Calvert County, MD Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 104, the Calvert County road construction chapter, requires developers to install street trees for new commercial and residential projects in accordance with the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance applicable to that development, per § 104-27M(1). The trees go outside the paved road right-of-way, not within it, and species must come from the current Zoning Ordinance and the Rural Design Manual, chosen for texture, color, form, and compatibility with the roadway and nearby utilities.

The chapter's Table 3-1 sets the minimum clearance every planted tree must keep: 30 feet from an intersection, 25 feet from a traffic or directional sign, 25 feet from a light or utility pole, 10 feet from an entrance drive or alley, 15 feet from a drain or drain inlet structure, 15 feet from an open space or stormwater management access easement, and 15 feet from an underground utility. Section 104-27M(3) states trees must not obstruct or obscure any traffic control device, streetlighting, signage, or sight distance. Community Planning and Building reviews the planting plan against the Rural Design Manual before approval, and root spread has to be considered so mature trees do not heave sidewalks, curbs, ditch lines, or the road's underground infrastructure under § 104-27M(4).

This is a subdivision development standard, not a retrofit requirement for older, already-built streets: it applies to plans submitted for new development in Calvert County outside Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, both of which run their own road and planting rules. Because the standalone Calvert County Zoning Ordinance is referenced repeatedly for species selection and general landscaping detail under § 104-27N, that document controls the plant list itself while Chapter 104 controls placement and spacing.