Caroline County commissioners on March 11 introduced an ordinance, legislative bill 2025-002, that would add a new section (proposed section 194) to chapter 175 (zoning) authorizing the zoning administrator to deny permits for a particular parcel when that parcel has an existing, unabated violation of state law or county code.

Staff described the measure as codifying a long-standing Department of Planning and Codes practice intended to encourage abatement of violations by withholding additional permits until open violations are corrected. Crystal, Planning and Codes staff, summarized the purpose: “This simply codifies a long standing policy of the Department of Planning and Codes,” and said the bill was presented as an emergency measure and placed on the same schedule as the cannabis zoning bill.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about how the rule would be applied. Staff confirmed the draft contains an explicit exception when the permit being sought is intended to resolve the existing violation (for example, building a structure to enclose untagged vehicles). The county said the authority would apply to the specific parcel with the violation and would not block permits for different properties owned by the same person.

The presenter described the practical enforcement approach: if a permit brought a nonconforming structure into compliance, staff would work with applicants to allow the corrective work; if a permit expired or corrective work was not completed, enforcement would continue on the underlying violation.

The commissioners voted to accept the introductory reading and the hearing schedule for this bill alongside the cannabis zoning bill. The board set public-notice publication for March 16, a public hearing and second reading for March 18, and a third reading in April where the board could amend or enact the measure.