Zoning Ordinance
Amendments since 2016:
2019-02 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Basketball Hoops
2019-03 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Residential Living Facilities, Transient
Rental Housing and Miscellaneous Uses
2020-01 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Electronic Signs
2021-01 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Renewable Energy Source
2022-02 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Fences
2023-01 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Fences
2023-02 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Transient Rental Housing, Airbnb, VRBO
2023-04 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Nuisance Ordinance
Zoning Ordinance
December 5, 2013
(with amendments through 2016)
The Mayor & Town Council
P.O. Box 2182
Mountain Lake Park, Maryland 21550
301-334-2250
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE 1. SHORT TITLE, SCOPE, PURPOSE, INTERPRETATION
AND REPEAL OF OTHER ORDINANCES
PAGE
100 Short Title ................................................................................... 1
101 Scope .......................................................................................... 1
102 Purpose ....................................................................................... 1-2
103 Interpretation .............................................................................. 2
104 Repeal of Other Ordinances ....................................................... 2
ARTICLE 2. DEFINITIONS
200 General ....................................................................................... 3
201 Accessory Use or Building ......................................................... 3
202 Abandoned Vehicle ..................................................................... 4
203 Adult Use .................................................................................... 4
204 Agriculture ................................................................................... 5
205 Alley ........................................................................................... 5
206 Alterations .................................................................................. 5
207 Area ............................................................................................ 5
208 Automotive Service Station ........................................................ 5
209 Bed and Breakfast Home ............................................................ 5
210 Building ...................................................................................... 6
211 Building Coverage ...................................................................... 6
212 Building Height .......................................................................... 6
213 Building Setback Lines .............................................................. 6
214 Debris ......................................................................................... 6
215 Discarded Materials ................................................................... 6
216 Dwelling ..................................................................................... 7-8
217 Family ......................................................................................... 8
218 Group Home ............................................................................... 8
219 Home Professional, Home Occupation ...................................... 8
220 Hotel, Motel or Motor Hotel ...................................................... 8
221 Household Pets ........................................................................... 9
222 Junk ............................................................................................ 9
223 Junk Vehicle ................................................................................ 9
224 Junkyard ..................................................................................... 9
225 Lot .............................................................................................. 9
226 Lot Line ...................................................................................... 10
227 Mobile Home ............................................................................. 10
228 Nonconforming Status ............................................................... 10
229 Nonconforming Structure or Lot ............................................... 11
230 Nonconforming Use ................................................................... 11
231 Poultry ........................................................................................ 11
232 Rooming, Boarding or Lodging House ...................................... 11
PAGE
232A Senior Center .............................................................................. 11
232B Senior Multi-Family Housing .................................................... 11
233 Sewer .......................................................................................... 11-12
234 Sign ............................................................................................. 12
235 Special Exception Use ................................................................ 12
236 Street ........................................................................................... 12
237 Street Line ................................................................................... 13
238 Structure ..................................................................................... 13
239 Travel Trailer .............................................................................. 13
240 Travel Trailer Park ...................................................................... 13
241 Use .............................................................................................. 13
242 Variance ...................................................................................... 13
243 Veterinary Office or Animal Hospital ......................................... 14
244 Water ........................................................................................... 14
245 Yard ............................................................................................. 14
ARTICLE 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICTS, ZONING MAP AND
BOUNDARY INTERPRETATION, ZONING FOR ANNEXED
AREAS
300 Establishment of Districts .......................................................... 15
301 Zoning Map ............................................................................... 15
302 Interpretation of District Boundaries ......................................... 15-16
303 Newly Annexed Areas ............................................................... 16
ARTICLE 4. USE REGULATIONS
400 Applicability of Regulations ....................................................... 17
401 Uses by Right, Uses not Permitted, and Uses by Special
Exception ............................................................................ 17
402 Uses Subject to Other Regulations ............................................ 17-18
403 Pre-existing Special Exception Uses ......................................... 18
404 Temporary Accessory Uses ...................................................... 18
405 Table of Use Regulations .......................................................... 19-27
