Howard County, MD Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Section 3.402(a) states that a person may not clear or grade land in Howard County without a grading permit from the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits, and adds that before any grading permit is issued, the County shall review and approve a final erosion and sediment control plan for the site. That plan has to go to the Howard Soil Conservation District for review under Section 3.403, and must meet the standards in the 2011 Maryland Standards and Specifications for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control and COMAR 26.17.01.

Section 3.402(b) exempts five categories from the grading permit requirement: agricultural land management and agricultural best management practices; construction of a single-family residence or its accessory buildings that disturbs less than 0.5 acres on a lot of two acres or more; clearing or grading that disturbs less than 5,000 square feet and less than 100 cubic yards of earth; laying gas, electrical, telephone, or cable lines that disturbs less than 100 linear feet; and grading activity that falls exclusively under State approval and enforcement. Beyond the plan approval, Section 3.404 requires the applicant to certify the work will follow the approved plan, submit an approved stormwater management plan where required under Section 18.902, post the surety required by Section 3.405 to cover soil stabilization and control removal costs, and pay the grading permit fee before the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits will issue the permit. The permit itself expires two years after issuance unless the Department extends or renews it.