The following words have the following meanings for the purposes of implementing the Critical Area Ordinance and the Princess Anne Zoning Ordinance,[1] and the singular always includes the plural, and vice versa, except where such construction would be unreasonable:
ABATEMENT
The act of putting an end to a land alteration or development activity or reducing the degree or intensity of the alteration or activity.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE
A structure that is detached from the principal structure, located on the same lot and clearly incidental and subordinate to a principal structure, or if there is no principal structure on the lot, a structure that is customarily incidental and subordinate to a principal structure.
ADDITION
Newly constructed area that increases the size of a structure.
AFFORESTATION
The establishment of a tree crop on an area from which it has always or very long been absent, or the planting of open areas which are not presently in forest cover.
AGRICULTURAL EASEMENT
A nonpossessory interest in land which restricts the conversion of use of the land, preventing nonagricultural uses.
AGRICULTURE
All methods of production and management of livestock, crops, vegetation, and soil. This includes, but is not limited to, the related activities of tillage, fertilization, pest control, harvesting, and marketing. It also includes, but is not limited to, the activities of feeding, housing, and maintaining of animals such as cattle, dairy cows, sheep, goats, hogs, horses, and poultry and handling their by-products.
ANADROMOUS FISH
Fish that travel upstream (from their primary habitat in the ocean) to freshwater in order to spawn.
ANADROMOUS FISH PROPAGATION WATERS
Those streams that are tributary to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays in which the spawning of anadromous species of fish (e.g., rockfish, striped bass, yellow perch, white perch, shad, and river herring) occurs or has occurred. The streams are identified by the Department of Natural Resources.
AQUACULTURE
Farming or culturing of finfish, shellfish, other aquatic plants or animals, or both, in lakes, streams, inlets, estuaries, and other natural or artificial water bodies or impoundments; activities include hatching, cultivating, planting, feeding, raising, and harvesting of aquatic plants and animals and the maintenance and construction of necessary equipment, buildings, and growing areas; and cultivation methods include, but are not limited to, seed or larvae development and grow-out facilities, fish ponds, shellfish rafts, rack and longlines, seaweed floats and the culture of clams and oysters on tidelands and subtidal areas. For the purpose of this definition, related activities such as wholesale and retail sales, processing and product storage facilities are not considered aquacultural practices.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs)
Conservation practices or systems of practices and management measures that control soil loss and reduce water quality degradation caused by nutrients, animal waste, toxics and sediment. Agricultural BMPs include, but are not limited to, strip cropping, terracing, contour stripping, grass waterways, animal waste structures, ponds, minimal tillage, grass and naturally vegetated filter strips, and proper nutrient application measures.
BUFFER
Area that, based on conditions at the time of development, is immediately landward from mean high water of tidal waterways, the edge of bank of a tributary stream, or the edge of a tidal wetland; and the area exists in, or is established in, natural vegetation to protect a stream, tidal wetland, tidal waters or terrestrial environments from human disturbance. The Buffer includes an area of at least 100 feet, even if that area was previously disturbed by human activity or is currently developed, and also includes any expansion for contiguous sensitive areas, such as a steep slope, hydric soil, highly erodible soil, nontidal wetland, or a nontidal wetland of special state concern as defined in COMAR 26.23.01.01.
BUFFER MANAGEMENT AREA (BMA)
An area officially mapped by the Town of Princess Anne and approved by the Critical Area Commission as a Buffer Management Area, where it has been sufficiently demonstrated that the existing pattern of residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, or recreational development prevents the Buffer from fulfilling its water quality and habitat functions, and where development in accordance with specific Buffer Management Area provisions can be permitted in the Buffer without a variance.
BUFFER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Includes a major Buffer management plan, a minor Buffer management plan, and a simplified Buffer management plan.
CANOPY TREE
A tree that, when mature, commonly reaches a height of at least 35 feet.
CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT
A residential development in which dwelling units are concentrated in a selected area or selected areas of the development tract so as to provide natural habitat or other open space uses on the remainder.
