Project Purpose

Creating a 21st Century Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations for Prince George’s County is a two-phase process. First the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, or the text of the law, must be updated. Then a comprehensive update to the County’s Zoning Map, or Countywide Map Amendment, must take place to geographically apply the new laws to real land in Prince George’s.

Phase 1: ZONING ORDINANCE REWRITE
On October 23, 2018, the Prince George’s County Council adopted a new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, completing a four-year journey to update the County’s land use regulations. The Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations determine where a how land can be developed, helping shape how communities grow.

The new 21st century zoning code is aligned with Plan Prince George’s 2035 (Plan 2035), the shared vision for the future of our County. Updating the County’s development codes was necessary to create regulations that support the County’s vision for smart growth, economic development, and improved quality of life.

Phase 2: COUNTYWIDE MAP AMENDMENT
The second step towards creating a 21st Century Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations for Prince George’s County is implementing a Countywide Map Amendment. The Countywide Map Amendment is the process of visually applying the zoning categories in the New Zoning Ordinance onto geographic lands in the County. The Prince George’s County Council formerly initiated this process on July 23, 2019. The Countywide Map Amendment is the last integral component for Prince George’s County to begin using its new Zoning Ordinance.

The Countywide Map Amendment is a technical, non-substantive mapping exercise that will replace the current zone on each property in the County with a similar new zone and ensure zoning conversions are objective, transparent, fair, and consistent. The Countywide Map Amendment is NOT an opportunity to make drastic changes; NOT a “free for all”; NOT a substitute for comprehensive planning and zoning; NOT an amendment to Plan 2035.

The Countywide Map Amendment process is expected to take 18-months to complete and will include many options for Prince George’s County residents, homeowners, business owners, and property owners to speak with Planning Department Staff to learn about the proposed changes.