The La Plata Town Council has approved new zoning rules for accessory dwelling units, bringing the town into compliance with a Maryland law that requires affected local governments to allow qualifying secondary housing units on properties with single-family detached homes.
Council members adopted Ordinance 26-20 without opposition during their Sept. 8 meeting. The ordinance amends Chapter 191 of the town zoning code and follows a public review process that included hearings before both the La Plata Planning Commission and Town Council. The Sept. 8 meeting transcript records the council taking up the measure on second reading and approving it without a dissenting vote.
The changes stem from a statewide law approved by the Maryland General Assembly in 2025. House Bill 1466, enacted as Chapter 197, established a state policy encouraging accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as one way to expand housing options. The law requires covered counties and municipalities to adopt local legislation authorizing qualifying ADUs by Oct. 1, 2026.
Accessory dwelling units are secondary residences located on the same property as a primary home. Under the state law, they may be created inside an existing house, added onto a house, created by converting all or part of an accessory structure, or built as a separate detached structure.
The state law generally limits an ADU to no more than 75% of the size of the primary single-family detached dwelling and requires the unit to remain subordinate to the main residence. It also defines a dwelling unit as an independent living space with permanent provisions for sanitation, cooking, eating and sleeping.
La Plata began formally considering its local amendment earlier this summer.
The town Planning Commission held a public hearing Aug. 5 on Zoning Text Amendment 04-2026, which proposed revising Section 191-53(B)(1) of the zoning code to comply with the new Maryland requirements. The amendment applies townwide.
According to published meeting information, no members of the public spoke during the Planning Commission hearing. Commissioners voted 5-0 to recommend the amendment to the Town Council, with a minor numbering correction to the draft.
The Town Council then scheduled its own public hearing for Aug. 25. The town described the proposal as a zoning text amendment governing accessory dwelling units and made copies of the draft ordinance available at Town Hall and through its meeting portal.
The Sept. 8 vote completed the local legislative process.
The town’s ordinance archive now lists Ordinance 26-20 as the measure amending La Plata’s zoning ordinance for accessory dwelling units.
The change comes as local governments across Maryland are revising zoning codes to meet the same state mandate.
Charles County, which surrounds La Plata, approved its own accessory dwelling unit changes in July. The county amendments expanded where ADUs may be permitted, increased allowable size under the state law and removed certain parking requirements. The Southern Maryland Chronicle previously reported on the county’s changes as part of a broader effort to comply with House Bill 1466.
La Plata’s measure applies only within the incorporated town limits and operates through the town’s own zoning code.
The state legislation does not require every property to accommodate an ADU regardless of physical conditions. Local zoning, building, water, sewer, septic, setback and other development requirements can continue to affect whether a particular project is feasible, provided local regulations do not conflict with the protections established by state law.
The General Assembly approved House Bill 1466 by wide margins. The House passed the final measure 138-1, while the Senate approved it 47-0. Gov. Wes Moore signed the bill April 22, 2025.
The legislation took effect Oct. 1, 2025, but gave local jurisdictions until Oct. 1, 2026, to adopt the necessary implementing laws.
Supporters of the statewide policy described ADUs during the legislative process as one tool for increasing the range of available housing without requiring large-scale residential development. Such units can provide housing for relatives, older family members, adult children, caregivers or tenants while using property already developed for residential purposes.
The law does not require homeowners to construct accessory units, nor does La Plata’s ordinance itself approve any individual ADU project. Property owners seeking to build or convert space into an accessory dwelling unit remain subject to applicable town review and permitting requirements.
For La Plata, the Sept. 8 adoption moves the town into compliance several weeks before Maryland’s Oct. 1 deadline.
The council’s vote was one of several legislative actions taken during the lengthy Sept. 8 meeting. The same meeting also included final action on a charter amendment changing who presides over Town Council meetings, an issue the Chronicle has already covered separately.
With the ADU ordinance now adopted, La Plata joins other Maryland jurisdictions adjusting local zoning rules to a statewide effort aimed at allowing additional housing on properties already developed with single-family homes.