COLONIAL NESTING WATER BIRDS
Herons, egrets, terns, and glossy ibis. For the purposes of nesting, these birds congregate (that is "colonize") in relatively few areas, at which time the regional populations of these species are highly susceptible to local disturbances.
COMAR
The Code of Maryland Regulations, as from time to time amended, including any successor provisions.
COMMISSION
The Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays.
COMMUNITY PIERS
Boat-docking facilities associated with subdivisions or similar residential areas, and with condominium, apartment and other multiple-family dwelling units. Private piers are excluded from this definition.
COMPREHENSIVE OR MASTER PLAN
A compilation of policy statements, goals, standards, maps and pertinent data relative to the past, present and future trends of the local jurisdiction, including, but not limited to, its population, housing, economics, social patterns, land uses, water resources and their use, transportation facilities and public facilities prepared by or for the planning board, agency or office.
CONSERVATION EASEMENT
A nonpossessory interest in land which restricts the manner in which the land may be developed in an effort to reserve natural resources for future use.
CONSOLIDATION
A combination of any legal parcel of land or recorded legally buildable lot into fewer lots or parcels than originally existed. An application for consolidation may include a subdivision, lot line abandonment, boundary line adjustment, replatting request, or lot line adjustment.
CRITICAL AREA
All lands and waters defined in § 8-1807 of the Natural Resources Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. They include:
A. 
All waters of and lands under the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays and their tributaries to the head of tide as indicated on state wetland maps;
B. 
All state and private wetlands designated under Title 16 of the Environment Article, Annotated Code of Maryland;
C. 
All land and water areas within 1,000 feet beyond the landward boundaries of state or private wetlands and the heads of tides designated under Title 16 of the Environment Article, Annotated Code of Maryland; and
D. 
Modification to these areas through inclusions or exclusions proposed by local jurisdictions and approved by the Commission as specified in § 8-1807 of the Natural Resources Article, Annotated Code of Maryland.
DENSITY
The number of dwelling units per acre within a defined and measurable area.
DEVELOPED WOODLANDS
An area of trees or of trees and natural vegetation that is interspersed with residential, commercial, industrial or recreational development.
DEVELOPER
A person who undertakes development activity as defined in this chapter; or a person who undertakes development activity as defined in the criteria of the Commission.
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
The construction or substantial alteration of residential, commercial, industrial, institutional or transportation facilities or structures.
DISTURBANCE
An alteration or change to the land. It includes any amount of clearing, grading, or construction activity. Disturbance does not include gardening or maintaining an existing grass lawn.
DOCUMENTED BREEDING BIRD AREAS
Forested areas where the occurrence of interior dwelling birds, during the breeding season, has been demonstrated as a result of on-site surveys using standard biological survey techniques.
DWELLING UNIT
A single unit providing complete, independent living facilities for at least one person, including permanent provisions for sanitation, cooking, eating, sleeping, and other activities routinely associated with daily life. "Dwelling unit" includes living quarters for a domestic or other employee or tenant, an in-law or accessory apartment, a guesthouse, or a caretaker residence.
ECOSYSTEM
A more or less self-contained biological community, together with the physical environment in which the community's organisms occur.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Any species of fish, wildlife, or plants that have been designated as endangered by regulation by the Department of Natural Resources. Designation occurs when the continued existence of these species as viable components of the state's resources are determined to be in jeopardy. This includes any species determined to be an endangered species pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq., as amended.
ESTABLISHMENT
The planting or regeneration of native vegetation throughout the Buffer.
EXCESS STORMWATER RUNOFF
All increases in stormwater resulting from:
A. 
An increase in the imperviousness or lot coverage of the site, including all additions to buildings, roads, and parking lots;
B. 
Changes in permeability caused by compaction during construction or modifications in contours, including the filling or drainage of small depression areas;
C. 
Alteration of drainageways or regrading of slopes;
D. 
Destruction of forest; or
E. 
Installation of collection systems to intercept street flows or to replace swales or other drainageways.
