Keeping Pace with Growth: The Role of Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances

APFOs are a key tool for managing growth and infrastructure. Learn how counties leverage these policies to achieve better policy outcomes. 

Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFOs) help counties manage growth by linking new development to the capacity of schools, roads, water, sewer, and other services so infrastructure and taxpayers aren’t overwhelmed. They’ve also become controversial, with critics arguing that strict standards or long delays can be used to block housing, drive up costs, or push growth to neighboring areas, and may unintentionally reinforce inequities—leaving local leaders to balance infrastructure protection with housing supply and fairness concerns.

  • Title: Keeping Pace with Growth: The Role of Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances
  • Description: As Maryland communities grow, ensuring that development aligns with the capacity of local infrastructure remains a cornerstone of responsible planning. Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFOs) have long served as a key local tool to balance growth with the availability of roads, schools, water, sewer, and public safety services—all of which carry significant costs to build, maintain, and expand. This session will explore the history and continued relevance of APFOs, examining how they help counties manage the fiscal and logistical challenges of growth while promoting safe, sustainable, and well-timed development. Panelists will also explore the policy choices involved in shaping these ordinances — how thoughtful local standards can help protect community character and livability while balancing housing affordability, economic growth, and practical implementation.
  • Speakers:
    • Chris Murphy, Engineer Administrator, Anne Arundel DPW
    • Lakisha Hull, Director, Prince George’s Department of Planning
    • Lee Currey, Director, Water and Science Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment
  • Moderator:
    • The Honorable MC Keegan-Ayer, Frederick County Council
  • Date/Time: Thursday, December 11, 2025; 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

MACo’s Winter Conference, “Local Leadership, Lasting Impact: Shaping What’s Next,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, MD, on December 10-12, 2024.

Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: