HB 1465 requires Maryland's Department of the Environment to update stormwater management rules, prioritizing practices that maintain predevelopment runoff characteristics and protect water quality. It directly affects local governments (counties/municipalities) that adopt stormwater ordinances, developers who must implement environmental site design, and the Department itself. Key provisions mandate that stormwater plans prevent soil erosion, reduce pollution in runoff, maintain stream channel integrity, restore water quality, and use the latest precipitation data. The bill also restricts using stream/floodplain restoration projects to meet certain mitigation or permit requirements and requires the Department to review rules every 5 years. These changes aim to improve watershed health while ensuring development minimizes impacts on Maryland's waterways.
SB 688 requires Maryland's Department of the Environment to update stormwater management rules, directly affecting developers, local governments, and state agencies. It mandates that stormwater plans must maintain predevelopment runoff characteristics, prevent soil erosion, protect stream channels, and achieve 100% groundwater recharge. The bill also requires treating pollutants in runoff to restore water quality, protect aquatic life, and prevent downstream flooding from new development. These changes apply to all new construction and redevelopment projects requiring stormwater permits.
HB 779 requires state and local projects funded with state money (at a specified cost threshold) to follow new riverine siting and design criteria aimed at reducing flood risks from rivers. It directs the Coast Smart Council to establish these criteria by specific dates and review them periodically, with updates under certain conditions. The bill creates a new "Part VII" in Maryland law specifically for riverine criteria, separate from existing coastal flooding rules. This applies directly to public infrastructure projects like roads, buildings, or utilities financed with state funds, focusing on resilience against river flooding.
SB 687 establishes a mandatory flood risk review process for areas at risk of tidal or nontidal flooding in Maryland. It requires the Department of the Environment to implement this process when reviewing certain development plans and permits, and to consult with local governments, state agencies, and watershed groups before final decisions. The bill makes the flood risk determination binding on local stormwater management approvals, ensuring it becomes part of the local permitting process. This directly affects the Department of the Environment, local jurisdictions managing stormwater approvals, and developers seeking permits in flood-prone areas. The policy changes focus on integrating flood risk assessments into existing development reviews to better protect communities from flooding impacts.
SB 559 requires recreational anglers in Maryland with a Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license or registration to report their striped bass catches to the Department of Natural Resources. The bill mandates the Department to create regulations allowing multiple reporting methods, including a mobile app (to be prioritized where feasible) and alternatives for people without internet access. It directly affects all licensed recreational fishermen targeting striped bass in Maryland’s coastal waters and the Chesapeake Bay. The key provision is establishing a mandatory reporting system to improve catch data collection, with specific requirements for accessible and technologically flexible reporting options. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.
SB 225 designates specific watersheds - including Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, Herring Run (covering Baltimore City and Baltimore County), and the Patapsco River (spanning Baltimore, Howard, Carroll, Anne Arundel, and Frederick counties) - as "interjurisdictional flood hazard watersheds" requiring coordinated flood management planning across municipal and county boundaries. It mandates that local subdivisions develop unified flood management plans for these areas, which must be reviewed and approved by Maryland’s Department of the Environment to ensure consistency with flood control standards. The bill specifies that management techniques (like dams, levees, zoning, and stormwater systems) must be included in these plans, with disapproval limited to flood management concerns only. This policy change aims to streamline flood planning for watersheds crossing jurisdictional lines, taking effect October 1, 2026.
HB 247 modifies Maryland's Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program by tightening standards for land-use variances in protected areas. It requires local jurisdictions to presume that new development requests in critical areas conflict with program goals unless applicants prove hardship beyond convenience or financial gain. The bill adds that existing accessory structures on a parcel create a presumption of reasonable land use, and applicants must compare their request to similar conforming properties within the critical area. These changes apply to landowners seeking variances for development in designated coastal critical areas, effective October 1, 2026.
HB 257 requires Maryland counties and municipalities (referred to as "subdivisions") to conduct flood-related watershed studies for designated priority watersheds by 2028, with updates every five years. The bill mandates these studies to map flooding risks for 10-, 25-, 100-, 500-, and 1,000-year flood events under current and future development, precipitation, and sea level rise scenarios. It establishes a grant program allowing the Department of the Environment to fund these studies, with specific limits on grant amounts. The studies must evaluate impacts on existing structures, roads, and stormwater systems, and propose flood-reduction strategies to guide future development and infrastructure planning.
HB 613 requires property owners in Calvert and St. Mary's Counties to use natural erosion control methods (like marsh creation, native plants, and oyster reefs) instead of hard structures (such as seawalls) for shoreline stabilization. It exempts these counties from general state requirements for nonstructural measures and creates a new waiver process where owners must demonstrate to the Department of Natural Resources that natural methods are not feasible due to factors like extreme erosion or narrow shorelines. The bill defines "living shorelines" as projects using natural materials and ecological principles to absorb wave energy and restore habitats, while still allowing structural measures in specific high-energy areas. This directly affects property owners along navigable waters in those two counties, changing how they must address shoreline erosion.
Maryland's SB 178 updates rules for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program, affecting local governments in 12 coastal counties (including Calvert, Anne Arundel, and Worcester). The bill requires local programs to undergo comprehensive reviews every 10 years instead of 6, mandates new development to be adjacent to existing areas, and adds climate vulnerability assessments for new projects near protected waterways. It clarifies procedures for correcting mapping errors and establishes specific standards to minimize development impacts on habitat protection areas and water quality. The changes aim to strengthen environmental safeguards while providing clearer guidelines for local jurisdictions managing growth near sensitive coastal ecosystems.
