Is Gaithersburg zoning the same as Montgomery County's?

No. Gaithersburg is an incorporated city within Montgomery County that maintains its own independent zoning ordinance, separate from the county's M-NCPPC-administered code that governs unincorporated areas.

How do I find the zoning for an address in Gaithersburg, Maryland?

Use the city's GIS mapping portal or contact the Planning and Code Administration department to confirm the applicable zoning district for a specific parcel.

What is the Kentlands in Gaithersburg?

Kentlands (with adjoining Lakelands) is a master-planned, new-urbanist mixed-use community in Gaithersburg, developed under project-specific planned-development standards rather than the city's conventional base zoning districts.

Gaithersburg, Maryland · city zoning districts · 17 districts

Gaithersburg, MD zoning map & districts

Gaithersburg is an incorporated city inside Montgomery County that maintains its own zoning ordinance and Planning and Code Administration department, independent of the county's M-NCPPC-administered code. The city has been an active center of transit-oriented and master-planned redevelopment, most notably the Kentlands/Lakelands new-urbanist community and the Washingtonian Center mixed-use district, alongside office and life-sciences employment clusters tied to the region's biotech corridor.

The code Gaithersburg Zoning Ordinance

Gaithersburg zoning map

The City of Gaithersburg's Planning and Code Administration department maintains the zoning ordinance and official map; parcel-level zoning can be confirmed through the city's GIS portal or by contacting the department.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Gaithersburg planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Gaithersburg

As with other Montgomery County municipalities, Gaithersburg's zoning operates separately from the county's ordinance, so developers should confirm district standards directly with the city rather than assuming county provisions apply, particularly for large master-planned or PUD-style parcels where development standards are often set by project-specific agreements.

Gaithersburg zoning districts by family

The 17 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Gaithersburg, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Gaithersburg Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 7 districts
R-A	Low Density Residential
R-90	Medium Density Residential
R-6	Medium Density Residential
R-B	Residential Buffer
R-18	Medium Density Planned Residential
R-20	Medium Density Residential
R-H	High Density Residential
Mixed-use 4 districts
E-1	Urban Employment
E-2	Urban Employment
CD	Corridor Development
MXD	Mixed-Use Development
Commercial 3 districts
CB	Commercial Buffer
C-1	Local Commercial
C-2	General Commercial
Downtown / core 1 district
CBD	Central Business District
Industrial 2 districts
I-1	Light Industrial
I-3	Industrial

Gaithersburg zoning — common questions

Is Gaithersburg zoning the same as Montgomery County's?: No. Gaithersburg is an incorporated city within Montgomery County that maintains its own independent zoning ordinance, separate from the county's M-NCPPC-administered code that governs unincorporated areas.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Gaithersburg, Maryland?: Use the city's GIS mapping portal or contact the Planning and Code Administration department to confirm the applicable zoning district for a specific parcel.
What is the Kentlands in Gaithersburg?: Kentlands (with adjoining Lakelands) is a master-planned, new-urbanist mixed-use community in Gaithersburg, developed under project-specific planned-development standards rather than the city's conventional base zoning districts.

Working in Maryland? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Maryland opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Maryland zoning — who holds the zoning power in Maryland, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Maryland cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Gaithersburg zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.