The Board of Appeals is made up of 6 citizens, 5 members and an alternate, appointed by the County Commissioners. Members are appointed for staggered terms of 4 years. The members are citizen planners as they are chosen from all walks of life and typically do not have any formal training prior to their appointment. The County Commissioners are given the authority to appoint the Board of Appeals by the Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. This article also defines the role & responsibility for the Board. It specifies that the Board hears appeals of the zoning and land use decisions of the County Government, requests for approval of special exceptions, and requests for approval of variances. Meetings are advertised on the County's web-site, Facebook & in the local newspaper. Meetings are held in the Commissioners Meeting Room of the County Government Building. Due to the current COVD-19 emergency, Board of Appeals meetings will be held virtually at this time.  For more information, please visit our Virtual Meeting Information page.

Any written comments during open record, following a public hearing, should be addressed to: PGM, Attn: Clerk to the Board of Appeals, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata, MD 20646 or email BoardofAppeals@CharlesCountyMD.gov.

• Board of Appeals Taped Meeting Videos
• Rules & Procedures

Applying for a Board

When submitting your application for the Board of Appeals/Planning Commission, all applicants must complete the State of Maryland online training course (at no cost).  You will find this online course at: Education Welcome (maryland.gov).

For your application to be considered you must complete this online course and send a copy of your certificate of completion to ElkinsC@CharlesCountyMD.gov

Board Members

• Claude Humbert, II, Chairperson
• Benjamin Watkins, Vice-Chair
• Damion Trasada
• Jennifer Walker
• Cynthia Ybanez-Casares
• Timothy Treanor, Alternate
• Kevin Best, Attorney
• Cyndi Bilbra, Charles County Government Staff
• Sherri Davis, Clerk