Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning

Affluent Howard County offsets higher infrastructure costs of low-density development with high-valued homes that generate greater property and transfer taxes.

[8] The Director of the Department operates as executive secretary of the planning board with five members with five-year terms.

[10] The department recommends zoning regulations to align with the County general plan.

Zoning regulations are also created and changed in "comp-lite" reviews, as well as from council bills.

Planning was managed by the state of Maryland until the First edition of Howard County Subdivision and Land Development Regulations on 7 March 1961 The Zoning Enabling Act of 1948 was formed to create a zoning board of all three County Commissioners.