Professional Resources

There are several resources that can assist you in finding more information about a property:

My Neighborhood allows you to learn more about any location of interest within Howard County, including property, school, and voting information.

The Search Development Plans Application is a tool that identifies recent development activity within the County, provides information about public hearings and community meetings, and tracks development plans and petitions for waivers as they proceed through the planning review process.

Howard County's Interactive Map is a portal to all the geographic information you need about a property and neighborhood. Check the checkbox near the appropriate layer to display information about parcel data, land use, easements, zoning, historic sites, and other categories.

Additionally, you can view the Historic Zoning Map to access eight decades of past zoning with historic aerial images. This application offers a comprehensive look at the zoning history of Howard County, spanning from 1951 to the present day.

Development Plan applications are submitted electronically through the Department of Planning and Zoning’s ProjectDox system. More information on ProjectDox can be found on this web page. 

You can find the approved plans for a property by using the Department's Interactive Map.

Select “Planning and Zoning” from the menu of the left and click “Scanned Drawings.” Then, enter your address in the search box at the upper left. You do not need to include street name suffixes (Avenue, Street, Lane, etc.). 

Then, click on the property to display the “Info Tool” box, which contains links to PDFs of the approved plans.

For a step by step guide on locating approved plans, click here. 

The purpose of a Redline is to perform a design change to an approved plan, including Site Development, Road, and Water and Sewer Plans.  There are many specific instances that trigger a redline, including, but not limited to, building an addition, adding/relocating a fire hydrant, and relocating storm drain inlet. To find out more about your specific case, call the Department's Engineer of the Week at 410-313-2350 for assistance.

Fees are based on specific plan submissions and applications. For a complete list of approved fees, click here.

Fees to the Division of Land Development (DLD) can be submitted once you have been notified through PDox. Then, fees can be submitted at a drop box in the lobby of the George Howard Building at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City. 

Zoning and other fees can be paid at the Department of Finance Cashier’s Office at 3430 Court House Drive. Be sure to first obtain a receipt from the Department of Planning & Zoning before proceeding to the Department of Finance. Please make checks payable to the "Director of Finance." Please be advised that the cashier's office does not accept credit or debit cards at this time.