FINANCIAL ASSURANCE
A performance bond, letter of credit, cash deposit, insurance policy, or other instrument of security acceptable to the Town of Princess Anne.
FISHERIES ACTIVITIES
Commercial water-dependent fisheries facilities, including structures for the parking, processing, canning, or freezing of finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, and amphibians and reptiles, and also including related activities such as wholesale and retail sales, product storage facilities, crab shedding, off-loading docks, shellfish culture operations, and shore-based facilities necessary for aquacultural operations.
FOREST
A biological community dominated by trees and other woody plants covering a land area of 10,000 square feet or greater. "Forest" includes areas that have at least 100 trees per acre with at least 50% of those trees having two-inch or greater diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground and forest areas that have been cut, but not cleared. "Forest" does not include orchards.
FOREST-INTERIOR-DWELLING BIRDS
Species of birds which require relatively large forested tracts in order to breed successfully (for example, various species of flycatchers, warblers, vireos, and woodpeckers).
FOREST MANAGEMENT
The protection, manipulation, and utilization of the forest to provide multiple benefits, such as timber harvesting, water transpiration, wildlife habitat, etc.
FULLY ESTABLISHED
The Buffer contains as much diverse, native vegetation as necessary to support a firm and stable riparian habitat capable of self-sustaining growth and regeneration.
GRANDFATHERED PARCEL or GRANDFATHERED LOT
A parcel of land that was created or a lot created through the subdivision process and recorded as a legally buildable lot prior to December 1, 1985.
GROWTH ALLOCATION
The number of acres of land in the Critical Area that the Town of Princess Anne may use, or the county may allocate to use, to create new Intensely Developed Areas and new Limited Development Areas. Growth allocation is 5% of the total Resource Conservation Area acreage in Princess Anne at the time the Critical Area Commission approved Princess Anne's original Critical Area Program, not including tidal wetlands or land owned by the federal government, plus additional acres that may be subtracted from the county's calculated amount (5%) of county Resource Conservation Area that existed when the Critical Area Commission approved Somerset County's original Critical Area Program (that the Town may request and the county may allocate).
HABITAT PROTECTION PLAN
A plan that provides for the protection and conservation of the species and habitats identified as Habitat Protection Areas in the Critical Area. The plan shall be specific to the site or area where the species or its habitat is located and shall address all aspects of a proposed development activity that may affect the continued presence of the species. These include, but are not limited to, cutting, clearing, alterations of natural hydrology, and increases in lot coverage. In developing the plan, an applicant shall coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources to ensure that the plan is adequate to provide for long-term conservation and can be effectively implemented on the specific site.
HIGHLY ERODIBLE SOILS
Those soils with a slope greater than 15%; or those soils with a K value greater than 0.35 and with slopes greater than 5%
HISTORIC WATERFOWL STAGING AND CONCENTRATION AREA
An area of open water and adjacent marshes where waterfowl gather during migration and throughout the winter season. These areas are historic in the sense that their location is common knowledge and because these areas have been used regularly during recent times.
HYDRIC SOILS
Soils that are wet frequently enough to periodically produce anaerobic conditions, thereby influencing the species composition of growth, or both, of plants on those soils.
HYDROPHYTIC VEGETATION
Those plants cited in "Vascular Plant Species Occurring in Maryland Wetlands" (Dawson, F. et al., 1985) which are described as growing in water or on a substrate that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of excessive water content (plants typically found in water habitats).
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
A father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, or granddaughter.
IN-KIND REPLACEMENT
The replacement of a structure with another structure that is smaller than or identical to the original structure in footprint area, width, length, and use.
INTENSELY DEVELOPED AREA
An area of at least 20 acres or the entire upland portion of the Critical Area within a municipal corporation, whichever is less, where residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial developed land uses predominate, and a relatively small amount of natural habitat occurs. These areas include an area with a housing density of at least four dwelling units per acre and/or an area with public water and sewer systems with a housing density of more than three dwelling units per acre.
