Court Expands Rights of Maryland Churches to Build
Churches have long faced challenges in zoning and local land use ordinances when looking to build. Legal disputes have pitted the right of the Church to religious freedom against the right of the local community to regulate and/or restrict land use. Now, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has issued a decision which has clarified and expanded the rights of churches in Maryland looking to build, and set a higher standard for counties looking to restrict church building through zoning and other land use ordinances. The case is Bethel World Outreach Ministries v. Montgomery County Council. …