Westminster, MD Zoning Ordinance

Westminster City Zoning Code

ARTICLE IX

C-B Central Business Zone

§ 164-46 General provisions.

The following regulations shall apply in the C-B Central Business Zones.

§ 164-47 Uses permitted.

[Amended 2-12-2007 by Ord. No. 758; 9-25-2017 by Ord. No. 869; 2-12-2018 by Ord. No. 886; 5-13-2019 by Ord. No. 907; 5-13-2019 by Ord. No. 910; 9-25-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-07; 3-25-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-02; 2-10-2025 by Ord. No. 2024-09; 10-13-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-01]

No building, structure or land shall be used and no building or structure shall hereafter be erected, structurally altered, enlarged or maintained except for one or more of the following uses:

(1)

Accessory uses and buildings customarily incidental to any permitted use in this section.

(2)

Antique/collectible shops and arts and crafts shop.

(3)

Appliance stores.

(4)

Art galleries/studios.

(5)

Art, trade, business or nursery schools.

(6)

Automobile accessory stores.

(7)

Bakery shops.

(8)

Banks and savings and loan institutions without drive-through service.

(9)

Beauty parlors or barbershops.

(10)

Bed-and-breakfast establishments.

(11)

Bookstores.

(12)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are enclosed.

Candy stores.

Places of worship.

Clothing stores.

Coffee houses.

Commercial parking lots.

(18)

Custom printing and reproduction shops.

(19)

Dairy product stores.

(20)

Dance or music studios.

(21)

Day-care facilities.

(22)

Department stores.

(23)

Dress or millinery shops.

(24)

Drugstores.

(25)

Dry goods or variety shops.

(26)

Florist or garden shops.

(27)

Food and grocery stores containing 5,000 square feet or less.

(28)

Fruit or vegetable stores.

(29)

Furniture stores.

(30)

Gift or jewelry shops.

Hardware stores.

Home occupations.

Hotels and motels.

Laundromats.

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments without drive-through service.

(36)

Meat markets.

(37)

Multiple-family dwellings not in excess of seven stories.

(38)

Offices, professional and business.

(39)

Pet shops.

(40)

Photographic studios.

(41)

Physical fitness facilities.

(42)

Public buildings, structures and properties of the recreational, cultural, institutional, education, administrative or public-service type, including fire, ambulance or rescue SQUAD.

(43)

Radio and television studios.

(44)

Radio and television repair shops.

(45)

Restaurants and lunchrooms, without drive-through service.

(46)

Retirement or nursing homes.

(47)

Schools: business, dancing, music, trade or others of a commercial nature.

(48)

Shoe repair shops.

(49)

Sign-painting shops.

(50)

Signs, with the exception of outdoor advertising signs, subject to the provisions of Article XVII.

(51)

Single-family attached dwellings and multiple-family dwellings for four or fewer dwelling units.

(52)

Social clubs, fraternal organizations and community meetings halls.

(53)

Specialty shops.

(54)

Sporting goods or hobby shops.

(55)

Stationery stores.

(56)

Tailor establishments.

(57)

Tattoo parlors.

(58)

Taverns and nightclubs.

(59)

Taxi stations, for pickup and discharge of passengers.

(60)

Telecommunications installations subject to the facility limitations in § 139-28.2A(3)(a) through (f) and the screening requirements for modern appurtenances in § 164-131.3.

(61)

Telephone central offices or service centers.

(62)

Theaters and private assembly halls.

Tobacconists.

Tourist homes.

Upholstery shops.

Vape shops.

Video rental establishments, with the exception of adult entertainment.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the uses permitted under this section.

§ 164-48 Special exceptions.

[Amended 2-12-2007 by Ord. No. 758]

The following uses may be permitted as a special exception in accordance with the provisions of Article XXII:

(1)

All other uses of the same general character of uses permitted under § 164-47.

(2)

Banks and savings and loan institutions with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(3)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are unenclosed.

(4)

Conversion dwellings, subject to the requirements of § 164-150 and the County Health Department.

