MD SB754

Authorizes local jurisdictions in Maryland to enact laws requiring the preservation of natural resources through mechanisms including transfer of development rights, conservation easements, open space programs, cluster subdivision design, and riparian buffer protections

Defines "natural resource" to include land, water, forests, wetlands, floodplains, habitat areas, sensitive areas, and other areas providing ecological, hydrological, or conservation value

Amends Article – Land Use Section 7–101 to add natural resource preservation as an explicit category of local land use authority alongside existing powers for affordable housing and orderly development

Takes effect October 1, 2026