407 Satellite TV Dishes, TRO Dishes or Stations, Earth Stations and
the Like .............................................................................. 28
408 Vending Machines .................................................................... 28
ARTICLE 5. GENERAL REGULATIONS
LOT AREA AND LOT WIDTH REGULATIONS
500 Dimensional Requirements ........................................................... 29
501 Table of Dimensional Requirements for Principal Uses ............... 29-30
502 Lot Area or Yard Required ........................................................... 30
503 Exceptions to Minimum Lot Sizes and Lot Widths ...................... 30
504 Front Yard Reduction .................................................................... 30
505 Traffic Visibility Across Corners (clear sight triangle) ................. 31
YARD AND HEIGHT REGULATIONS
506 Permitted Projections into Required Yards ................................... 31
507 Accessory Buildings in Side and Rear Yards ................................ 32
508 Front and Side Yards of Corner Lots ............................................. 32
509 Height Exceptions of Maximum Regulations ................................. 32
PAGE
510 Environmental Protection--Flood Plains ......................................... 32-36
511 Screening of Outdoor Storage Areas .............................................. 36-37
512 Setbacks for Satellite Dishes, Antennae, Etc. .................................. 37
513 Steep Slopes (Over Thirty Percent) ................................................. 37-38
514 Stream Buffers ................................................................................. 38-39
515 Flood-Prone Areas ............................................................................ 39
516 Notification of Endangered and Threatened Species and Wetlands .... 39
ARTICLE 6. OFF-STREET PARKING AND LOADING
600 Required Off-Street Parking Space ................................................ 40-42
601 General Regulations Applying to Required Off-Street Parking
Facilities .................................................................................. 43
602 Design Standards ........................................................................... 43-44
603 Off-Street Loading ........................................................................ 44-45
ARTICLE 7. SIGNS
700 Intent and Exemptions from the Terms of this Article ................... 46
701 Word Interpretation ....................................................................... 46
702 Area of Sign .................................................................................. 46-47
703 Permit Requirements for Signs ..................................................... 47
704 Signs Permitted in "Residential" Districts ..................................... 47-49
705 Signs Permitted in the "Commercial" Districts .............................. 49
706 General Sign Regulations .............................................................. 50-51
ARTICLES 8. NONCONFORMITIES
800 Continuation ................................................................................. 52
801 Nonconforming Buildings and Structures .................................... 52
802 Nonconforming Special Exception Uses ...................................... 52
803 Nonconforming Use Permits ........................................................ 52
804 Application .................................................................................... 53
805 Alteration, Expansion or Extension ............................................... 53
806 Restoration .................................................................................... 54
807 Abandonment ................................................................................ 55
808 Changes ........................................................................................ 55
ARTICLE 9. ADMINISTRATION
900 Zoning Administrator-Duties and Powers .................................... 56-58
901 Zoning Permits ............................................................................. 58
902 Application Requirements for Zoning Permits ............................. 58
903 Fees .............................................................................................. 59
904 Life of a Permit ............................................................................. 59
PAGE
ARTICLE 10. BOARD OF APPEALS
1000 Establishment of Board ............................................................... 60
1001 Membership, Terms of Office ..................................................... 60
1002 Procedures, Meetings, Records and Decisions ............................ 60
1003 Who May Appeal to the Board ................................................... 60
1004 Powers and Duties-Interpretation ................................................ 61
1005 Powers and Duties-Variances ..................................................... 61-62
1006 Powers and Duties-Changing of One Nonconforming Use
to Another Nonconforming Use ............................................ 62-63
1007 Powers and Duties-Special Exceptions ....................................... 64-65
1008 Rules for Filing Appeals and Applications ................................. 65
1009 Notice of Hearings ..................................................................... 65-66
1010 Review by the Planning Commission on Applications for Special
Exceptions, Variances and Interpretations ............................. 66
1011 Decisions by the Board-General Considerations ........................ 66-67
1012 Enforcement ............................................................................... 67
1013 Time Limitations on Board Approvals ........................................ 68
1014 Time Limits on Re-Submitting Appeals ...................................... 68
1015 Appeal to Court .......................................................................... 68
1016 Abandonment of Special Exceptions .......................................... 68
1017 Failure to Keep or Maintain Conditions Precedent ..................... 68-69
ARTICLE 11. AMENDMENTS, REMEDIES AND PENALTIES, AND
SEPARABILITIES
1100 Power of Amendment ................................................................. 70
1101 Who May Initiate ....................................................................... 70-71
1102 Fees ........................................................................................... 71
1103 Public Hearing and Notice ......................................................... 71-72
1104 General Criteria ......................................................................... 72
1105 Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance-Regulations .................. 72-73
1106 Amendments to the Zoning Map ............................................... 73-74
1107 Action by the Town Council ...................................................... 75
1108 Procedures to Maintain Commercial (C) District Zoning Once
Granted............................................................................... 75-76
1109 Enforcement and Remedies ....................................................... 76
1110 Separability ............................................................................... 76
Supplemental Information
Zoning Map