Zoning › State preemptions › Maryland

Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area — Worcester County Overlay (MD)

Tracked preemption from the Maryland overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
2002-10-01
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)Maryland 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 WetlandsChesapeake Bay Critical Area Program — IDA / LDA / RCA Overlay

Trigger predicate

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

AND
  • city.is_in_atlantic_coastal_bays_critical_area == True
  • OR
    • parcel.in_critical_area_1000ft_buffer == True
    • parcel.geometry geographic match

Preempted fields

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

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].max_units_per_acrecap_at0.05RCA cap: 1 unit per 20 acres on Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed parcels; parallel to Chesapeake program.
base_districts[*].riparian_buffer_ftfloor_at100100-foot Buffer from Atlantic Coastal Bays tidal waters, tidal wetlands, and tributary streams (Assawoman Bay, Isle of Wight Bay, Sinepuxent Bay, Newport Bay, Chincoteague Bay).

Citation

Authority source
Md. Code Ann., Natural Resources §§8-1801 through 8-1817 (extended to Atlantic Coastal Bays by 2002 amendments); COMAR Title 27
§ §§8-1807, 8-1808 (coastal bays inclusion)
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gnr§ion=8-1801

Research notes

Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area covers the watersheds of the five coastal bays behind Assateague Island in Worcester County. Includes Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill (partial), Ocean Pines (CDP), and unincorporated Worcester. Administered jointly by Critical Area Commission and Worcester County. Federal conflict check: NOAA CZMA federal consistency review applies, and Assateague Island National Seashore boundary is adjacent. Same IDA/LDA/RCA framework as Chesapeake program.