Cecil County, Maryland - County Development Fees
Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services | Elkton (county seat) | Northeast Maryland / I-95 corridor
Cecil County is the northeasternmost county in Maryland, on the I-95 corridor between Baltimore and Wilmington, with its county seat at Elkton. The County administers land-use entitlement and development-review fees through the Department of Land Use & Development Services, Division of Planning & Zoning, under the County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations. The County's published Planning & Zoning and Building Services fee schedules contain no development impact or excise fee line. Sewer systems owned by the County and operated by the Department of Public Works, Wastewater Division (Cecil County Sanitary District) charge a one-time Wastewater Major Facilities Fee per Equivalent Living Unit (ELU), plus a benefit assessment in certain sanitary sub-districts; areas served by town systems are subject to that provider's fees. Maryland does not use Virginia-style cash proffers. Zoning amounts below are drawn from the Cecil County Division of Planning & Zoning Development Fee Schedule and MISC Fee Schedule (updated February 2024); sewer amounts are drawn from the DPW Wastewater Division Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2021) and the County's Benefit Assessment Fees list. Verify current amounts with Cecil County before relying on them.
Updated 2026-11-04: County sewer fees added
Updated 2026-11-04: this page previously said water and sewer connection fees were not administered by the County. That was wrong. The Wastewater Major Facilities Fee of $12,000 per ELU from the DPW Wastewater Division Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2021) and the sanitary sub-district benefit assessments have been added below. The zoning fee amounts were re-checked against the same February 2024 schedule and are unchanged. See corrections to report other errors.
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning and Development Review Fees (Division of Planning & Zoning) | Confirmed | Rezoning $250; Special Exception $250; Variance $200; Appeal to Board of Appeals $250; Site Plans $250; Minor Subdivision $50 + $50/lot; Major Subdivision tiered from $125 + $10/unit | Updated February 2024 |
| Impact Fees | Not administered | Cecil County levies no development impact fee or school excise fee; its Planning & Zoning and Building Services fee schedules contain no impact or excise line item | - |
| Utility Tap Fees (County sewer) | Confirmed | Wastewater Major Facilities Fee $12,000 per ELU (1 ELU = 220 gallons per day), residential and commercial/industrial, for properties served by County-owned sewer systems. Water connection fees are set by the water provider and are not covered on this page. | August 1, 2021 |
| Special District Fees (sanitary sub-district benefit assessments) | Confirmed | Charged in addition to the Major Facilities Fee in certain sub-districts: Carpenters Point $8,800.00; North East Mauldin Ave $1,275.00; Meadowview WWTP $1,752.00 (unit not stated) | See end dates below |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Maryland has no cash-proffer regime; Maryland counties use Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFO) and, in some counties, impact taxes rather than Virginia-style proffers | - |
Zoning and Development Review Fees
Source: Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services, Division of Planning & Zoning - Development Fee Schedule and MISC Fee Schedule (updated February 2024). These fees are set under the Cecil County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations, and all fees must be paid upon submittal of development plans.
Subdivision review
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Minor Subdivision - new unit(s) | $50 + $50 per lot |
| Minor Subdivision - revisions with no new units proposed | $25 |
| Major Subdivision (per submittal to TAC or Planning Commission) - 0 to 19 units | $125 + $10 per unit |
| Major Subdivision - 20 to 49 units | $150 + $9 per unit |
| Major Subdivision - 50 to 99 units | $175 + $8 per unit |
| Major Subdivision - 100 to 249 units | $350 + $7 per unit |
| Major Subdivision - 250 units and over | $500 + $6 per unit |
| Major Subdivision - revisions after approval | $250 |
| Major Subdivision - extensions of approval | $250 |
| Check Print Reviews - 0 to 99 units | $125 + $4 per unit |
| Check Print Reviews - 100 to 249 units | $175 + $5 per unit |
| Check Print Reviews - 250 units and over | $500 + $6 per unit |
| Record Plat Review - 0 to 19 units | $100 + $10 per unit |
| Record Plat Review - 20 to 49 units | $100 + $8 per unit |
| Record Plat Review - 50 to 99 units | $100 + $6 per unit |
| Record Plat Review - 100 units and over | $100 + $5 per unit |
| Administrative Review | $100 |
| Modification of Record Plat | $100 |
Site plans and public hearings
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Site Plans | $250 |
| Rezoning Application | $250 |
| Special Exception Application | $250 |
| Variance Application | $200 |
| Appeal (to the Board of Appeals) | $250 |
Zoning
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Zoning | $10 |
| Salvage Yard License (two-year license) | $200 |
Fee authority: Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services, Division of Planning & Zoning. Building permit fees are set separately in the County's Building Services Fee Schedule.
