Title 12 — Subtitle 2
Statutes in effect as of October 1, 2026.
(a)
(1)
Subject to the provisions of this subsection, the approval, conditional approval, or denial of a housing development project application by a local regulatory authority or the Commission shall be governed only by the duly adopted laws and regulations in effect at the time of submission of a complete application.
(2)
(i)
Within 30 days after receipt of a housing development project application, a local regulatory authority or the Commission shall make a determination as to whether the application is a complete application.
(ii)
After making a determination under this paragraph, the local regulatory authority or the Commission shall:
(1)
promptly notify the applicant of the determination and the date of the determination; and
(2)
if the local regulatory authority or the Commission has determined that the application is not a complete application, provide the applicant with a list of deficiencies and a reasonable time frame for curing the deficiencies.
(3)
If a local regulatory authority or the Commission fails to notify an applicant of its determination regarding the completeness of a housing development application within 35 days after receipt of the application, the application is deemed to be a complete application for purposes of this section.
(4)
(i)
When a local regulatory authority or the Commission requires approval of multiple housing development project applications for the completion of a housing development project, the date of a complete application submission under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be the date of the first complete application submission for any process that may culminate in the completion of a housing development project.
(ii)
A zoning text amendment, application for rezoning, or other local equivalent may not be considered as a process that may culminate in the completion of a housing development project.
(b)
After a housing development project has received all required approvals, the proponent of the project shall have a vested right to that authorized use and development for the longer of:
(1)
5 years; or
(2)
a period determined by the local regulatory authority or the Commission.
(c)
For purposes of this section, each phase of a housing development project subject to a phased development plan shall be considered a discrete housing development project.
(d)
This section may not be construed to:
(1)
subject to the vesting period in subsection (b) of this section, prevent the expiration of an approval of a housing development project application in accordance with the laws or regulations governing a local regulatory authority or the Commission; or
(2)
limit the ability of a local regulatory authority or the Commission to:
(i)
require approvals or permits for each phase of a housing development project subject to a phased development plan in accordance with the laws and regulations in effect at the time of submission of a complete application for each respective phase;
(ii)
enforce health and safety laws or regulations that are necessary to address immediate threats to public safety;
(iii)
execute a development rights and responsibilities agreement under Title 7, Subtitle 3 of this article; or
(iv)
approve a zoning text amendment, application for rezoning, or other local equivalent to increase the density of a housing development project beyond the maximum allowable amount at the time of complete application submission under subsection (a) of this section.
(e)
The requirements of this section apply to a local regulatory authority and the Commission only to the extent that the requirements do not conflict with other State or federal laws or regulations.