(5)

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(6)

Microbreweries and pub breweries licensed under Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

(7)

Multiple-family dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-153.

(8)

Newspaper publishing establishments.

(9)

Public utility buildings, structures or uses, including radio, television and other communication facilities not considered essential utility equipment, as enumerated in § 164-139.

(10)

Single-family semidetached dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-154.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the special exceptions permitted under this section.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, which pertained to tattoo parlors, was repealed 2-12-2018 by Ord. No. 886.

§ 164-49 Building height.

No structure shall exceed an elevation of 800 feet in height based on United States Geological Survey datum as shown on Carroll County photogrammatic maps, but in no event shall any structure exceed eight stories in height nor shall any building be less than two stories in height.

§ 164-50 Dimensional requirements.

Lot area, lot width and yard requirements shall be observed. Special fire-resistance-rated construction practices may be required for setbacks of less than five feet.

Building or use setback:

(1)

Front: no front yard setback is required. The maximum front yard setback permitted is five feet.

(2)

Side: where the side line is along an alley or public right-of-way, 10 feet or equal to the setbacks of the immediately adjacent buildings or as provided in § 164-145, whichever is less, but in no instance shall adequate site distances be encroached upon. Where neither side line is located along an alley or public right-of-way, at least one side yard setback must be equal to zero feet. No setback is required for the second side yard; however, if a side yard is provided, the setback must be no less than three feet and no greater than 10 feet.

(3)

Rear: a minimum setback of five feet.

(4)

For parking lots: a minimum setback of five feet from the right-of-way or adjacent lots. Private parking lots are permitted only in rear yards.

(5)

From residential districts: a minimum setback of 20 feet.

§ 164-51 Conditions.

Goods shall consist primarily of new or reconditioned merchandise or bona fide antiques.

Processes and equipment employed and goods processed or sold shall be limited to those which are not objectionable by reason of odor, dust, smoke, cinders, gas, fumes or noise.

The front facades of new and remodeled buildings shall be designed with windows on all stories. The size and placement of the windows shall be compatible with the size, scale and character of the facade.

Westminster City Zoning Code

ARTICLE IX

C-B Central Business Zone

§ 164-46 General provisions.

The following regulations shall apply in the C-B Central Business Zones.

§ 164-47 Uses permitted.

No building, structure or land shall be used and no building or structure shall hereafter be erected, structurally altered, enlarged or maintained except for one or more of the following uses:

(1)

Accessory uses and buildings customarily incidental to any permitted use in this section.

(2)

Antique/collectible shops and arts and crafts shop.

(3)

Appliance stores.

(4)

Art galleries/studios.

(5)

Art, trade, business or nursery schools.

(6)

Automobile accessory stores.

(7)

Bakery shops.

(8)

Banks and savings and loan institutions without drive-through service.

(9)

Beauty parlors or barbershops.

(10)

Bed-and-breakfast establishments.

(11)

Bookstores.

(12)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are enclosed.

Candy stores.

Places of worship.

Clothing stores.

Coffee houses.

Commercial parking lots.

(18)

Custom printing and reproduction shops.

(19)

Dairy product stores.

(20)

Dance or music studios.

(21)

Day-care facilities.

(22)

Department stores.

(23)

Dress or millinery shops.

(24)

Drugstores.

(25)

Dry goods or variety shops.

(26)

Florist or garden shops.

(27)

Food and grocery stores containing 5,000 square feet or less.

(28)

Fruit or vegetable stores.

(29)

Furniture stores.

(30)

Gift or jewelry shops.

Hardware stores.

Home occupations.

Hotels and motels.

Laundromats.

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments without drive-through service.

(36)

Meat markets.

(37)

Multiple-family dwellings not in excess of seven stories.

(38)

Offices, professional and business.

(39)

Pet shops.

(40)

Photographic studios.

(41)

Physical fitness facilities.

(42)

Public buildings, structures and properties of the recreational, cultural, institutional, education, administrative or public-service type, including fire, ambulance or rescue SQUAD.

(43)

Radio and television studios.

