Environmental Rules in Charles County, MD (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Charles County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Charles County regulates stormwater under Chapter 274 of the County Code, requiring an approved stormwater management plan for new development or redevelopment before a permit issues. The Department of Planning and Growth Management enforces the ordinance, which uses environmental site design to the maximum extent practicable and, for water quality, structural best management practices.
Charles County Stormwater Management Rules
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code §§ 274-1, 274-3
§ 274-1. Purpose. The purpose of the Charles County Stormwater Management Ordinance ("Ordinance") 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. ... § 274-3. Statutory authority; applicability; enforcement authority. The provisions ...
Erosion Control
Charles County requires an approved erosion and sediment control plan and a development services permit before any grading in the unincorporated county. The Department of Planning and Growth Management and the Charles Soil Conservation District administer and enforce the program under County Code Chapter 244.
Charles County Erosion & Sediment Control Rules
Some RestrictionsCharles County Code § 244-1 (Purpose and authority)
The purpose of this chapter is to safeguard the natural resources of Charles County by establishing minimum requirements for stripping, excavating, and filling of land; for control of soil erosion and sediment; and to establish procedures by which these requirements are to be administered and enforced... The provisions of this chapter pursuant to Title 4, Environment Article, Annotated Code of ...
Flood Zones
It is unlawful in Charles County to begin any development, grading, new construction, substantial improvement, manufactured-home placement, temporary structure, or watercourse alteration within a mapped flood hazard area without first obtaining a floodplain development permit from the County.
Flood Hazard Area Development Permit in Charles County
Some RestrictionsCharles County, MD Code § 238-7D(1)
It shall be unlawful for any person to begin any development or construction which is wholly within, partially within, or in contact with any flood hazard area established in § 238-5F, including but not limited to, filling; grading; construction of new structures; the substantial improvement of buildings or structures, including repair of substantial damage; placement or replacement of manufact...
Boat Dock Permits
Charles County regulates piers, docks and launching ramps inside the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Buffer under § 297-131. New shoreline subdivisions are capped at one slip per 50 feet of shoreline in the Intense and Limited Development Zones, or one per 300 feet in the Resource Conservation Zone, and the Planning Commission can deny individual piers over habitat impacts.
Charles County Boat Dock and Pier Permits
Significant RestrictionsCharles County Code § 297-131C(1)(a)
Community piers, individual private piers, docks, and launching ramps. Only the following community pier facilities shall be permitted to be located in the Buffer: Docks, piers, slips, launching ramps, access roads, paths; and Loading/Unloading areas. Where community or individual slips or piers, are proposed in conjunction with new development approved after the date of the Charles County Crit...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Charles County defines the 'flood protection elevation' that new and substantially improved buildings must meet as the base flood elevation plus two feet of freeboard, a safety margin against uncertainties like wave action, debris jams, and increased runoff from development.
Base Flood Elevation Plus Freeboard in Charles County
Some RestrictionsCharles County, MD Code § 238-6
FLOOD PROTECTION ELEVATION: The base flood elevation plus two feet of freeboard unless noted otherwise in this article. Freeboard is a factor of safety that compensates for uncertainty in factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, obstructed bridge openings, debris and ice jams, climat...
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