INVASIVE SPECIES
A species that is nonnative or alien to the ecosystem under consideration whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
K VALUE
The soil erodibility factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation. It is a quantitative value that is experimentally determined.
LAND CLEARING
Any activity that removes the vegetative ground cover.
LARGE SHRUB
A shrub that, when mature, reaches a height of at least six feet.
LEGALLY DEVELOPED
All physical improvements to a property that existed before Critical Area Commission approval of a local ordinance, or were properly permitted in accordance with the provisions of the local ordinance in effect at the time of construction.
LIMITED DEVELOPMENT AREA
An area:
A. 
With a housing density ranging from one dwelling unit per five acres up to four dwelling units per acre;
B. 
With a public water or sewer system;
C. 
That is not dominated by agricultural land, wetland, forests, barren land, surface water, or open space; or
D. 
That is less than 20 acres and otherwise qualifies as an Intensely Developed Area under the definition in this chapter.
LIVING SHORELINE
A suite of stabilization and erosion control measures that preserve the natural shoreline and are designed to minimize shoreline erosion, maintain coastal process, and provide aquatic habitat. Measures must include marsh plantings and may include the use of sills, sand containment structures, breakwaters, or other natural components.
LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE
Development of a minor scale, which causes environmental or economic consequences that are largely confined to the immediate area of the parcel of land on which it is located; does not substantially affect the Critical Area Ordinance of the Town of Princess Anne; and is not considered to be major development as defined in this chapter.
LOT COVERAGE
The percentage of a total lot or parcel that is occupied by a structure, accessory structure, parking area, driveway, walkway, or roadway; or covered with a paver, walkway gravel, stone, shell, impermeable decking, a paver, permeable pavement, or any other man-made material. Lot coverage includes the ground area covered or occupied by a stairway or impermeable deck, but does not include a fence or wall that is less than one-foot in width that has not been constructed with a footer; a walkway in the Buffer or expanded Buffer, including a stairway, that provides direct access to a community or private pier; a wood mulch pathway; or a deck with gaps to allow water to pass freely.
MARINA
Any facility for the mooring, berthing, storing, or securing of watercraft, but not including community piers and other noncommercial boat-docking and storage facilities.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT
Development of a scale that may cause state-wide, regional, or interjurisdictional environmental or economic effects in the Critical Area, or which may cause substantial impacts to the Critical Area of a local jurisdiction. This development includes, but is not limited to, airports, powerplants, wastewater treatment plants, highways, regional utility transmission facilities, prisons, hospitals, public housing projects, public beaches, and intensely developed park and recreation facilities.
MEAN HIGH WATER LINE (MHWL)
The average level of high tides at a given location.
MITIGATION
An action taken to compensate for adverse impacts to the environment resulting from development, development activity, or a change in land use or intensity.
NATIVE PLANT
A species that is indigenous to the physiographic area in Maryland where the planting is proposed.
NATURAL HERITAGE AREA
Any community of plants or animals which are considered to be among the best state-wide examples of their kind, and are designated by regulation by the Department of Natural Resources.
NATURAL REGENERATION
The natural establishment of trees and other vegetation with at least 400 free-to-grow seedlings per acre, which are capable of reaching a height of at least 20 feet at maturity.
NATURAL VEGETATION
Those plant communities that develop in the absence of human activity.
NEW DEVELOPMENT
For purposes of implementing specific provisions of this chapter, "new development" (as opposed to redevelopment) means a development activity that takes place on a property with pre-development imperviousness (in Intensely Developed Areas) or lot coverage (Limited Development Areas and Resource Conservation Areas) of less than 15% as of December 1, 1985.
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION
Pollution generated by diffuse land use activities rather than from an identifiable or discrete facility. It is conveyed to waterways through natural processes, such as rainfall, storm runoff, or groundwater seepage rather than by deliberate discharge. Nonpoint source pollution is not generally corrected by end-of-pipe treatment, but rather by changes in land management practices.
