Maryland Land Use Article — Zoning & Planning Enabling Authority (MD)
Tracked preemption from the Maryland overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
2012-10-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:MD
Other Maryland preemptions
Maryland 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 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.
always true
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | add | comprehensive_plan_consistency_finding | Local zoning ordinances and map amendments must be consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan; plans must address the LU §1-201 'visions' list, be reviewed every 10 years and revised every 6 years (LU §3-301). |
base_districts[*].dimensional_standards | override | local_zoning_ordinance_under_lu_titles_10_15 | LU Titles 10-15 supply the four-corners enabling delegation for zoning power exercised by code counties, commissioner counties, and municipalities. Charter counties exercise the same powers via their charters; the Regional District Act (Titles 20-27) governs MoCo + PG. |
Citation
Authority source
Md. Code Ann., Land Use Article §1-101 et seq. (2012 recodification of former Article 66B)
§ §§1-101 et seq.; Titles 3-5 (planning); Titles 10-15 (zoning); Titles 20-27 (Regional District Act for MoCo + PG)
Research notes
Enabling delegation, not a preemption per se. Recodified in 2012 from former Art. 66B with substantive continuity. Drives the four-tier authority split: charter (11), code (6), commissioner (7), and Baltimore City (independent). Commissioner counties (Calvert, Carroll, Garrett, St. Mary's, Somerset, Washington, and similar) are governed directly by LU; charter and code counties exercise home-rule authority but with LU as a backstop framework. Montgomery + Prince George's use LU Titles 20-27 via M-NCPPC.