Most types of plats require review by both Environmental Health and the Caroline County Department of Planning and Codes. If you are unsure of what level of review is needed, please contact the Department of Planning and Codes at (410) 479-8100.
All Subdivision Plats, whether on public water and/or sewer or private well and/or septic, must be reviewed and signed by Environmental Health prior to recording in Land Records.
Additionally, if the project involves property that has an existing home with a private well and septic system or farmland that has irrigation wells, then a Water and Sewer Verification (WSV) must be processed before the plats can be submitted.
A Water and Sewer Verification is also required before Perc Test Applications can be processed in cases where existing wells and septic systems are on the parcel of record. However, a Water and Sewer Verification is not required in situations where an applicant consolidates improved or unimproved parcels or lots. However, the plat may be required to show improvements and existing wells and septic systems.
Environmental Health is a division of the Caroline County Health Department, which is part of the State of Maryland Department of Health. The Caroline County Department of Planning and Codes is part of the local Caroline County government.
Joint Review Plats
The following types of plats require joint review by both Environmental Health and the Caroline County Health Department:
- Combining parcels
- Lot Line Revision (but not creating new lots)
- Creating a new lot on private septic and well
- Creating a new lot on public septic and water
- Creating new lot on private septic but with public water
- Creation of a new lot on public septic with private well
Note: All lots created that will use public water and/or sewer also require a Water and Sewerage Allocation Certificate and Capacity Commitment for the Subdivision of Land from the town offering public system.
Joint review plats require review fees to be paid to both agencies. Such plats must first be submitted to the Caroline County Department of Codes. The Planning and Codes Department will fill out the Plat Application form, which the property owner then brings to Environmental Health, where the fee noted on the form will be due. Contact Planning Office for their requirements as far as fees and number of copies due at time of submittal.
Please note that plats being submitted to the Planning and Codes Department may need to go through review process a few times before their approval is given.
Environmental Health Review Plats
The following types of plats only require review by Environmental Health:
- Abandon an existing recorded Septic Reserve Area (SRA)
- Change or add Septic Reserve Area (SRA), but not subdividing the property
- Establishing Septic Reserve Area (SRA), but not subdividing the property
- Site plan for perc tests (also known as Site Evaluation Test Location Plat)
HEALTH DEPARTMENT SUBMITTALS: When submitting formal plats to health department only; i.e. Planning Office review not required, then those plats must have signatures of owner and surveyor, and surveyors seal, as those plats went thru the worksheet review process previously. The fee would have been addressed on the worksheet–call 410 479 8045 if you need to verify fee due the health department. A minimum of 4 plats must be submitted to Health Department.
All plats submitted must include the appropriate block wording on the plat at time of submittal. This wording and formatting should be reproduced exactly.
- Private Wells & Private Septic Systems (for each lot)
- Public Sewer & Private Well: For use when individual water supplies for each lot are planning and a community sewage system is existing
- Private Septic & Public Water: For use when individual sewage system for each lot are planned and a community water system is existing
- Public Water & Public Sewer: For use when a community water and sewage system is planned for each lot
- Lot Line Revisions: That do not create new building lots and do not have existing well or septic or community water/sewer, such as adding from one parcel to another parcel that has no existing well(s) or septic systems(s)
- Lot Line Revisions: That do not create new building lots but do have existing well or septic or community water/sewer, such as adding from one parcel to another parcel that has existing well(s) or septic system(s)
- Residue Lots: Add under standard signature block when a subdivision plan includes an agricultural parcel not established for development purposes. For example, an agricultural parcel left over as “residue” from a lot created and approved for development purposes.
- Sewage Reserve Area (SRA) Plat: Existing Parcel/Lot, creating a Sewage Reserve Area (SRA)
- Sewage Reserve Area (SRA) Revision Plat: Revising an existing recorded Sewage Reserve Area (SRA)
- Sewage Reserve Area (SRA) Abandonment Plat: Abandoning an existing recorded Sewage Reserve Area (SRA)
- Site Evaluation Test Location Plat: Perc Tests Identification