Environmental Rules in Prince George's County, MD (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Prince George's County bars anyone from developing or redeveloping land without meeting the Stormwater Management Ordinance's runoff controls. The Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement requires environmental site design to the maximum extent practicable before allowing any structural best-management practice, and violators face up to $10,000 in fines per offense.
PG County Stormwater Management Ordinance Rules
Significant RestrictionsPrince George's County Code §§ 32-173, 32-170(b), 32-178(a)(1), 32-199
No person shall develop or redevelop any land without having met the provisions of this Division by providing appropriate stormwater management measures that control or manage runoff, except as provided within Section 32-174 of this Division. ... Planning techniques, nonstructural practices, and design methods specified in the Maryland Design Manual and the Prince George's County Design Manual ...
Erosion Control
No one may grade, disturb land, or connect to a drainage system in Prince George's County without a permit from the Director, and the Prince George's Soil Conservation District must first approve an erosion and sediment control plan. Violators face a misdemeanor charge and fines of up to $10,000 a day.
PG County Grading and Erosion Control Permit Law
Significant RestrictionsPrince George's County Code § 32-126(a),(h)
Sec. 32-126. - Permits Required. (a)Grading Permit. Except as exempted in Section 32-127, no person shall do, nor shall the property owner permit any site development or grading of land for any purpose without the owner/permittee of the said land first having obtained a grading permit from the Director. Before a grading permit for any site is issued by the County, the Prince George's Soil Conse...
Flood Zones
Prince George's County has regulated construction in its 100-year floodplain since joining the National Flood Insurance Program on August 4, 1972. A Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement permit is required for virtually all floodplain development, and violators face misdemeanor fines up to $1,000 plus six months in jail per day of noncompliance.
PG County Floodplain Development Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsPrince George's County Code §§ 32-202(a)(1), 32-204, 32-205(a), 32-209(a), 32-211(c)(1)
Special flood hazard areas are subject to periodic inundation which may result in loss of life and property, health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection and relief, and impairment of the tax base... Prince George's County, Maryland, by resolution, agreed to meet the requirements of the National Flood Insuran...
Boat Dock Permits
In the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area buffer, Prince George's County caps community pier and marina slip counts by shoreline length or lot count and requires marinas to meet state sanitary standards. Individual private piers built by riparian landowners outside a subdivision are excluded from this section.
Critical Area Boat Dock and Marina Rules in PG County
Significant RestrictionsPrince George's County Code § 5B-118(a)
Water dependent facilities include, but are not limited to, ports, the intake and outfall structures of power plants, water-use industries, and marinas and other boat docking structures, public beaches and other public water-oriented recreation areas, and fisheries activities. Excluded from this regulation are individual private piers installed or maintained by riparian landowners, and which ar...
Flood Elevation Requirements
New or substantially improved buildings in the Prince George's County floodplain must have their lowest floor at or above the county's "flood protection elevation," which adds one to two feet of freeboard on top of FEMA's base flood elevation, and basements are banned outright.
PG County Base Flood Elevation Freeboard Rule
Significant RestrictionsPrince George's County Code § 32-203(a)(35); § 32-205(f)
Sec. 32-203. - Definitions. (35)Flood Protection Elevation (FPE) - The base flood elevation plus freeboard. Two (2) feet of freeboard are required for FEMA purposes only. For non-FEMA studies, one (1) to two (2) feet of freeboard are required, based on the specific watershed, as described in the Prince George's County, Maryland, Stormwater Management Design Manual (the "Manual"). ... Sec. 32-20...
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