The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program, codified at Natural Resources Article 8-1801 et seq., restricts development within 1,000 feet of tidal waters and tidal wetlands statewide.
Maryland Natural Resources 8-1801 through 8-1817 designates land within 1,000 feet of the mean high water line of tidal waters and tidal wetlands as the Critical Area, divided into Intensely Developed, Limited Development, and Resource Conservation Areas. The 100-foot Critical Area Buffer prohibits most new structures and disturbance. Lot coverage caps, forest conservation, mitigation planting, and grandfathering rules apply. Local jurisdictions implement programs approved by the Critical Area Commission. Variances require demonstrating unwarranted hardship and minimum relief.
Critical Area violations carry civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, mandatory mitigation at 3:1 or higher ratios, and removal of unlawful structures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Takoma Park, MD
Takoma Park sets residential decibel limits at 65 dBA daytime and 55 dBA nighttime under Ordinance 2002-35. If ambient noise already exceeds these thresholds...
Takoma Park, MD
Takoma Park adopts Montgomery County construction noise standards (MoCo Code 31B-6) by reference. Weekday construction is allowed 7 AM to 5 PM at up to 75 dB...
Takoma Park, MD
Outdoor music in Takoma Park must comply with 65 dBA daytime and 55 dBA nighttime limits. Events with amplified outdoor music require a temporary waiver requ...
Takoma Park, MD
Under Chapter 14.12 Section 9, no person may allow a dog or other animal to persistently, habitually, or continuously bark, howl, or yelp causing a noise dis...
Takoma Park, MD
Industrial and commercial noise in Takoma Park must meet the same residential decibel limits as all other sources: 65 dBA daytime and 55 dBA nighttime at the...
Takoma Park, MD
Takoma Park has among the strictest leaf blower rules in the DC metro. The city noise ordinance (Ch. 14.12, Sec. 8) caps all leaf blowers at 70 dBA at 50 fee...
See how Takoma Park's coastal development rules stack up against other locations.
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