Zoning Ordinance Portal

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A NEW 21ST CENTURY ZONING ORDINANCE

In 2014 the County Council began the process of updating its 50-year-old County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations. This Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) process involved the Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), its consultants Clarion Associates, the County Executive and County Council and included over 400 outreach and stakeholder meetings, public hearings and work-sessions of the Planning Board and County Council. 

The new and modern Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations provides important tools to facilitate the implementation of the Prince George’s 2035 General Plan (“Plan 2035”) and other County policy goals and seeks to streamline procedures, reduce obstacles to achieving the economic development goals of the County, enhance utility and user-friendliness, encourage appropriate public input into the development review process, consolidate and simplify zones and uses, and incentivize development at targeted growth locations.

The County Council looks forward to, working with M-NCPPC, community and industry stakeholders, the implementation of the County’s 21st Century Zoning Ordinance over the next several years, and to the many critical economic development opportunities it will present for our communities and residents.

LATEST NEWS

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY’S NEW ZONING ORDINANCE AND SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS TAKE EFFECT APRIL 1, 2022

The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite process culminated on November 29, 2021, when the Prince George’s County Council unanimously adopted CR-136-2021 approving the Countywide Sectional Map Amendment (“CMA”).  Under CR-136-2021, the County’s new Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, and Landscape Manual become effective on April 1, 2022.

QUICK LINKS

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

2021

In 2021 the County Council, working with M-NCPPC, reviewed and adopted a package of technical legislation for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite identified by Planning and Council staff to address inconsistencies and formatting corrections arising from the 2018 package of adopted legislation.  These included CB-84-2021, CB-88-2021, CB-90-2021, CB-98-2021, CB-103-2021 and CB-104-2021.

This bill adopted technical revisions to the Landscape Manual.

This bill adopted technical revisions to the Subdivision Regulations of Prince George’s County, Subtitle 24 of the Prince George’s County Code.

These bills revise the revisions and creates two Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Zones Revisions & Creation in the Town of Mt. Rainer and the City of Greenbelt.

This bill with technical revisions to the new Zoning Ordinance of Prince George’s County under Subtitle 27 of the County Code.

2019 – 2021

On July 23, 2019, the Prince George’s County Council authorized M-NCPPC (through Council Resolution CR-27-2019) to prepare the CMA to implement the zones contained in a new Zoning Ordinance for the County adopted by the Council through Council Bill CB-13-2018 on October 23, 2018. The new Zoning Ordinance could not be used until the new zones are applied to each property throughout the County.

2018 

In 2018 the County Council utilized a robust legislative process to review the package of Zoning Ordinance Rewrite legislation and after holding multiple public hearings and committee work-sessions enacted CB-013-2018, CB-014-2018, CB-015-2018 and CB-065-2018 on October 23, 2018.  

This bill approved text of a new Zoning Ordinance of Prince George’s County under Subtitle 27 of the County Code.

This bill established specified procedures for preparation, publication, consideration, and approval of a comprehensive amendment of the County Zoning Map, for the non-substantive zoning reclassification of land located within all Planning Areas of the Maryland-Washington Regional District within Prince George’s County, Maryland, in accordance with those zoning classifications set forth within a replacement Zoning Ordinance approved by the County Council of Prince George’s County, Maryland.

This bill replaced the Subdivision Regulations of Prince George’s County, Subtitle 24 of the Prince George’s County Code.

This bill revised the County’s outdated Landscape Manual and incorporates modern and sustainable landscaping practices with a variety of approaches to ensure context-sensitive landscaping of urban, suburban, and rural areas; replaces two obsolete Sections with new Sections focused on building frontage landscaping standards and requirements for nonresidential and mixed-use development; and updates planting schedules to reflect current industry standards regarding appropriate native species.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

To learn more about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Project and the Countywide Sectional Map Amendment process, visit M-NCPPC page at zoningpgc.plannning.com for interactive information and resources.