Subtitle 2 – District Descriptions
Current through 2026-07-17. Source: City of Balt., Md., Ord. 26-129. Published by the Baltimore City Department of Legislative Reference.
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-201 (2026)
§ 10-201 C-1 Neighborhood Business District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-1 Neighborhood Business Zoning District is intended for areas of commercial clusters or pedestrian-oriented corridors of commercial uses that serve the immediate neighborhood.
(b)Standards.
The C-1 District standards are crafted to:
(1)
ensure compatibility between neighboring residential and commercial uses;
(2)
maintain the proper scale of commercial use; and
(3)
address the unique issues related to smaller commercial sites.
History: Ord. 16-581
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-202 (2026)
§ 10-202 C-1-E Neighborhood Business and Entertainment District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-1-E Neighborhood Business and Entertainment Zoning District is intended for areas of commercial clusters or pedestrian-oriented corridors of commercial uses that serve the immediate neighborhood and allow for clustering of entertainment uses.
(b)Standards.
The C-1-E District standards are crafted to:
(1)
ensure compatibility among neighboring residential, commercial, and entertainment uses;
(2)
maintain the proper scale of commercial use; and
(3)
address the unique issues related to smaller commercial sites.
History: Ord. 16-581
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-203 (2026)
§ 10-203 C-1-VC Neighborhood Business District (Village Center).LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-1-VC Neighborhood Business Zoning District (Village Center) is intended for areas of commercial clusters or pedestrian-oriented corridors of commercial uses that serve the immediate neighborhood in a low scale and with a mix of attached and detached structures.
(b)Standards.
The C-1-VC District standards are crafted to:
(1)
ensure compatibility between neighboring residential and commercial uses;
(2)
maintain the proper scale of commercial use; and
(3)
address the unique issues related to small commercial sites.
History: Ord. 16-581
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-204 (2026)
§ 10-204 C-2 Community Commercial District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-2 Community Commercial Zoning District is intended for areas of small to medium-scale commercial use, typically located along urban corridors, that are designed to accommodate pedestrians and, in some instances, automobiles.
(b)Standards.
The C-2 District standards are crafted to:
(1)
ensure compatibility among neighboring residential, commercial, and entertainment uses;
(2)
maintain the proper scale of commercial use; and
(3)
maintain a balance between high traffic volume and pedestrian circulation.
History: Ord. 16-581
History: Ord. 17-015
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-205 (2026)
§ 10-205 C-3 General Commercial District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
(1)
The C-3 General Commercial Zoning District is intended for more intensive commercial uses and key commercial nodes that require additional controls, particularly for shopping centers and larger retail establishments.
(2)
The C-3 District accommodates larger developments that may require significant parking, such as shopping centers and large-scale mixed-use development.
(b)Standards.
The C-3 District standards are crafted to:
(1)
ensure compatibility among neighboring residential, commercial, and entertainment uses;
(2)
ensure high quality pedestrian connections between public sidewalks and business entrances; and
(3)
create store fronts that are oriented towards streets and other public ways.
History: Ord. 16-581
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-206 (2026)
§ 10-206 C-4 Heavy Commercial District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-4 Heavy Commercial Zoning District is intended for areas of more intense commercial use that are generally not appropriate for lower intensity commercial districts, including uses related to motor vehicles and those that might require outdoor storage.
(b)Standards.
Because of the impacts from more intensive commercial uses, the standards for this district ensure that setbacks, buffering, and site development controls are in place to mitigate negative impacts on neighboring uses.
History: Ord. 16-581
Balt., Md., Code art. 32, § 10-207 (2026)
§ 10-207 C-5 Downtown District.LinkCopy Citation
(a)Areas for which intended.
The C-5 Downtown Zoning District is intended for Baltimore’s Downtown and accommodates a wide range of uses normally associated with the downtown of a major city.
(b)Standards.
The C-5 District standards are crafted to:
(1)
maintain or improve the pedestrian environment;
(2)
ensure that new construction is compatible with existing development; and
(3)
develop a greener downtown.
(c)Subdistricts.
(1)In general.
In order to address the different character areas that make up Downtown, the C-5 District is divided into the following subdistricts, for which varied bulk and yard regulations are provided to recognize the different physical characteristics of Downtown.
(2)C-5-DC Downtown Core Subdistrict.
(i)
The purpose of the C-5-DC Downtown Core Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures located within the majority of Downtown.
(ii)
The standards recognize that this subdistrict is to be the most intensely developed portion of Downtown and is to be predominately pedestrian-oriented in nature.
(3)C-5-IH Inner Harbor Subdistrict.
(i)
The purpose of the C-5-IH Inner Harbor Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures located adjacent to and facing the Inner Harbor.
(ii)
The standards recognize that development within this subdistrict is to be oriented to the Inner Harbor waterfront and be predominantly pedestrian-oriented and mixed-use.
(4)C-5-DE Downtown East Subdistrict.
(i)
The purpose of the C-5-DE Downtown East Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures within a high intensity waterfront-oriented area.
(ii)
The standards recognize that this area is to contain intense levels of development to create a high density, walkable, mixed-use environment where careful placement of structures affords visual access to the waterfront as well as pedestrian access within.
(iii)
Because this subdistrict is adjacent to lower density neighborhoods of historic and traditional character, the intensity and height of development on the periphery of the subdistrict are intended to provide a transition between the core of this subdistrict and the adjacent neighborhoods.
(5)C-5-HT Downtown Historic and Traditional Subdistrict.
(i)
The purpose of the C-5-HT Downtown Historic and Traditional Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures in an area of Downtown containing substantial historic and traditional architecture that has evolved since the founding of the City.
(ii)
Given the character of that development, this district is designed to require relatively low heights and the use of materials that reflect the existing development context.
(6)C-5-TO Downtown Traditional Office Subdistrict.
The purpose of the C-5-TO Downtown Traditional Office Subdistrict is:
(i)
to establish these standards for structures in an area that primarily consists of early 20<sup>th</sup> Century office development; and
(ii)
to seek to maintain a distinctive and desirable environment.
(7)C-5-HS Howard Street Mixed-Use Subdistrict.
The purpose of the C-5-HS Howard Street Mixed-Use Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures to facilitate a transition between the intensive development of the Downtown core and the more modest-scale development found in adjacent, primarily residential environments.
(8)C-5-G Government Center Subdistrict.
(i)
The purpose of the C-5-G Government Center Subdistrict is to establish these standards for structures that reflect the scale of major governmental buildings located within the district.
(ii)
The intent is to ensure that future development reflects the existing scale of development and maintains critical views of these public buildings from the adjacent areas.
History: Ord. 16-581
History: Ord. 17-015
History: Ord. 24-319