DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & ZONING
![[photo, County Services Plaza, 150 Main St., Prince Frederick, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/cal/images/1198-1-06119b.jpg)
The Department of Planning and Zoning was renamed the Department of Community Planning and Building in July 2012. It resumed its original name in July 2017.
Matters relating to planning and zoning are governed by both State and County laws. The Maryland Forest Conservation Act, for example, requires all county governments to adopt local forest conservation programs (Chapter 255, Acts of 1991; Code Natural Resources Article, secs. 5-1601 through 5-1613).
Department of Planning & Zoning, County Services Plaza, 150 Main St., Prince Frederick, Maryland, November 2012. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Under the Department formerly were six units: Agriculture, and Enforcement and Zoning; Inspections and Permits; Long-Range Planning; Site Planning; Subdivision Planning; and Transportation Planning. These were consolidated into three main units in July 2017: Inspections and Permits; Planning and Development Review; and Zoning, Permitting, and Citizen Relations. The Department also is aided by the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board, the Agricultural Reconciliation Committee, the Environmental Commission, the Planning Commission, and the Soil Conservation District Board of Supervisors.
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AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD
The Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board advises the Board of County Commissioners on the establishment of agricultural districts and the approval of purchases of easements within the County by the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.
The Advisory Board is composed of five members who are appointed to five-year terms by the Board of County Commissioners (Code Agriculture Article, sec. 2-504.1; County Code, sec. 12-101).
AGRICULTURAL RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE
The Committee consists of five members who are appointed to three-year terms by the Board of County Commissioners.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION
Commission members are appointed to three-year terms by the Board of County Commissioners.
PLANNING COMMISSION
SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
A soil conservation district constitutes a political subdivision of the State, and a public body corporate and politic, excercising public powers. The District's Board of Supervisors conducts surveys, investigations, and research relating to the character of soil erosion. Within the District, the Board carries out preventive and control measures, including engineering operations, cultivation methods, the growing of vegetation, changes in land use, and other measures.
The Soil Conservation District Board of Supervisors consists six members who serve five-year terms. Five members are appointed by the State Soil Conservation Committee, and one is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (Code Agriculture Article, secs. 8-301 through 8-312).
Authorized in 1996, the Agricultural Reconciliation Committee arbitrates and mediates disputes involving agricultural operations conducted on agricultural lands. The Committee issues opinions on whether such operations conform with generally accepted agricultural management practices.
Authorized in 1975, the Environmental Commission advises the Board of County Commissioners, the Department of Planning and Zoning, and the Planning Commission on environmental matters (Resolution no. 11-75 ). Public education initiatives include recycling programs, alternative energy use, and energy conservation (Resolution no. 11-75; Resolution no. 16-18).
The Commission consists of seven members appointed to five-year terms by the Board of County Commissioners (Code Land Use Article, secs. 2-101 through 3-304).
The Calvert County Soil Conservation District was established in June 1948.
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