Md. Code Regs. 11.04.08.04

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 25, December 13, 2024

Section 11.04.08.04 - Screening

The following requirements apply to all screening that is designed to block the view of a junkyard from the main traveled way of an interstate or primary highway.

A. General Requirements.

(1) When the Section requires screening as a condition to the issuance of a license, the junkyard owner or operator shall create an effective screen by planting, by the use of an architectural screen, or by a combination of the two.

(2) The screen shall block the view of the junkyard from any point on the main traveled way of any interstate or primary highway.

(3) Plantings and architectural screens shall be outside the highway right-of-way and shall be located or installed so as not to be a hazard to the traveling public.

(4) The junkyard owner or operator shall bear the cost of all plantings and architectural screens.

B. Planting Screen Requirements.

(1) Plantings shall consist of trees, shrubs, or other vegetation of such size and density that they will completely screen the junkyard from the view of the traveling public.

(2) The junkyard owner or operator shall obtain the approval of the Section for the location, size, and variety of screen plantings.

(3) The Section normally approves major shade trees (large deciduous varieties) having a planting size of 2 1/2 to 4 inches in caliper. Acer (maple), Quercus (oak), Fraxinus (ash), and Celtis occidentalis (hackberry) are varieties the Section considers most desirable.

(4) The Section normally approves minor trees (small deciduous varieties) having a planting size of 5 to 10 feet in height. Acer campestre and Acer ginnala (hedge and armur maple), Crataegus (hawthorn), Salix (laurel willow), and Malus (crabapple) are varieties the Section considers most desirable.

(5) The Section normally approves evergreen trees having a planting size of 5 to 12 feet in height. Juniperus virginiana (red cedar), Pinus (pine--white, Scotch, Japanese black), Picea abies (Norway spruce), and Thuja (arborvitae) are varieties the Section considers most desirable.

(6) Shrubs.

(a) The Section normally approves shrubs having a planting size of 4 to 5 feet in height. Viburnum, Cornus (shrub dogwood), Elaeagnus (olive), Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus), forsythia, Ligustrum (privet), and Lonicera (honeysuckle) are varieties the Section considers most desirable.

(b) The Section normally requires that spacing for shrubs be from 2 to 5 feet on centers.

(c) The Section normally requires multiple rows of shrubs.

C. Architectural Screen Requirements.

(1) An architectural screen may consist of an earth mound, wall, or fence, or of a combination of one or more of these structures with plantings.

(2) Earth mounds shall be graded and rounded to a reasonably natural appearance, to blend with the existing landscape, and shall be planted with grass, ground cover, or other plant material.

(3) Walls shall consist of concrete block, brick, stone, or other material approved by the Section, and their size and appearance shall be in keeping with the area in which they are located.

(4) Fences.

(a) Fences shall be well constructed of wood, metal, or other material approved by the Section, and all fencing used to screen a particular junkyard shall be uniform in appearance.

(b) If the composition of a fence requires that the fence be painted, the color of any paint shall blend into the surrounding environment.

(c) Gates in a fence shall be of the same height and material as the fence itself and shall be kept closed when the junkyard is not in operation.

(5) The owner or operator of a junkyard may not place or permit anyone else to place an advertisement on a wall or fence used to screen the junkyard.

D. Maintenance of Screening.

(1) The junkyard owner or operator shall maintain a planting or architectural screen which makes his junkyard not visible from the highway.

(2) Plantings shall be kept in a live, healthy condition. Plants not in a live, healthy condition shall be replaced.

(3) Walls and fences shall be kept in good order and repair, acceptable to the Section.

Md. Code Regs. 11.04.08.04

Regulation .04B amended effective December 18, 1995 (22:25 Md. R. 1963)