Caroline County commissioners on March 18 opened and closed public hearings on two local legislative items — a zoning amendment to implement state cannabis law and a proposed change to county zoning permitting rules — and received no public comment.

The first measure, Legislative Bill 2025-001, would amend the county’s zoning table and related zoning code sections (Caroline County Code, Chapter 175) to allow certain cannabis-related uses under conditions and setbacks required by state law. Meeting materials presented the changes as a local ordinance to conform county code to House Bill 805, which staff said was signed by the governor in April 2024. No members of the public were present to testify; the board opened and closed the hearing without additional testimony.

The second measure, Legislative Bill 2025-002, would add a new section to county zoning to authorize the zoning administrator to deny permits to property owners who have existing, unabated violations of state law or county code. The public hearing was opened and closed after staff reported no written or in-person testimony had been received.

Why this matters: both bills change how land use and permitting will be applied in Caroline County — one by creating local rules consistent with state cannabis law, the other by creating an enforcement tool for zoning compliance. Because neither hearing drew public comment at the March 18 session, commissioners said they would carry the recorded hearings forward in their legislative process.

Process and next steps: staff confirmed the public-hearing notices were published per legal requirements, and the board completed the hearings. No final adoption votes were recorded at the March 18 meeting; the measures remain legislative items pending further readings or board action.

Authorities and citations referenced in the hearing notices included the county zoning code (Chapter 175) and state House Bill 805 (the cannabis-related law staff said the ordinance is designed to implement).