At a May 24 Planning Directors Roundtable Meeting, the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) provided guidance to local governments on implementing the 2012 septic system legislation (SB 236), including grandfathering.  The draft guidance document (V1.0) is now available online.

A May 25 MarylandReporter.com article summarized the meeting and interviewed Secretary of Planning Richard Hall.

How to interpret the grandfathering provisions was one of dozens of questions  Hall and his staff handled at a roundtable discussion the department held  Thursday that brought out scores of local planners from across Maryland trying  to figure out how to implement the new law.  …

Hall said the grandfathering was intended to “accommodate folks in this  process.”  …

Leslie Knapp, associate director of the Maryland Association of Counties,  said, “If you’re going to start from scratch (on a new development), you’re not  going to get this done in time.”  …

Both Hall and Knapp said it was the largest turnout they had ever seen at the  quarterly meeting with planning directors. County officials came from as far  away as far-western Garrett County for the meeting at the Housing Department  headquarters in Crownsville.

MDP Presentation to Planning Directors’ Roundtable

SB 236 Initial Implementation Guidance (V1.0)

MACo and MDP Joint Presentation on Septic System Legislation for Maryland State Bar Association

MDP will revise the initial implementation guidance and is seeking public comments on V1.0 by June 7.  Please send any comments to: