Md. Code, Local Government § 5-212
This is the official text of Md. Code, Local Government § 5-212, part of Maryland’s Code, Local Government — governs the powers and operations of Maryland counties and municipalities.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§5–212.
Official statutory text
(a) It is the policy of the State that:
(1) the orderly development and use of land and structures requires comprehensive regulation through implementation of planning and zoning controls; and
(2) planning and zoning controls shall be implemented by local government.
(b) (1) To achieve the public purposes of the policy set forth under subsection (a) of this section, the General Assembly recognizes that local government action will displace or limit economic competition by owners and users of property.
(2) It is the policy of the State that competition and enterprise shall be displaced or limited for the attainment of the purposes of the State policy for implementing planning and zoning controls as set forth in this article and elsewhere in public general law and public local law.
(c) This section does not:
(1) grant to a municipality powers in any substantive area not otherwise granted to the municipality by other public general law or public local law;
(2) restrict a municipality from exercising any power otherwise granted to the municipality;
(3) authorize a municipality or its officers to engage in any activity that is otherwise beyond the power of the municipality or its officers; or
(4) preempt or supersede the regulatory authority of any State unit.
(1) the orderly development and use of land and structures requires comprehensive regulation through implementation of planning and zoning controls; and
(2) planning and zoning controls shall be implemented by local government.
(b) (1) To achieve the public purposes of the policy set forth under subsection (a) of this section, the General Assembly recognizes that local government action will displace or limit economic competition by owners and users of property.
(2) It is the policy of the State that competition and enterprise shall be displaced or limited for the attainment of the purposes of the State policy for implementing planning and zoning controls as set forth in this article and elsewhere in public general law and public local law.
(c) This section does not:
(1) grant to a municipality powers in any substantive area not otherwise granted to the municipality by other public general law or public local law;
(2) restrict a municipality from exercising any power otherwise granted to the municipality;
(3) authorize a municipality or its officers to engage in any activity that is otherwise beyond the power of the municipality or its officers; or
(4) preempt or supersede the regulatory authority of any State unit.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.