External Projects on Parkland:
Review and Approval Process
Montgomery Parks is composed of over 36,000 acres containing approximately 490 miles of streams and over 29,000 acres of open and environmentally preserved spaces that provide valuable wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. Our mission is to:
- Protect and interpret the valuable natural and cultural resources;
- Balance the demand for recreation with the need for conservation;
- Offer a variety of enjoyable recreational activities that encourage healthy lifestyles; and
- Provide clean, safe, and accessible places for leisure-time activities.
Projects, including emergency response, proposed on properties owned or managed by Parks and on properties to be dedicated to the M-NCPPC by external government agencies, public utilities, non-profits, private developers, etc., that will directly impact parkland must first go through review and approval by Montgomery Parks. The approval process starts with receiving one of the following:
- M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks Concept Approval Letter/Email. This is the most common starting point for review and usually begins at the project concept or 30% design phase. Please refer to the Resources section at the top-right corner of this page to learn more about this process and how to initiate a Concept Review.
- Approved Agreement with M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks (i.e. Memorandum of Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement, Lease Agreement, Partnership Agreement, or other). Please note that Concept Approval may still be required. An application can be initiated while the MOU or Lease Agreement is in progress, but the Park Construction Permit will not be issued until the MOU or Lease Agreement is approved.
- Executed Property Purchase Agreement or Deed with M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks.
- M-NCPPC Certified Site Plan.
- M-NCPPC Mandatory Referral Approval.
- M-NCPPC-Montgomery Parks Encroachment Cure Letter.
Final approval for the proposed work will be granted through a Park Construction Permit. In limited cases a Right of Entry may be granted instead.
Park Construction Permit
After receiving one of the approvals listed above, the applicant must apply for a Park Construction Permit to initiate the Park Development Division (PDD) Staff technical review of project. Technical review may start at the 60% design phase; however, a Park Construction Permit will not be issued until final design, including third-party permit reviews, is completed.
To streamline the permit application process for the applicant and the Parks Department, we have created a two-step submission for applications online via GIS (Step 1) and ePlans (Step 2). Please refer to the Resources section at the top-right corner of this page to learn more about these steps.
Right of Entry
A Right of Entry may be given for field investigations before or in support of a Park Construction Permit technical review, emergency response, or at the discretion of PDD staff in place of a Park Construction Permit.
If questions, please reach out to ParkConstructionReview@montgomeryparks.org
Related County Information
Below are various links to useful County resources.