Who to Contact

Before you begin any activities on property located within the Critical Area, your first stop is your town or county planning department.

First Stop for the Bay currently focuses on Maryland’s Mid-Shore, in Caroline, Kent, Talbot, and Queen Anne’s counties. The Green Book for the Bay addresses Critical Area concerns related directly to these four counties.

However, the basic concept of contacting your town or county planning office to obtain information about local Critical Area regulations and permitting requirements applies throughout the Critical Area in Maryland.

Staff at local planning offices can confirm whether your property is located in the Critical Area, direct you to the appropriate regulations, and provide guidance on plans, permits, and approvals needed to meet both local and Critical Area requirements. A street address and/or tax map and parcel number (depending on jurisdiction) is needed for officials to identify properties in the Critical Area.

"FIRST STOP FOR THE BAY" is sponsored by the Shore Land Stewardship Council, an initiative of Adkins Arboretum,
providing professionals and private property owners accurate and consistent information, technical support, and proper referrals
on best landscaping management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area,
with a special focus on the middle Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Adkins Arboretum, 12610 Eveland Road, P.O. Box 100, Ridgely, MD 21660
Phone: 410-634-2847, Fax: 410-634-2878, E-mail: info@adkinsarboretum.org