(44)

Radio and television repair shops.

(45)

Restaurants and lunchrooms, without drive-through service.

(46)

Retirement or nursing homes.

(47)

Schools: business, dancing, music, trade or others of a commercial nature.

(48)

Shoe repair shops.

(49)

Sign-painting shops.

(50)

Signs, with the exception of outdoor advertising signs, subject to the provisions of Article XVII.

(51)

Single-family attached dwellings and multiple-family dwellings for four or fewer dwelling units.

(52)

Social clubs, fraternal organizations and community meetings halls.

(53)

Specialty shops.

(54)

Sporting goods or hobby shops.

(55)

Stationery stores.

(56)

Tailor establishments.

(57)

Tattoo parlors.

(58)

Taverns and nightclubs.

(59)

Taxi stations, for pickup and discharge of passengers.

(60)

Telecommunications installations subject to the facility limitations in § 139-28.2A(3)(a) through (f) and the screening requirements for modern appurtenances in § 164-131.3.

(61)

Telephone central offices or service centers.

(62)

Theaters and private assembly halls.

Tobacconists.

Tourist homes.

Upholstery shops.

Vape shops.

Video rental establishments, with the exception of adult entertainment.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the uses permitted under this section.

§ 164-48 Special exceptions.

[Amended 2-12-2007 by Ord. No. 758]

The following uses may be permitted as a special exception in accordance with the provisions of Article XXII:

(1)

All other uses of the same general character of uses permitted under § 164-47.

(2)

Banks and savings and loan institutions with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(3)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are unenclosed.

(4)

Conversion dwellings, subject to the requirements of § 164-150 and the County Health Department.

(5)

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(6)

Microbreweries and pub breweries licensed under Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

(7)

Multiple-family dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-153.

(8)

Newspaper publishing establishments.

(9)

Public utility buildings, structures or uses, including radio, television and other communication facilities not considered essential utility equipment, as enumerated in § 164-139.

(10)

Single-family semidetached dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-154.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the special exceptions permitted under this section.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, which pertained to tattoo parlors, was repealed 2-12-2018 by Ord. No. 886.

§ 164-49 Building height.

§ 164-50 Dimensional requirements.

Lot area, lot width and yard requirements shall be observed. Special fire-resistance-rated construction practices may be required for setbacks of less than five feet.

Building or use setback:

(1)

Front: no front yard setback is required. The maximum front yard setback permitted is five feet.

(2)

(3)

Rear: a minimum setback of five feet.

(4)

For parking lots: a minimum setback of five feet from the right-of-way or adjacent lots. Private parking lots are permitted only in rear yards.

(5)

From residential districts: a minimum setback of 20 feet.

§ 164-51 Conditions.

Goods shall consist primarily of new or reconditioned merchandise or bona fide antiques.

Processes and equipment employed and goods processed or sold shall be limited to those which are not objectionable by reason of odor, dust, smoke, cinders, gas, fumes or noise.

Westminster City Zoning Code

ARTICLE IX

C-B Central Business Zone

§ 164-46 General provisions.

The following regulations shall apply in the C-B Central Business Zones.

§ 164-47 Uses permitted.

No building, structure or land shall be used and no building or structure shall hereafter be erected, structurally altered, enlarged or maintained except for one or more of the following uses:

(1)

Accessory uses and buildings customarily incidental to any permitted use in this section.

(2)

Antique/collectible shops and arts and crafts shop.

(3)

Appliance stores.

(4)

Art galleries/studios.

(5)

Art, trade, business or nursery schools.

(6)

Automobile accessory stores.

(7)

Bakery shops.

(8)

Banks and savings and loan institutions without drive-through service.

(9)

Beauty parlors or barbershops.

(10)

Bed-and-breakfast establishments.

(11)

Bookstores.

(12)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are enclosed.

Candy stores.

Places of worship.

Clothing stores.

Coffee houses.

Commercial parking lots.

(18)

Custom printing and reproduction shops.

(19)

Dairy product stores.

(20)

Dance or music studios.

(21)

Day-care facilities.

(22)

Department stores.

(23)

Dress or millinery shops.

(24)

Drugstores.

(25)

Dry goods or variety shops.

(26)

Florist or garden shops.

(27)

Food and grocery stores containing 5,000 square feet or less.

(28)

Fruit or vegetable stores.

(29)

Furniture stores.

(30)

Gift or jewelry shops.

Hardware stores.

Home occupations.

Hotels and motels.

Laundromats.

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments without drive-through service.

(36)

Meat markets.

(37)

Multiple-family dwellings not in excess of seven stories.

(38)

Offices, professional and business.

(39)

Pet shops.

(40)

Photographic studios.

(41)

Physical fitness facilities.

(42)

Public buildings, structures and properties of the recreational, cultural, institutional, education, administrative or public-service type, including fire, ambulance or rescue SQUAD.

(43)

Radio and television studios.

(44)

Radio and television repair shops.

(45)

Restaurants and lunchrooms, without drive-through service.

(46)

Retirement or nursing homes.

(47)

Schools: business, dancing, music, trade or others of a commercial nature.

(48)

Shoe repair shops.

(49)

Sign-painting shops.

(50)

Signs, with the exception of outdoor advertising signs, subject to the provisions of Article XVII.

(51)

Single-family attached dwellings and multiple-family dwellings for four or fewer dwelling units.

(52)

Social clubs, fraternal organizations and community meetings halls.

(53)

Specialty shops.

(54)

Sporting goods or hobby shops.

(55)

Stationery stores.

(56)

Tailor establishments.

(57)

Tattoo parlors.

(58)

Taverns and nightclubs.

(59)

Taxi stations, for pickup and discharge of passengers.

(60)

Telecommunications installations subject to the facility limitations in § 139-28.2A(3)(a) through (f) and the screening requirements for modern appurtenances in § 164-131.3.

(61)

Telephone central offices or service centers.

(62)

Theaters and private assembly halls.

Tobacconists.

Tourist homes.

Upholstery shops.

Vape shops.

Video rental establishments, with the exception of adult entertainment.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the uses permitted under this section.

§ 164-48 Special exceptions.

[Amended 2-12-2007 by Ord. No. 758]

The following uses may be permitted as a special exception in accordance with the provisions of Article XXII:

(1)

All other uses of the same general character of uses permitted under § 164-47.

(2)

Banks and savings and loan institutions with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(3)

Building materials sales and storage yards which are unenclosed.

(4)

Conversion dwellings, subject to the requirements of § 164-150 and the County Health Department.

(5)

Laundry or dry-cleaning establishments with drive-through service, provided that the applicant proves that the use will not adversely affect pedestrian travel.

(6)

Microbreweries and pub breweries licensed under Article 2B of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

(7)

Multiple-family dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-153.

(8)

Newspaper publishing establishments.

(9)

Public utility buildings, structures or uses, including radio, television and other communication facilities not considered essential utility equipment, as enumerated in § 164-139.

(10)

Single-family semidetached dwellings, subject to the provisions of § 164-154.

The buying, selling or trading of firearms shall not be allowed under any of the special exceptions permitted under this section.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, which pertained to tattoo parlors, was repealed 2-12-2018 by Ord. No. 886.

§ 164-49 Building height.

§ 164-50 Dimensional requirements.

Lot area, lot width and yard requirements shall be observed. Special fire-resistance-rated construction practices may be required for setbacks of less than five feet.

Building or use setback:

(1)

Front: no front yard setback is required. The maximum front yard setback permitted is five feet.

(2)

(3)

Rear: a minimum setback of five feet.

(4)

For parking lots: a minimum setback of five feet from the right-of-way or adjacent lots. Private parking lots are permitted only in rear yards.

(5)

From residential districts: a minimum setback of 20 feet.

§ 164-51 Conditions.

Goods shall consist primarily of new or reconditioned merchandise or bona fide antiques.

Processes and equipment employed and goods processed or sold shall be limited to those which are not objectionable by reason of odor, dust, smoke, cinders, gas, fumes or noise.