Duties and Responsibilities

The Board of Appeals has authority to hear and decide cases involving certain land use issues, including modification of Special Exceptions filed or decided before October 30, 2014, and Variances from the development standards or other requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. The Board also hears and decides Administrative Appeals from actions by the County government (as specified by the County Code), and appeals from Conditional Use decisions issued by the Hearing Examiner. The Board applies the Zoning Ordinance Standards applicable to all such cases. The Board has County-wide jurisdiction, except for the municipal corporations of Brookeville, Poolesville, Laytonsville, Rockville, Barnesville, Gaithersburg and Washington Grove.