The Winters Lane community
Winters Lane is a historically African-American residential community in Catonsville. The Winters Lane Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It covers about 49 acres along Winters Lane between Frederick Road and the Baltimore National Pike, which the record connects to the old National Road.
The district developed from 1867 to the mid-1940s. It holds about 155 properties, nearly all of them residential, and the record describes it as composed mainly of single-family dwellings with a few churches, former schools and social clubs. Those buildings share a short stretch of road, so one plumbing or storm problem can touch several neighbors.
Where water trouble starts
| Situation. | What we ask first. | Page that covers it. |
|---|---|---|
| Leaking roof or ceiling stain. | Where is the stain and is it growing?. | Ceiling water damage. |
| Wet interior walls. | Is the wall warm, soft or stained?. | Wall and drywall repair. |
| Water in a cellar or crawl space. | How deep and how fast is it rising?. | Crawl space water damage. |
| Water heater or appliance leak. | Can the supply be shut off?. | Water heater leaks. |
These are situations we handle in general. No source we found records the water history of this district, so this page does not describe it as prone to flooding or to any one kind of damage.
On Winters Lane and need help?
Call the 24/7 line and give your street, the source and what is wet.
Rentals, duplexes and shared walls
Baltimore County and St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center have worked to rehabilitate duplex homes on Roberts Avenue in the district, and the county announced progress on the project in June 2019. A county news release says a historic preservation agreement requires the facades, porch structures and window arrangements to be kept.
If a rented home or duplex has water damage, tell the landlord or property manager right away and ask who files with the insurer. A shared wall can carry water to the next unit, so tell the dispatcher about units beside, above and below. Keep any preservation or ownership paperwork nearby in case a rebuild needs review.
Before we arrive on Winters Lane
Stop the source.
Close the fixture valve or the main. If the source is a neighbor's unit, tell them and your landlord.
Mind the electrical.
Keep out of water near outlets. Cut power only from a dry spot.
Protect belongings.
Lift furniture, papers and electronics onto blocks, counters or dry rooms.
Photograph everything.
Take photos and video of the source and every wet room for the insurer or landlord.
Share the details.
Tell the dispatcher the street, the unit and any porch or access limits.
Hold off on demolition.
Do not tear out trim or porch parts until the crew has looked, especially in a preserved building.
What the work looks like
Extract and assess.
Water comes out first, and meters trace where it traveled. See water extraction.
Protect the building.
Where facades and porches matter, the crew limits cutting to what the damage requires.
Hand off the rebuild.
Once the building is dry, repairs and any required review can begin.
Professional drying follows the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard for water damage restoration, which asks for moisture readings before, during and after the work. Ask any company you hire whether its crews work to that standard.
Storm drains and county help
Baltimore County asks residents to report clogged inlets and runoff from county roads through BaltCoGo 311. Its Storm Drain Design office takes general flooding questions at 410-887-3711. For certain residential flooding problems the county may offer a Residential Flood Mitigation Grant Program, decided case by case after a drainage review.
Read the county storm drain page for current contacts. The county says it cannot improve private property, so work inside your lot is yours to arrange. We handle the water and drying, not the drainage design.
Insurance and documentation
Photos, video and moisture readings can support a restoration record, and an itemized scope can describe the work. Coverage depends on the cause of the loss and your policy, so ask your insurer. The Maryland Insurance Administration says flood is generally excluded from homeowners policies and needs separate coverage.
Winters Lane on the map
Also in the Frederick Road area, Historic Catonsville has its own page. Call and reach a dispatcher if your street is close but not listed.
Winters Lane questions
It covers Winters Lane and the homes around it between Frederick Road and the Baltimore National Pike, inside ZIP 21228. If your address is close to the edge, give it on the call.
We have not verified neighborhood-level FEMA status for Winters Lane, so we do not claim it. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask your insurer.
Drying itself does not change. If walls, trim or porch parts must come out, tell us about any agreement so the crew limits the cutting and you can check with the owner or county.
Tell your landlord or property manager first. They usually carry the policy on the building, and you may want renter's coverage for your own belongings. We cannot decide coverage for you.
Yes. Cleanup is the same, but responsibility depends on ownership and the policies involved. Keep photos and notes and tell the owner of the unit.