Federal Battlefield Buffers — Antietam, Monocacy, Harpers Ferry Vicinity (MD)

Tracked preemption from the Maryland overlay bundle.

Overview

Effective
1890-08-30
Sunset
Authority
federal
Scope
state:MD

Trigger predicate

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

OR
  • parcel.in_antietam_battlefield_buffer == True
  • parcel.in_monocacy_battlefield_buffer == True
  • parcel.geometry geographic match

Preempted fields

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

FieldOpValueNote
review_typeaddnps_section_106_consultation_and_battlefield_protection_reviewFederal undertakings (federally-funded / -permitted / -licensed projects) within or adjacent to Antietam National Battlefield (Washington County), Monocacy National Battlefield (Frederick County), or the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park viewshed (Washington County) trigger §106 NHPA consultation with the National Park Service and Maryland Historical Trust SHPO.
base_districts[*].rural_character_compatibilityaddbattlefield_viewshed_protection_districtWashington County (Antietam) and Frederick County (Monocacy) maintain local Rural Legacy / Agricultural Preservation overlays designed to keep battlefield viewsheds intact; American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) grants fund easement acquisitions in coordination with MALPF and Rural Legacy.

Citation

Authority source
16 U.S.C. §§430-430k (Antietam National Battlefield, established 1890; expanded 1960, 1978); 16 U.S.C. §430h-1 (Monocacy National Battlefield, established 1934 / expanded 1976); §106 National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. §306108); American Battlefield Protection Act (54 U.S.C. §308101 et seq.)
§ 16 U.S.C. §§430-430k; 54 U.S.C. §306108
https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/management/lawsandpolicies.htm

Research notes

Maryland contains two NPS-administered Civil War battlefields with federal-buffer implications and is adjacent to a third (Harpers Ferry, primarily in WV). Antietam (Washington County, Sharpsburg vicinity, 3,229 acres authorized boundary) is the most-visited Civil War site in Maryland; Washington County's zoning includes Battlefield Protection Districts and a 2003 MOA with NPS. Monocacy National Battlefield (Frederick County, 1,647 acres) has a similar protection framework. The federal preemption operates through §106 NHPA consultation on federal undertakings rather than direct zoning override; local jurisdictions retain primary zoning authority but routinely coordinate viewshed protection through MALPF, Rural Legacy, and the federal American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) easement-grant program. Listed under authority='federal' because the protection regime is federally-anchored rather than state-administered.