Land within 1,000 feet of tidal water along Harford County's shore lies in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. Maryland's Critical Area law imposes a minimum buffer landward from the shoreline, limits lot coverage, and restricts development near Havre de Grace, Aberdeen, and Edgewood.
Md. Code, Natural Resources §8-1801 et seq. governs the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, the strip of land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters, tributary streams, and tidal wetlands. Harford County's shoreline, from Havre de Grace at the mouth of the Susquehanna to the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers past Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood, and Joppatowne, falls under this program. The law requires a minimum buffer landward from the mean high water line, typically at least 100 feet, where clearing and building are sharply restricted. It limits impervious lot coverage, requires forest retention, and steers new construction away from the shore. Development in the Critical Area needs county approval consistent with the state-approved Critical Area program.
Clearing the buffer or building in the Critical Area without approval violates the Critical Area law. The county and the Critical Area Commission can order restoration, replanting, removal, and penalties for each violation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Harford County, MD
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Harford County, MD
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Harford County, MD
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See how Harford County's coastal development rules stack up against other locations.
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