD
Arbutus, MD
Halethorpe, MD
Baltimore, MD
Sykesville, MD
Eldersburg, MD
If your town is on that list, or near it, call and ask. We would rather tell you honestly that a job is outside our range than drive an hour to a site we cannot service properly afterwards — the whole value of a local contractor is that the crew can come back.
How far we go, and why
The office is in Elkridge, which puts most of Howard County within about a half-hour drive. That radius is deliberate. A contractor spread thin across the whole Baltimore–Washington corridor cannot put a crew back on your job for a punch-list item without rescheduling it twice, and warranty work is where distance really shows. We would rather be the company that answers in Howard County than the company that technically covers three states.
We do go further for the right project — larger additions and custom homes justify the drive in a way that a single window replacement does not. Ask.
Q&A
Service area: questions and answers
What areas does Horizons Unlimited Home Improvements serve?
All of Howard County, Maryland — Elkridge, Columbia, Ellicott City, Jessup, Savage, Clarksville, River Hill, Fulton, Highland, Dayton, Glenelg, West Friendship, Woodbine, Lisbon and Marriottsville — plus adjoining parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Prince George's counties, including Laurel, Hanover, Severn, Odenton, Glen Burnie, Annapolis Junction, Catonsville, Arbutus, Halethorpe, Sykesville and Eldersburg. The office is at 7387 Washington Blvd., Suite 104, Elkridge, MD 21075.
Does the local rulebook really change from town to town in Howard County?
Yes, more than most homeowners expect. In Columbia, exterior work needs village architectural committee approval under the Columbia Association covenants on top of the county permit. In the Ellicott City historic district, it needs a Certificate of Approval from the Historic Preservation Commission — which also unlocks a 25% county tax credit. In western Howard County, adding a bedroom on septic requires Health Department review of the system's capacity. In Laurel and Marriottsville, the mailing address does not even tell you which county issues the permit. Same county, four different first steps.
Do you charge extra for travel?
No. Estimates are free throughout the service area, and travel is not billed separately within it. For projects well outside the normal radius we will say so up front rather than quietly pricing the drive into the job.
Do you work outside Howard County?
Yes — regularly in adjoining Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Prince George's counties. Horizons Unlimited is licensed statewide in Maryland under MHIC #16606 and Maryland Home Builder Registration #1369. What varies outside Howard County is the permitting authority, not our ability to do the work.
Why does a local contractor matter for a home addition?
Three practical reasons. Punch-list and warranty work actually happens when the crew is fifteen minutes away rather than an hour. A contractor who pulls permits in your jurisdiction every week submits a cleaner application than one who does it twice a year. And a company at a fixed local address — ours has been the same since the 1990s — is still findable in three years when a warranty question comes up, which is not true of the crews that appear after a storm.
Not sure if we cover you?
Call and ask — it takes a minute. 410-796-1333