Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
The Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) provides a growth management process that will enable the County to provide adequate public roads, schools, and other facilities in a timely manner and achieve general plan growth objectives. This process is designed to direct growth to areas where adequate infrastructure exists or will exist.
Detailed Allocations: For all projects by allocation area.
Housing Unit Allocation Chart: Includes all available allocations for the current 2025 allocation year and future years as well as the total number of tentative allocations granted and requested. The chart is updated weekly reflecting all new plan submissions and approvals. (Note that available allocations for future years are subject to change based on the rolling average provision.)
APFO Allocation Areas Map: This shows the geographic allocation areas delineated in the allocation chart.
Housing Unit Allocations Waiting Bin: This shows all development projects currently in the waiting bin for housing unit allocations.
School Capacity Chart: Shows the capacity utilization status of all elementary, middle, and high school districts and elementary school regions in Howard County, with open or closed status for new residential development indicated on the chart.
School Bin: Shows all development projects currently in the closed bin.
School Districts Maps: Latest school district attendance areas.
The Department of Planning and Zoning, Development Engineering Division (DED) is tasked with evaluating whether developments impact existing road intersections by increasing traffic flow to unacceptable levels as prescribed in the current Howard County Code and Howard County Design Manual, Volume III. DED and the Department of Public Works (DPW) evaluate whether mitigation is required through the construction of road improvements, intersection modifications, or whether a fee-in-lieu is to be paid into a Capital Project to correct the deficient intersection.
For information on the APFO Roads test please contact Chad Edmondson, Chief of Development Engineering, at 410-313-2406.
A 2016 committee was convened to review and make recommendations on the County’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. That report is available here. Appendices to the report are available here.
The latest committee began in 2024 and is expected to develop legislative recommendations in August 2025. The evaluation of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) includes a review of the current code requirements and recommendations to support the vision and policies presented in HoCo By Design. Please click here to follow the new APFO Committee.