Montgomery County Planning Department

About Montgomery County Planning Department

Montgomery Planning examines the past and present to plan for the brightest possible future for Montgomery County and its residents. Our research and expertise are informed by the needs and realities of the public to plan, design and enhance the best use of the county’s land and related resources. Montgomery Planning’s recommendations ensure that communities are designed and equipped to keep pace with the way we live, work and play now and decades from now. WHAT WE DO In brief, Montgomery Planning develops plans and sets policies to ensure that we have what we need as Montgomery County grows while preserving what’s good about what’s already in place. We do that through: • Cutting-edge research • Development of visionary plans • Reviewing development applications • Land use and zoning regulations • Historic preservation • Services for homeowners and landowners OUR STRUCTURE While Montgomery Planning is responsible for developing plans in Montgomery County, we’re not part of Montgomery County government, and we’re independent of the County Executive and County Council. We are part of The Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a state agency. M-NCPPC is the organization behind the brown signs you see around the county, especially in parks (and Montgomery Planning plans for those parks!) This unique structure allows the Planning Department to make independent, non-partisan recommendations for the good of the community to the Montgomery County Planning Board, County Council and other elected officials. For more information, please visit our website!