The Maryland General Assembly, in the Land Use Article of the
Annotated Code of Maryland, has established as policy of the state
that the orderly development and use of land and
structures requires comprehensive regulation through the implementation
of planning and zoning control, and that planning and zoning controls
shall be implemented by local government in order to, among other
purposes, secure the public safety, promote health and general welfare,
and promote the conservation of natural resources. Therefore, the
Queen Anne's County Commissioners does hereby adopt the following floodplain management regulations.
It is the purpose of these regulations to promote the public
health, safety and general welfare, and to:
A. Protect human life, health and welfare;
B. Encourage the utilization of appropriate construction practices in
order to prevent or minimize flood damage in the
future;
C. Minimize flooding of water supply and sanitary sewage
disposal systems;
D. Maintain natural drainage;
E. Reduce financial burdens imposed on the community, its governmental units and its residents, by discouraging unwise
design and construction of development in areas subject
to flooding;
F. Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the
general public;
G. Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
H. Minimize damage to public facilities and other utilities, such as
water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets
and bridges;
I. Reinforce that those who build in and occupy special flood
hazard areas should assume responsibility for their actions;
J. Minimize the impact of development on adjacent properties
within and near flood-prone areas;
K. Provide that the flood storage and conveyance functions
of floodplains are maintained;
L. Minimize the impact of development on the natural
and beneficial functions of floodplains;
M. Prevent floodplain uses that are either hazardous
or environmentally incompatible; and
N. Meet community participation requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program as set forth in the Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 44 CFR 59.22.
These regulations shall apply to all
special flood hazard
areas within the jurisdiction of Queen Anne's County and identified in §
14:3-5.
These regulations are not intended to repeal or abrogate any
existing regulations and ordinances, including subdivision regulations,
zoning ordinances, building codes, or any existing
easements, covenants, or deed restrictions. In the event of a conflict
between these regulations and any other ordinance, the more restrictive
shall govern.
Should any section or provision of these regulations be declared
by the courts to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall
not affect the validity of the regulations as a whole, or any part
thereof other than the part so declared to be unconstitutional or
invalid.