To print this Guide and the Critical Area Form from Adobe Acrobat, click here.
To obtain a building permit application click here to access Insepctions and Permits website.

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING
CRITICAL AREA PAGE 

The Department of Planning and Zoning appreciates your patience while our critical area page has been under construction.  We are currently working on the Critical Area Guide and should have it on our website in the near future.   The following documents are to refer to when you are building or removing vegetation in the Critical Area:  Permits are usually required in the Critical Area.  If in doubt, call the office first before any work/clearing is started to avoid fines, (etc.).

1.     Native Plant List (updated February 2011)  click here. 

        New -     The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and Image
        Matters, LLC unveils the online Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Bay Region.  Click the following link to access
        the new searchable native plant center.  http://www.nativeplantcenter.net/

2     Critcal Area Replanting and Bonding Requirements.  click here.

3     All projects in the 100 foot Buffer /Expanded Buffer require a Buffer Managment
         Plan. Please click here for a Simplified Buffer Management Plan (SPMP) form used for removing a hazard tree.

4    All vegetation removal inthe Critical Area, including dead or damaged trees , requires Planning & Zoning approval.
       "A  Grading Exemption application with a sketch, to scale, should be submitted." - click here for the Grading Exemption
        application..

5    Critical Area Frequently Asked Questions - to view click here.

6.   Please Check Before You Cut and Clear Handout - to view click here.

7    Calvert County Critical Area Brochure - click  here.

8.    Living Shorelines in Calvert County (shore erosion control) brochure click  here.

9.    Bluff Management in Calvert County Brochure - click  here.

10.  A Critical Area Form is required for all building and grading permit applications.  Please complete the entire
       4 page form, sign and date.  Click here to access the Critical Area Application form.

For helpful information when submitting your applications for building or vegetation removal in the Critical Area, please follow this link to Maryland Department of Natural Resources Critical Area Commission webpage:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/criticalarea/

At this page you will find: 

Bay Smart – Citizens Guide to Maryland’s Critical Area Program

Click on the guide to access other guidance documents, including:

--Local Government Assistance Guide – Lot Coverage

--Living Shorelines

--New Buffer Regulations (Critical Area Commission, Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays)

--Buffer Management Plans (Critical Area Commission, Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays)

--Critical Area Commission 10% Rule Guidance Manual

--Critical Area Commission Frequently Asked Questions

The following Links provided by MD State agencies will be helpful to you when submitting your applications for building or vegetation removal in the Critical Area.

1.  Native Plant Society link to Maryland native plants 
             http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesmd/info.htm

2.  Home and Garden Information Center - University of MD Extension
                  http://hgic.umd.edu

3.  Saving Your Soil and the Chesapeake Bay
                  http://extension.umd.edu/publications/PDFs/FS704.pdf

4.  Lawns and the Chesapeake Bay
                  http://extension.umd.edu/publications/PDFs/FS702.pdf

5.  The Chesapeake Club - Plant More Plants brochure
                  http://www.plantmoreplants.com/

6.  Master Gardener Bay-Wise program  
                http://baywise.umd.edu/bwProgram.cfm

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions concerning these regulations or any activities not specifically mentioned, please do not hesitate to call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 410-535-1600, ext. 2356 or visit us on the web at:   www.co.cal.md.us.