Zoning › State preemptions › Maryland

Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) Easement Districts (MD)

Tracked preemption from the Maryland overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1977-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:MD
Other Maryland preemptions
Maryland Land Use Article — Zoning & Planning Enabling AuthorityMaryland Historic District Enabling Authority (LU §8-201)Maryland Military Installation Joint Land Use Studies (LU §22-301)Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area — Worcester County OverlayMaryland Priority Funding Areas (PFA) — Smart Growth ActMaryland Rural Legacy Program — Designated Rural Legacy AreasMaryland Forest Conservation Act (FCA)Maryland Wetlands of Special State Concern (WSSC) & Nontidal Wetlands

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

OR
  • parcel.in_malpf_easement == True
  • parcel.in_county_agricultural_district == True
  • parcel.geometry geographic match

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].non_agricultural_uses_on_malpf_easementwaive—Parcels under MALPF agricultural-preservation easement may not be subdivided or developed for non-agricultural uses except for the limited owner-house and farm-support exceptions specified in the easement deed. Easement runs in perpetuity.
review_typeaddmalpf_easement_compliance_reviewAny zoning action affecting a MALPF easement parcel triggers Foundation review and right of enforcement. Counties operating certified Ag-Land-Preservation programs (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, Worcester) administer in concert with MALPF.

Citation

Authority source
Md. Code Ann., Agriculture §§2-501 through 2-519 (Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation)
§ §§2-501 through 2-519
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gag§ion=2-501

Research notes

Maryland's flagship farmland-preservation program, dating to 1977. Voluntary landowner sale of development-rights easement to the state, with prioritization through county-certified Agricultural Land Preservation programs. As of 2024, MALPF has acquired easements on over 313,000 acres. Stacks with the Right-to-Farm Act (Agric. §2-701 et seq.) and the Use Assessment program (Tax-Prop. §8-209). Counties with certified programs include Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, and Worcester. Counties may also operate Critical Farms / Installment Purchase programs as supplements.