Maryland Rural Legacy Program — Designated Rural Legacy Areas (MD)
Tracked preemption from the Maryland overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1997-10-01
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)Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area — Worcester County OverlayMaryland Priority Funding Areas (PFA) — Smart Growth ActMaryland 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.
OR
parcel.in_rural_legacy_area==Trueparcel.geometrygeographic match
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | add | rural_legacy_area_consistency_review | Rural Legacy Areas are designated landscape-scale conservation zones eligible for state Rural Legacy Fund easement acquisitions. Local comprehensive plans should identify RLAs and align rural / agricultural zoning to maintain their conservation character. |
base_districts[*].rural_legacy_easement_compliance | waive | — | Parcels under Rural Legacy easement carry deed restrictions limiting subdivision and non-agricultural development; restrictions run in perpetuity and are enforceable by DNR. |
Citation
Authority source
Md. Code Ann., Natural Resources §§5-9A-01 through 5-9A-09 (Rural Legacy Program)
§ §§5-9A-01 through 5-9A-09
Research notes
Companion to MALPF — focuses on landscape-scale rural-character conservation through locally-sponsored partnerships. DNR administers the Rural Legacy Fund; counties and land trusts propose Rural Legacy Areas (RLAs) and apply for state easement-acquisition funding. As of 2024, ~30 designated RLAs covering >100,000 acres, including Mid-Maryland Frederick & Carroll County, Manokin (Somerset), Deep Creek Watershed (Garrett), Sugarloaf Mountain (MoCo / Frederick), Mattaponi (Caroline), Coastal Bays (Worcester), and Foundry Branch (Howard). Stacks with MALPF, Critical Area Program, and Forest Conservation Act.