Environmental Rules in Calvert County, MD (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Calvert County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Calvert County Code § 123-5 bars developing residential, commercial, industrial or institutional land without approved stormwater management measures. The Department of Public Works reviews and permits plans under the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual, and § 123-42 makes a violation a misdemeanor carrying up to a $5,000 fine, a year in jail, or both, per violation.
Calvert County Stormwater Management Rules
Significant RestrictionsCalvert County Code §§ 123-5, 123-42
No person shall develop any land for residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional uses without having provided stormwater management measures that control or manage runoff from such developments, except as provided within this chapter. ... Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to ...
Erosion Control
Calvert County's Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance bars any development in the unincorporated county without a permit and an approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan. Small disturbances under 5,000 square feet and 100 cubic yards are exempt, and violations carry civil fines from $250 up to $1,000 per day.
Calvert County Erosion and Sediment Control Permit
Significant RestrictionsCalvert County Code §§ 38-5, 38-7, 38-13 and 38-17
§ 38-5. Applicability. ... No development shall be undertaken without prior authorization pursuant to this Chapter 38; or, in the instance of grading, as approved pursuant to this and Chapter 104 of the Code of Calvert County, Maryland. ... § 38-7. Exemptions. ... Clearing or grading activities that disturb less than 5,000 square feet of land area and disturb less than 100 cubic yards of earth ...
Flood Zones
Calvert County requires a permit from the local permitting agency before any development occurs in a designated Floodplain Zone, whether nontidal, tidal, or coastal high-hazard. The Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Public Works determine the zone using FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Study, and getting a federal or state permit never excuses compliance with the county's own floodplain chapter.
Floodplain Development Permits in Calvert County
Significant RestrictionsCalvert County Code §§ 46-3, 46-13
Any person or entity proposing to do any development within the floodplain zone regulated by this chapter must first obtain a permit for that development from the local permitting agency and must comply with all provisions of this chapter. ... The regulatory floodplain shall be those areas of Calvert County which are subject to the one-hundred-year flood, delineated on the most recent revision ...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Every new or substantially improved building in a Calvert County floodplain must have its lowest floor raised to the flood protection elevation, defined as the base flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard. Basements are banned outright, and even footprint expansions that fall short of a substantial improvement must still meet the same elevation standard before the county will sign off.
Flood Protection Elevation Rules in Calvert County
Heavy RestrictionsCalvert County Code §§ 46-5, 46-21
FLOOD PROTECTION ELEVATION (FPE) The elevation of the base flood plus one foot freeboard. ... All new or substantially improved residential and nonresidential structures shall have the lowest floor elevated to or above the flood protection elevation. Basements are not permitted. In nontidal and tidal floodplains, horizontal expansions which increase the footprint and that are less than substant...
All Calvert County ordinances
See every category we cover for Calvert County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Calvert County Ordinance Hub →