Terms Used In Maryland Code, LOCAL GOVERNMENT 4-416

  • County: means a county of the State or Baltimore City. See
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
(a) (1) Notwithstanding § 4-104(f) of this title, if an area is annexed to a municipality that has planning and zoning authority at the time of annexation, the municipality shall have exclusive jurisdiction over planning, subdivision control, and zoning in the area annexed.

(2) Paragraph (1) of this subsection does not grant any planning or zoning power or subdivision control to a municipality that is not authorized to exercise planning or zoning power or subdivision control at the time of annexation.

(b) Without the express approval of the county commissioners or county council of the county in which the municipality is located, for 5 years after an annexation by a municipality, the municipality may not allow development of the annexed land for land uses substantially different than the authorized use, or at a substantially higher density, not exceeding 50%, than could be granted for the proposed development, in accordance with the zoning classification of the county applicable at the time of the annexation.

(c) Notwithstanding § 4-204 of the Land Use Article and if the county expressly approves, the municipality may place the annexed land in a zoning classification that allows a land use or density different from the land use or density specified in the zoning classification of the county or agency with planning and zoning jurisdiction over the land prior to its annexation applicable at the time of the annexation.