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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland requires Department of the Environment flood risk reviews for development plans in flood-prone areas
Last action · February 10, 2026: Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.Sponsor: Mary Washington
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What This Bill Would Do
The Maryland Department of the Environment must establish and implement a flood risk review process for development plans and permits in areas identified as being at risk of tidal or nontidal flooding, effective October 1, 2026. The Department must consult with local jurisdictions, state agencies, and watershed groups before making a final determination, which must then be incorporated into local stormwater management approvals and made binding on local authorities.
Local approving authorities and developers must comply with binding state flood risk determinations that can condition, modify, or deny development permits based on cumulative downstream flood impacts and precipitation data.
- Senate Bill 687 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Maryland General Assembly by Senator M. Washington. context
- The Maryland Department of the Environment oversees state programs related to water quality, sediment control, and stormwater management across counties and municipalities. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
local jurisdictions
Local approving authorities must incorporate the Department's final flood risk determinations into their local stormwater management approval process, and these determinations are binding on them.
developers
Proposed development plans and permits in flood risk areas are subject to evaluation, and approvals may be conditioned, modified, or denied by the Department.
Department of the Environment
The Department is tasked with establishing and implementing the flood risk review process, conducting consultations, and issuing binding determinations on development plans.
Key Facts
- The Department of the Environment must establish and implement a flood risk review process for areas identified as being at risk of tidal or nontidal flooding.
- The review process applies to development plans and permits in designated flood risk areas, evaluating potential impacts on downstream flooding and stormwater capacity.
- Final determinations issued by the Department must be incorporated into local stormwater management approval processes and are binding on local approving authorities.
- The Department must condition, modify, or deny permit approvals if development would increase downstream flood hazards, impair watershed-scale strategies, or conflict with quantity standards.
Show all 6 facts
- Before issuing a final determination, the Department must consult with affected local jurisdictions, the Department of Planning, the Department of Natural Resources, and relevant watershed advisory groups.
- The Act takes effect on October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers the new flood risk review process?
Are the Department's determinations binding on local governments?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 10, 2026SenateHearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Binding State Review over Local Development Permits
The bill shifts authority by requiring local approving authorities to incorporate Department of the Environment flood determinations directly into their local stormwater processes as binding mandates.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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