Section 4-103 – Additional Powers
(a) When zoning or rezoning land under this division, a legislative body may impose any additional conditions or limitations that the legislative body considers appropriate to improve or protect the general character and design of: (1) the land and improvements being zoned or rezoned; or (2) the surrounding or adjacent land and improvements. (b) A municipal corporation may include […]
Section 4-104 – Limitations
(a) The powers granted to a local jurisdiction under this subtitle do not: (1) grant the local jurisdiction powers in any substantive area not otherwise granted to the local jurisdiction by any other public general or public local law; (2) restrict the local jurisdiction from exercising any power granted to the local jurisdiction by any other public general […]
Section 4-201 – Districts and Zones
(a) A legislative body may divide the local jurisdiction into districts and zones of any number, shape, and area that the legislative body considers best suited to carry out the purposes of this division. (b) (1) Within the districts and zones, the legislative body may regulate the construction, alteration, repair, or use of buildings, structures, or land. (2) Except […]
Section 4-202 – Zoning Regulations — Adoption; Purposes
(a) The legislative body shall adopt zoning regulations: (1) in accordance with the plan; (2) with reasonable consideration for, among other things, the character of the district or zone and its suitability for particular uses; and (3) with a view to conserving the value of property and encouraging orderly development and the most appropriate use of land. (b) The zoning […]
Section 4-203 – Zoning Regulations — Procedure; Public Hearings
(a) A legislative body shall provide for the manner in which its zoning regulations and the boundaries of districts and zones shall be established, enforced, and amended. (b) (1) A legislative body shall hold at least one public hearing on a proposed zoning regulation or boundary at which parties in interest and citizens have an opportunity to be […]
Section 4-204 – Zoning Regulations — Amendment, Repeal, and Reclassification
(a) Zoning regulations and boundaries may be amended or repealed. (b) (1) If the purpose and effect of a proposed map amendment is to change a zoning classification, the legislative body shall make findings of fact that address: (i) population change; (ii) the availability of public facilities; (iii) present and future transportation patterns; (iv) compatibility with existing and proposed development for the […]
Section 4-205 – Administrative Adjustments
(a) A legislative body may authorize the planning director or another designee to grant an administrative adjustment from the following requirements in a zoning law enacted by the legislative body: (1) height; (2) setback; (3) bulk; (4) parking; (5) loading, dimensional, or area; or (6) similar requirements. (b) Before developing criteria and procedures for administrative adjustments under this section, the legislative body shall: […]
Section 4-206 – Variances
(a) By local law, a legislative body may specify in a zoning law the allowable modifications that may be made by a variance. (b) The modifications in a variance: (1) may be only of density, bulk, dimensional, or area requirements of the zoning law; (2) may be only allowed where, owing to conditions peculiar to the property and not […]
Section 4-207 – Adaptive Reuse
(a) On application by a property owner, a legislative body may authorize how the uses allowed in a zoning classification are to be applied to a particular improved property by granting an adaptive reuse. (b) Before granting an adaptive reuse, the legislative body shall make specific findings, supported by facts in the record, that: (1) the change is […]
Section 4-208 – Exceptions — Maryland Accessibility Code
A legislative body shall provide for exceptions to the zoning law when necessary to bring an existing parking lot into compliance with the requirements for parking spaces for individuals with disabilities and the van–accessible parking ratio requirement of the Maryland Accessibility Code adopted under § 12–202 of the Public Safety Article.