NONTIDAL WETLANDS
Those areas regulated under Subtitle 9 of the Environment Article that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, commonly known as "hydrophytic vegetation." The determination of whether an area is a nontidal wetland shall be made in accordance with the publication known as the "Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands," published in 1989, and as may be amended. Nontidal wetlands do not include tidal wetlands regulated under Title 16 of the Environment Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
OFFSETS
Structures or actions that compensate for undesirable impacts.
OPEN SPACE
Land and water areas retained in an essentially undeveloped state.
PERSON
An individual, partnership, corporation, contractor, property owner, or any other person or entity.
PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES
The soils, topography, land slope and aspect, and local climate that influence the form and species composition of plant communities.
PIER
Any pier, wharf, dock, walkway, bulkhead, breakwater, piles or other similar structure. "Pier" does not include any structure on pilings or stilts that was originally constructed beyond the landward boundaries of state or private wetlands.
PLANT HABITAT
A community of plants commonly identifiable by the composition of its vegetation and its physiographic characteristics.
PORT
A facility or area established or designated by the state or local jurisdictions for purposes of waterborne commerce.
PRINCIPAL STRUCTURE
The primary or predominant structure on any lot or parcel. For residential parcels or lots, the principal structure is the primary dwelling.
PROGRAM AMENDMENT
Any change or proposed change to an adopted ordinance that is not determined by the Chairman of the Critical Area Commission to be an ordinance refinement.
PROGRAM REFINEMENT
Any change or proposed change to an adopted ordinance that the Chairman of the Critical Area Commission determines will result in a use of land or water in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area or Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area in a manner consistent with the adopted ordinance, or that will not significantly affect the use of land or water in the Critical Area. Ordinance refinement may include:
A. 
A change to an adopted ordinance that results from state law;
B. 
A change to an adopted ordinance that affects local processes and procedures;
C. 
A change to a local ordinance or code that clarifies an existing provision; and
D. 
A minor change to an element of an adopted ordinance that is clearly consistent with the provisions of state Critical Area law and all the criteria of the Commission.
PROPERTY OWNER
A person holding title to a property or two or more persons holding title to a property under any form of joint ownership.
PUBLIC WATER-ORIENTED RECREATION
Shore-dependent recreation facilities or activities provided by public agencies that are available to the general public.
RECLAMATION
The reasonable rehabilitation of disturbed land for useful purposes, and the protection of the natural resources of adjacent areas, including waterbodies.
RECONFIGURATION
A change of the configuration of an existing lot or parcel line of any legal parcel of land or recorded legally buildable lot. An application for reconfiguration may include a subdivision, a lot line adjustment, a boundary line adjustment, a replatting request, or a revision of acreage to increase density.
REDEVELOPMENT
The process of developing land which is or has been developed. For purposes of implementing specific provisions of this chapter, redevelopment (as opposed to new development) means a development activity that takes place on property with pre-development imperviousness (in Intensely Developed Areas) or lot coverage (in Limited Development Areas and Resource Conservation Areas) of 15% or greater.
REFORESTATION
The establishment of a forest through artificial reproduction or natural regeneration.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AREA
An area that is characterized by nature-dominated environments, such as wetlands, surface water, forests, and open space; and resource-based activities, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, or aquaculture. Resource Conservation Areas include areas with a housing density of less than one dwelling per five acres.
RESOURCE UTILIZATION ACTIVITIES
Any and all activities associated with the utilization of natural resources such as agriculture, forestry, surface mining, aquaculture, and fisheries activities.
RESTORATION
The act of returning a site or area to an original state or any action that reestablishes all or a portion of the ecological structure and functions of a site or area.
RIPARIAN HABITAT
A habitat that is strongly influenced by water and which occurs adjacent to streams, shorelines, and wetlands.
ROAD
A. 
A public thoroughfare under the jurisdiction of the state, a county, a municipal corporation, or any other public body.
B. 
"Road" does not include a drive aisle or driveway.
