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<section article="glu" article_name="Land Use" number="1-508" title_number="1" title_name="Definitions; General Provisions" subtitle_number="5" subtitle_name="Growth Tiers">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The growth tiers adopted by a local jurisdiction shall meet the following criteria:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Tier I areas are areas that are:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>served by public sewerage systems and mapped locally designated growth areas; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>a municipal corporation that is a priority funding area that is served by public sewerage systems;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Tier II areas are areas that are:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <level label="1">
          <text>planned to be served by public sewerage systems and in the municipal growth element; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>mapped locally designated growth areas; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>needed to satisfy demand for development at densities consistent with the long–term development policy after consideration of the capacity of land areas available for development, including in–fill and redevelopment, within the local jurisdiction;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Tier III areas are areas that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>are not planned for sewerage service and not dominated by agricultural or forest land;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>are not planned or zoned by a local jurisdiction for land, agricultural, or resource protection, preservation, or conservation; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>are one of the following:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>municipal corporations not served by a public sewerage system;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>rural villages as described in § 5–7B–03(f) of the State Finance and Procurement Article;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>mapped locally designated growth areas; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>areas planned and zoned for large lot and rural development; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Tier IV areas are areas that are not planned for sewerage service and are:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>areas planned or zoned by a local jurisdiction for land, agricultural, or resource protection, preservation, or conservation;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>areas dominated by agricultural lands, forest lands, or other natural areas; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>rural legacy areas, priority preservation areas, or areas subject to covenants, restrictions, conditions, or conservation easements for the benefit of, or held by a State agency, as defined in § 9–206 of the Environment Article, or a local jurisdiction for the purpose of conserving natural resources or agricultural land.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>A local jurisdiction shall strive to avoid creating a Tier III area that is bounded on all sides by land in a Tier IV area.</text>
  </level>
</section>
