# Land Use (GLU)

## Title 20. Maryland-Washington Regional District

### Subtitle 3. Review of Public Projects

#### Section 20-301

Subject to Sec.Sec. 20-303 and 20-304 of this subtitle, a public board, public body, or public official may not conduct any of the following activities in the regional district unless the proposed location, character, grade, and extent of the activity is referred to and approved by the Commission:

(1) acquiring or selling land;

(2) locating, constructing, or authorizing:

  (i) a road;

  (ii) a park;

  (iii) any other public way or ground;

  (iv) a public building or structure, including a federal building or structure; or

  (v) a publicly owned or privately owned public utility; or

(3) changing the use of or widening, narrowing, extending, relocating, vacating, or abandoning any facility listed in item (2) of this section.

#### Section 20-302

(a) The Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over mandatory referrals made under this part from the United States or the State, or any unit of the United States or the State.

(b) A county planning board has exclusive jurisdiction over a mandatory referral under this part by the county planning board's respective county government or any unit of the county government.

(c) The Montgomery County Planning Board has exclusive jurisdiction over a mandatory referral under this part by the county board of education, a municipal corporation or special taxing district, or a publicly owned or privately owned public utility.

#### Section 20-303

(a) If the Commission disapproves a referral submitted under Sec. 20-301 of this subtitle, the Commission shall communicate the reasons for the disapproval to the entity that proposed the activity.

(b) Notwithstanding Sec. 20-301 of this subtitle, the entity that proposed the activity may overrule the disapproval of the Commission and proceed with the activity as proposed.

#### Section 20-304

(a) In this section, "complete submission" means an explanatory narrative accompanied by engineering or architectural drawings that depict the proposed location, character, grade, and extent of the activity subject to a mandatory referral.

(b) Unless a longer period is granted by the submitting entity, an official referral to the Commission under this part is deemed approved if the Commission fails to act within 60 days after the date of a complete submission accepted by the Commission to adequately review the proposed location, character, grade, and extent of the activity.

(c)

  (1) Within 3 business days after receiving a submission or an amendment to a submission, the Commission shall notify the submitting entity that the submission is:

    (i) complete and accepted by the Commission; or

    (ii) rejected as incomplete by the Commission.

  (2) At the same time that the Commission provides notice that a submission has been rejected as incomplete under paragraph (1)(ii) of this subsection, the Commission shall provide to the submitting entity an itemized list of the information required for the submission to be considered complete.

(d) If a submitting entity submits an amendment to a submission that was rejected as incomplete, the Commission:

  (1) shall act on the amended submission within 60 days after receipt of the amendment; and

  (2) within 3 business days after receipt of the amendment, shall notify the submitting entity of the completeness of the submission in accordance with subsection (c) of this section.

(e)

  (1) If a submission is rejected as incomplete after the submitting entity has submitted amendments at least three times, the entity may notify the Commission that it is unable to provide additional information on the submission through reasonable means.

  (2) On receipt of the notice from a submitting entity provided in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Commission shall:

    (i) accept the submission as complete; and

    (ii) act on the submission within 60 days.

#### Section 20-305

(a) After appropriate public hearings, the Commission shall adopt uniform standards of review to be followed in reviewing changes to property subject to review.

(b)

  (1) The Commission shall publish a notice of the adoption of the standards of review in a newspaper of general circulation that is published in each county.

  (2) The notice shall:

    (i) include a summary of the purpose of the standards and the review process; and

    (ii) identify a location and a phone number to contact for a complete copy of the standards of review.

#### Section 20-308

On the request of the board of trustees of Montgomery Community College, and in accordance with Sec. 16-413 of the Education Article, the Commission may make recommendations to the board concerning real property sites appropriate for acquisition by the board that conform as far as practicable to development plans for land use in Montgomery County.  

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Md. Code Ann., Land Use (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)