(a) It is the policy of the State that: (1) the orderly development and use of land and structures requires comprehensive regulation through the implementation of planning and zoning controls; and (2) planning and zoning controls shall be implemented by local government. (b) To achieve the public purposes of this regulatory scheme, the General Assembly recognizes that local government action will limit free business enterprise and competition by owners and users of property through the planning and zoning controls set forth in this title and elsewhere in the public general and public local laws.
Maryland Legal Code