County Sewer Connection Fees
Source: Cecil County Department of Public Works, Wastewater Division Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2021, version 8/5/21). The Major Facilities Fee is a one-time, non-refundable charge for new or increased discharge to sewer systems owned by Cecil County and operated by DPW (Cecil County Sanitary District). It is charged in whole ELUs, rounded up, and is due before the Occupancy Permit is issued; a financing option is available through the Department of Finance. The schedule is dated 2021 and is still the version posted on the DPW Wastewater Division page; ZoneFee did not find a later amendment.
Wastewater Major Facilities Fee
| Land Use | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | $12,000 per ELU | 1 ELU = 220 gallons per day (80,300 gallons per year). The fee remains $6,000 per ELU for residential units whose permit application was submitted before July 6, 2021 and permit issued before October 1, 2021 (Resolution 41-2021 As Amended). |
| Commercial/Industrial | $12,000 per ELU | Bulk users: projected usage divided by 220 gallons per day, rounded up. |
Sanitary sub-district benefit assessments
Properties connecting in the sub-districts below pay a benefit assessment in addition to the Major Facilities Fee. The County's Benefit Assessment Fees list does not say whether these amounts are per ELU or per lot; confirm the basis with the Wastewater Division.
| Sub-district | Benefit Assessment | Listed end date |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters Point Sanitary Sub-district | $8,800.00 (financing option per agreement) | February 21, 2045 |
| North East Mauldin Ave Sanitary Sub-district | $1,275.00 | December 31, 2026 |
| Meadowview WWTP | $1,752.00 | December 31, 2026 |
Fee authority: Cecil County Department of Public Works, Wastewater Division. Areas served by town sewer systems are subject to that provider's fees, which are not covered on this page.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were either closed by official-source review as not administered by the County, or point to the separate authority that administers them rather than being estimated or omitted silently. These items remain under limited-coverage review until these gaps are closed.
Impact Fees
Cecil County levies no development impact fee or school excise fee. Its published Planning & Zoning Development Fee Schedule and MISC Fee Schedule (re-checked 2026-11-04) and its Building Services Fee Schedule contain zero impact-fee or excise line items. Some other Maryland counties, such as Howard County, do levy development impact taxes or school-facilities surcharges. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Water Connection Fees and Town Sewer Systems
The County's Wastewater Division Fee Schedule covers wastewater only. Water connection fees are set by the water provider, and areas served by town sewer systems are subject to that provider's fees; neither is covered on this page. ZoneFee did not verify from an official County document which providers serve which areas.
Sewer user rates
The Wastewater Division Fee Schedule also sets quarterly sewer user rates (service charges, not development fees). They are recorded in ZoneFee's data but not listed here.
Proffers
Maryland does not use Virginia-style cash proffers. Cash proffers are a Virginia conditional-zoning instrument (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303.4); Maryland counties instead use Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFO) and, in some high-growth counties, development impact taxes or school-facilities surcharges. Cecil County levies neither a proffer nor an impact or excise fee. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services - Division of Planning & Zoning | Rezoning, special exception, variance, Board of Appeals appeal, site plan review, minor and major subdivision review, certificate of zoning, and salvage yard license fees | cecilcountymd.gov |
| Cecil County Department of Public Works - Wastewater Division (Cecil County Sanitary District) | Wastewater Major Facilities Fee, sanitary sub-district benefit assessments, and sewer user rates for County-owned sewer systems; the Department of Finance handles the Major Facilities Fee financing option | cecilcountymd.gov |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Division of Planning & Zoning Development Fee Schedule and MISC Fee Schedule (updated February 2024, 5 pp) | Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services | 2026-11-04 |
| Wastewater Division Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2021, version 8/5/21, 1 p) | Cecil County Department of Public Works - Wastewater Division | 2026-11-04 |
| Benefit Assessment Fees (sanitary sub-district list, 4 pp) | Cecil County Department of Public Works - Wastewater Division | 2026-11-04 |
| Cecil County Sanitary District Policy Memorandum #1 - Allocation of Sanitary Sewer Capacity and Payment of Major Facility Fees (December 1, 2017) | Cecil County Department of Public Works - Wastewater Division | 2026-11-04 |
| Building Services Fee Schedule (building permit fees by structure group, 7 pp; corroborating secondary) | Cecil County Land Use & Development Services - Permits & Inspections | 2026-08-04 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-11-04. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the Cecil County Department of Land Use & Development Services, the DPW Wastewater Division for County sewer fees, or the applicable water or town sewer provider, before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the Cecil County Division of Planning & Zoning Development Fee Schedule and MISC Fee Schedule (updated February 2024), the DPW Wastewater Division Fee Schedule (effective August 1, 2021) and the County's Benefit Assessment Fees list, as of the last-verified date above. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. Water connection fees and town sewer system fees are not covered on this page. Cecil County charges no development impact or excise fee and no Virginia-style cash proffer. Verify all current rates directly with Cecil County before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.