KENT COUNTY, MARYLAND
PLANNING AND ZONING

Land Use Ordinance

On December 3, 2002 the County Commissioners adopted a new Land Use Ordinance that required amendments by the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission. The amendments were adopted by the County Commissioners on August 19, 2003 and the new Land Use Ordinance became effective on October 3, 2003.

Copies of the Land Use Ordinance are available for purchase from the Department of Planning and Zoning for $30.00 for a printed copy or $15.00 for a digital copy. Copies of the text are also available for review at the Kent County Public Library in Chestertown and at all Town Offices.

Click here for New Land Use Ordinance

Background 

 On July 16, 1996, the County Commissioners of Kent County adopted a new Comprehensive Plan. Several major recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan required amendments to the Zoning Ordinance. In order to implement these recommendations the County Commissioners appointed a sixteen-member Land Use Ordinance Group whose role was to review and revise the Zoning Ordinance. The Work Group consisted of the Kent County Planning Commission and nine other residents who possessed a variety of expertise and represented diverse interests. At its first meeting, the Land Use Ordinance Work Group established the following goals for the Ordinance:

* Assure consistency with the goals and strategies of the Comprehensive Plan.

* Streamline regulations so as to diversify the County's economy thereby expanding the number and type of jobs.

* Avoid conflicting regulations. The Ordinance will incorporate those regulations currently found in the Floodplain, Sediment Control, Stormwater Management, Forest Conservation, and Subdivision Ordinances.

* Develop an ordinance that is easy to use and understand

* Balance the need to protect the integrity of the County with the need to preserve property rights

* Maintain flexibility in the use of property and the design of projects

* Look to the future and the big picture

The Land Use Ordinance applies to the unincorporated area of Kent County, Maryland and includes the Kent County Critical Area Program and other design and environmental standards. Other development ordinances, such as the Forest Conservation Ordinance and the Floodplain Ordinance, have been incorporated into the Land Use Ordinance to create a single document.

Kent County Department of Planning & Zoning
County Government Center
400 High Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
Tel: (410) 778-7475
Fax: (410) 810-2932
E-mail:gowings@kentgov.org

© Kent County, Maryland, U.S.A. Information is for personal use only. Any redistribution of this information is strictly prohibited without permission from Kent County, Maryland.

Kent County shall make all efforts to ensure that the Kent County Planning Commission Home Page and its links are accurate and up-to-date. However, Kent County shall not be liable for any errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or untimeliness of the information contained herein.

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