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The paper explores a number of issues related to lot size and urban density, drawing on data from urban and suburban counties in the State of Maryland. The paper has three separate parts. The first is a descriptive analysis of the trends in single-family residential lot size over the past 35 years in eight counties in Maryland. We find a good deal of variation in both lot size and trends in lot size over time. We then examine the extent to which lot size is being constrained by regulation by comparing actual subdivision density to the allowable density under zoning rules. This analysis is done for three counties with different degrees of suburbanization. We find that only in the areas with the very large lot zoning does zoning seem to be constraining actual lots size. There is a good deal of excess capacity in the density that could be built, especially in the more densely zoned areas. Finally, recognizing that households have preferences for lot size and other housing characteristics, we provide some evidence about the strength of household preferences over lot size and their willingness to trade off lot size for other characteristics