Three Loan-Limit Tiers in One State
Program and regulatory figures verified October 9, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Most states have one conforming limit. Maryland has three, and the top one is the highest number we have had to write about.
The three tiers
| Tier | One-unit limit | Jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| ★★ High-cost | ★ $1,249,125 | 4 |
| ★ Mid | $1,209,750 | 1 |
| Baseline | $832,750 | 19 |
Which counties
| Jurisdiction | One-unit limit |
|---|---|
| ★ Montgomery County | $1,249,125 |
| ★ Prince George's County | $1,249,125 |
| ★ Frederick County | $1,249,125 |
| ★ Charles County | $1,249,125 |
| Calvert County | $1,209,750 |
Everywhere else in Maryland: $832,750.
★ The top four are the Washington commuter belt. Calvert sits just below them in its own tier, which is the kind of detail a national calculator gets wrong because it assumes one number per state.
★★ What $416,375 of headroom is actually worth
The gap between baseline and top tier is $416,375. Against the $832,750 baseline, that is 50% more borrowing capacity inside agency financing.
★ This is the one state in the round where the limit is a first-order variable rather than a footnote. Michigan and Missouri are flat statewide. Tennessee's top tier is $1,029,250, which is $219,875 below Maryland's.
In Montgomery County, a purchase that would be a jumbo almost anywhere else in the country can still be conforming. That changes the product, the underwriting standards and the reserve expectations.
★ Where it genuinely binds
Here, often. That is unusual, and it is why this page is in the main navigation rather than buried.
A Bethesda or Potomac purchase can sit well above $832,750 and still be inside $1,249,125. A physician buying in Montgomery County and assuming they need a jumbo may be wrong, and the difference in underwriting is real.
★ Equally, a Baltimore County purchase is governed by the $832,750 baseline no matter how close the Washington suburbs are. The limit follows the jurisdiction, not the market's reputation.
★★ And a data gap worth naming
The four top-tier counties do not appear in Maryland's Zillow metro series, because they are filed under the Washington, DC metro. So there is no published Maryland metro typical value for Bethesda or Rockville on this site.
We did not pull the Washington metro series this pass, so rather than substitute Baltimore's $400,263 as if it described Montgomery County, we say the figure is not here. What the market data covers.
Multi-unit
These are one-unit limits. Two-, three- and four-unit properties carry higher figures in the same FHFA county file. Ask and we will pull your jurisdiction's exact set.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the conforming loan limit in Montgomery County, Maryland?
$1,249,125 for a one-unit property in 2026. Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties all carry that limit, which is the highest tier in Maryland and the highest in this network.What is Maryland's baseline conforming loan limit?
$832,750 for a one-unit property in 2026, applying in nineteen of Maryland's twenty-four jurisdictions. Four counties carry $1,249,125 and Calvert County carries $1,209,750.How much more can I borrow in the Maryland DC suburbs?
$416,375 more, which is 50 percent more borrowing capacity. The top-tier limit of $1,249,125 applies in Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties against the $832,750 baseline elsewhere in the state.Does Calvert County have the same loan limit as Montgomery County?
No. Calvert County carries $1,209,750 for a one-unit property in 2026, slightly below the $1,249,125 that applies in Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles. Maryland runs three separate tiers rather than two.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about physician mortgage financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. The Maryland Loan Repayment Programs are administered by the Maryland Department of Health, not by Cornerstone; their terms, award amounts and application cycles are set by that department and change. Md. Code, Tax-Property §13-203 is quoted so you can take it to your own attorney and title company; whether a particular buyer qualifies as a first-time Maryland home buyer is established by a statement signed under oath, not by a lender. Figures here carry the date we verified them against primary sources. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees and overlays are set by the lender and change. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.