Environmental Rules in Carroll County, MD (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Carroll County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Carroll County regulates stormwater runoff from new development under Chapter 151, adopted pursuant to Maryland's Environment Article, Title 4, Subtitle 2. Section 151.001 requires environmental site design to the maximum extent practicable and applies to all development in the unincorporated county, enforced by the county itself.
Carroll County Stormwater Management Rules
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 151.001
(A) The purpose of this chapter is to protect, maintain, and enhance the public health, safety, and general welfare by establishing minimum requirements and procedures to control the adverse impacts associated with increased stormwater runoff. ... (B) This chapter is adopted pursuant to the Md. Code, Environment Article, Title 4, Subtitle 2, and shall apply to all development occurring within t...
Erosion Control
Carroll County requires a District-approved erosion and sediment control plan and a county grading permit before any clearing, grading, or filling, with narrow exemptions for small disturbances and routine agriculture.
Carroll County Grading & Sediment Control
Significant RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 152.003
A person shall have a soil erosion and sediment control plan approved by the Carroll County Soil Conservation District (“District”) and shall obtain a grading permit from the county prior to clearing, grading, grubbing, excavating, or filling land, creating borrow pits, or conducting mineral resource recovery operations, or otherwise modifying the existing topography of the land unless exempted...
Flood Zones
Carroll County prohibits new fill, grading for buildable lots, and new residential, commercial, institutional, or accessory structures anywhere inside a mapped floodplain in the unincorporated county. Any floodplain development needs prior written approval from the Department of Land and Resource Management, and even permitted fill must be offset with 1.5-to-1 compensatory storage under Chapter 153 of the county code.
Carroll County Floodplain Development Restrictions
Heavy RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 153.007
(C) Fill in the floodplain is prohibited unless compensatory storage is provided at a ratio of 1.5:1 for the material in a hydraulically equivalent location. A variance cannot be requested for relief from this requirement. (D) Grading or placing fill to create buildable lots in the floodplain is prohibited. (E) Construction of new residential, industrial, institutional, commercial, or accessory...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Carroll County requires the lowest floor of every new or substantially improved building in the floodplain to sit three feet above the base flood elevation, the freeboard standard set in the county's Floodplain Construction chapter. Basements are banned outright, and a licensed engineer or surveyor must certify the finished elevation on a FEMA elevation certificate.
Carroll County Freeboard and Elevation Rules
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 170.15, Ch. 38 § 3800.11
Section 3800.11. Elevation requirement. All new or substantially improved buildings or repair or reconstruction of repetitive loss shall have the lowest floor elevated three feet above the elevation of the base flood. Basements are not permitted. Less than substantial horizontal additions shall be elevated three feet above the elevation of the base flood. The elevation of the lowest floor shall...
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