Office of Planning and Zoning to Launch New Land Use Navigator Tool; Permit Center Closes To Prepare for Launch

New digital platform offers online payment and seamless document submission beginning June 5

Annapolis, MD (May 31, 2023) County Executive Steuart Pittman and the Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ) announced the launch of the Land Use Navigator (LUN) digital tool for the Zoning Division. Beginning June 5, residents can submit zoning administration and enforcement applications and process payments online. 

“The land-use navigator is a major step forward in our efforts to make it easier to do business in Anne Arundel County,” said County Executive Pittman. “It facilitates transparency, accountability, and community engagement.” 

The LUN is a major systems upgrade that will replace the previous outdated mainframe program. This launch covers functions managed by the Zoning Division within OPZ, including Zoning Administration and Zoning Enforcement. Application and document requirements will remain the same. Services available on the LUN include:

  • Special Exceptions

  • Administrative Rezoning

  • Variances

  • Zoning Verification Letters

  • Zoning Certificates of Use

The Development and Planning division functions will not be submitted via LUN at this time. The following submittals will continue with existing/standard procedures and will not be submitted via LUN: 

  • Development Applications: 

    • Sketch and Final Plans

    • Preliminary and Site Development Plans

    • Modifications

  • Region Planning - Comprehensive Zoning Applications

“LUN will save time and travel costs because customers will be able to “save the trip” and submit on their own time,” said Jenny Jarkowski, Planning and Zoning Officer for Anne Arundel County. “The transition to LUN for Zoning is a significant milestone to strengthen OPZ customer service offerings - we anticipate there will be growing pains, though we are excited for process improvements and also expanding LUN to include the Development and Planning functions in the future. We owe tremendous thanks to partners in Inspections and Permits, and the Office of Information Technology for this effort.”

Early last year, the Department of Inspections and Permits announced the full implementation of the LUN, creating a paperless permitting process and further improving the efficiency of licensing and inspection services. 

To accommodate the launch of the Zoning Administration platform, the Permit Center will be closed to the public on Friday, June 2, 2023. Online services for permit and licensing application submittals, license renewals, scheduling inspections, and fee payments will be unavailable from 5:30 pm Thursday, June 1, 2023 until Monday, June 5, 2023. The permit inquiry function and the ability to search recently issued permits will not be available during this time.

On June 5, residents can access the LUN program on The Office of Planning and Zoning website. The OPZ website will be reorganized to correlate terminology and provide instructions on how to access the LUN. The public can contact OPZ at 410- 222-7450 with questions regarding the upcoming launch.