SEASONALLY FLOODED WATER REGIME
A condition where surface water is present for extended periods, especially early in the growing season, and when surface water is absent, the water table is often near the land surface.
SELECTION
The removal of single, scattered, mature trees or other trees from uneven-aged stands by frequent and periodic cutting operations.
SHORE EROSION PROTECTION WORKS
Those structures or measures constructed or installed to prevent or minimize erosion of the shoreline in the Critical Area.
SIGNIFICANTLY ERODING AREAS
Areas that erode two feet or more per year.
SMALL SHRUB
A shrub that, when mature, reaches a height no greater than six feet.
SPECIES IN NEED OF CONSERVATION
Those fish and wildlife whose continued existence as part of the state's resources are in question and which may be designated by regulation by the Department of Natural Resources as in need of conservation pursuant to the requirements of Natural Resources Article §§ 10-2A-06 and 4-2A-03, Annotated Code of Maryland.
STEEP SLOPES
Slopes of 15% or greater incline.
STRUCTURE
Building or construction materials, or a combination of those materials, that are purposely assembled or joined together on or over land or water. "Structure" includes a temporary or permanent fixed or floating pier, piling, deck, walkway, dwelling, building, boathouse, platform, gazebo, or shelter for the purpose of marine access, navigation, working, eating, sleeping, or recreating.
SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATION
Any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a principal structure, where the proposed footprint equals or exceeds 50% of the existing principal structure.
THINNING
A forest practice used to accelerate tree growth of quality trees in the shortest interval of time.
THREATENED SPECIES
Any species of fish, wildlife, or plants designated as such by regulation by the Department of Natural Resources that appear likely, within the foreseeable future, to become endangered, including any species of wildlife or plant determined to be a threatened species pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq., as amended.
TOPOGRAPHY
The existing configuration of the earth's surface, including the relative relief, elevation, and position of land features.
TRANSITIONAL HABITAT
A plant community whose species are adapted to the diverse and varying environmental conditions that occur along the boundary that separates aquatic and terrestrial areas.
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
Anything that is built, installed, or established to provide a means of transport from one place to another.
TRIBUTARY STREAM
A perennial stream or intermittent stream within the Critical Area that has been identified by site inspection or in accordance with local ordinance procedures approved by the Critical Area Commission.
UNDERSTORY
The layer of forest vegetation typically located underneath the forest canopy.
UNDERSTORY TREE
A tree that, when mature, reaches a height between 12 and 35 feet.
UNWARRANTED HARDSHIP
That without a variance, an applicant would be denied reasonable and significant use of the entire parcel or lot for which the variance is requested."
UPLAND BOUNDARY
The landward edge of a tidal wetland or nontidal wetland.
UTILITY TRANSMISSION FACILITIES
Fixed structures that convey or distribute resources, wastes, or both, including but not limited to electrical lines, water conduits and sewer lines.
WATER-BASED AQUACULTURE
The raising of fish and shellfish in any natural, open, free-flowing water body.
WATER-DEPENDENT FACILITIES
Those structures or works associated with industrial, maritime, recreational, educational, or fisheries activities that require location at or near the shoreline within the Buffer. An activity is water-dependent if it cannot exist outside the Buffer and is dependent on the water by reason of the intrinsic nature of its operation. Such activities include, but are not limited to, ports, the intake and outfall structures of power plants, water-use industries, marinas and other boat-docking structures, public beaches and other public water-oriented recreation areas, and fisheries activities.
WATERFOWL
Birds that frequent and often swim in water, nest and raise their young near water, and derive at least part of their food from aquatic plants and animals.
WATER-USE INDUSTRY
An industry that requires location near the shoreline because it utilizes surface waters for cooling or other internal purposes.
WILDLIFE CORRIDOR
A strip of land having vegetation that provides habitat and safe passage for wildlife.
WILDLIFE HABITAT
Those plant communities and physiographic features that provide food, water, cover, and nesting areas, as well as foraging and feeding conditions necessary to maintain populations of animals in the Critical Area.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 163, Zoning.