Overview
The Department of Planning and Zoning's Zoning and Public Service Division is responsible for Zoning Code Enforcement, Zoning Administration, and the County's Zoning Regulations.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Pursuant to Howard County Code Section 16.211, incumbent Councilmembers shall not take final action on any Zoning Regulation Amendment or Zoning Map Amendment after the date of the primary election, until the newly elected County Council members have qualified and taken office. The primary election date this year is June 23, 2026.
- Zoning Map Amendments - To provide sufficient time for any written decisions to be drafted and signed by the Zoning Board, the Zoning Board plans to conclude decision-making on Zoning Map Amendment cases toward the end of April.
- Zoning Regulation Amendments - The last complete legislative session before the primary election begins May 4, 2026. Proposed zoning regulation amendments would need to be pre-filed no later than April 23, 2026, to be including in the May legislative session.
Any cases that are not concluded within these deadlines could be deferred until the next County Council takes office in December and begins to schedule Zoning Board meetings in 2027.