The department is part of the Executive branch of the government and reports to the Governor of Maryland.

To local governments, the Department provides technical expertise, such as surveys, land use studies, and urban renewal plans.

[5] As a result, the pressure to use Maryland’s land for a wide range of uses has been intense and ongoing – as has concern for the impact and location of those uses.

The Department is the principal staff agency for land use planning matters concerned with the resources and development of the State.

In 2007, the Department organized to oversee three main functions: Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs; Planning Services; and Historical and Cultural Programs.

In 2015, the Department re-organized into three main functions: Operations; Planning Services; and Historical and Cultural Programs.