Planning a Spring Deck or Fence in St. Charles? The Design Board Step May Be on Its Way Out

Charles County's planning director gave the Planning Commission a timeline that many St. Charles homeowners will recognize. A family plans a deck for April and ends up building it in September. The BayNet quoted him on the cause: "So the deck they wanted to build in April, they're now building in September because of those delays."

The county says it processes a residential permit review within six business days per review. Most of the wait comes before the permit application, while a St. Charles project sits in line for a village Planning Design Review Board, or PDRB. Some of those boards meet only a few times a year. On Oct. 19, 2026, the Planning Commission approved a change that would take routine projects on existing homes off that calendar. If you're planning a spring 2027 project, it helps to know where that change stands and which board meetings still apply.

Three Approvals, in Order

St. Charles is a planned unit development, and it runs on an approval framework called Docket 90. Under Docket 90, the county won't process a building permit in the community until the design review board signs off, as the Southern Maryland Chronicle reported. Each neighborhood in St. Charles belongs to a larger village. Each neighborhood and each village has its own homeowners association. Neighborhood HOAs are meant to have an architectural committee, and village HOAs are meant to have a PDRB.

For a deck today, that adds up to a fixed sequence:

1. Approval from your neighborhood HOA's architectural committee, if your neighborhood requires it.
2. Approval from your village PDRB. The St. Charles architectural review site lists decks, driveway extensions, home additions, patios, sheds, solar panels and tree removal as items that need PDRB review.
3. A county permit, applied for through the county's online permitting system. The Wooded Glen instructions tell homeowners to include the PDRB approval notice with the documents they submit for the county permit.

Step three is the quick one, and it can't start until step two is finished. The instructions for Wooded Glen say the full architectural and PDRB process can take up to 60 days from submission to a decision. After that approval arrives, the homeowner still has to get the county permit before construction can begin.

Your Village Board's Meeting Calendar

The schedules vary a lot from village to village. According to the St. Charles architectural review site, three village boards managed by Maredith Management meet on very different calendars:

The dates in the right-hand column come from applying each board's published pattern to the calendar. Confirm them with the management company before you plan around one.

Westlake's schedule has no May meeting. A Westlake homeowner who misses the March 16 meeting has to wait for July 20, which is four months later and well into the season when people want to be using a new deck. Wooded Glen meets 12 times a year, so a missed meeting there costs about a month.

Deadlines come before the meeting dates, too. Wooded Glen's instructions say the board's agenda is prepared one week before each meeting, so applications need to arrive at least a week ahead. The same page warns that if you have several project types, such as a deck and a shed, you should submit each one separately. Bundling them could get the whole project disapproved. The site lists no meeting schedule for the Fairway Village board, which is handled by Clements Bay Management. Fairway homeowners can get dates from that office.

Deputy Director Reisinger of Planning and Growth Management told the commission that some boards weren't meeting every month and sometimes lacked a quorum. As a result, a simple architectural approval could take four months before a homeowner could even apply for a permit, the Southern Maryland Chronicle reported.

What the Draft Agreement Would Remove

The Planning Commission's vote cleared the way for a memorandum of understanding between the county and St. Charles Community, LLC. Under the draft MOU, once a home has its Certificate of Use and Occupancy, county Planning and Growth Management staff would have sole responsibility for reviewing permits for:

• Decks, patios and gazebos
• Sheds and other accessory structures
• Fences
• Swimming pools and hot tubs
• Solar panels
• Room additions
• Other permit-related improvements

The draft states that the county "shall not require PDRB approval as a condition of issuing permits for such post-occupancy improvements on a residential lot."

The county's planning director said the change would put St. Charles residents on a level playing field with the rest of Charles County for these minor projects. Outside St. Charles, residents generally need only HOA approval and a county permit. He also said staff did not think the design boards were doing a poor job, according to the Chronicle. Written comments to the commission came from residents and neighborhood groups who supported fewer delays. The Bannister Neighborhood Association's board wrote that "requiring PDRB approval has caused unnecessary delays and expense to many of our homeowners," according to The BayNet.

The design boards keep the rest of their work. The development PDRB would continue reviewing all new residential development and every new home built. On the commercial side, it would keep new buildings, exterior changes to commercial structures, changes in commercial use and permanent signs. For local businesses, the county could process ownership changes and tenant changes without prior board approval as long as the approved use stays the same. Temporary sign permits would also skip the board. The BayNet gave an example. A restaurant that changes owners and stays a restaurant could qualify, but a hair salon becoming a restaurant would still need review. The change applies only inside the St. Charles PUD and leaves permitting elsewhere in Charles County as it is.

The HOA Step Stays, and It Becomes Your Responsibility

Under the draft, any approval your neighborhood HOA's rules require would still be required, but the county would not check for it before issuing a permit. Where an HOA, condominium association or similar body exists, the draft makes the property owner solely responsible for getting any required approvals. It says the county "shall not verify, monitor, nor enforce Association approval requirements prior to issuance of permits." County permit applications would carry a notice that private approvals may also be required.

That shifts the burden onto the homeowner. Right now, the PDRB approval attached to a permit application shows that a design review happened. Under the new process, a homeowner could get a county permit for a fence the neighborhood association hasn't approved. A county permit would not override neighborhood rules, The BayNet reported. Homeowners could seek county and HOA approval at the same time, and they would be responsible for having both when both are required. HOAs keep full power to enforce their covenants. Disputes can go to the county's Homeowners Association Dispute Review Board, the Chronicle reported.

Village boards would keep some obligations even for the work they still review. Each PDRB would have to keep written procedures and meeting schedules available. It would also make reasonable efforts to decide a completed application within 30 calendar days or at its next regularly scheduled meeting, whichever comes later.

Where a Spring Project Stands Right Now

None of this takes effect until the agreement is signed. The president of the Board of County Commissioners and St. Charles Community, LLC both have to sign the MOU. The draft says it becomes effective only when both parties execute it. After that, it has no end date, but either side can end it with at least 60 days' written notice. The draft also makes St. Charles Community, LLC responsible only for the development PDRB. Bringing the village boards in line depends on the county's enforcement through the Planning Commission.

For a deck, fence or shed planned for spring 2027, that leaves two possible processes. If the agreement is in force when you apply, the path is whatever approval your neighborhood HOA requires plus a county permit. If it isn't, your village board's January and March meetings decide when you can apply for the permit. Ask the county's Planning and Growth Management office which process applies before you skip a step. You can also check the requirements on the county's online permitting page.

This post is general information, not legal advice. HOA covenants and permit requirements vary by property, so confirm your project's approvals with your association, the county and, if needed, an attorney.

If you're thinking about how a new deck, addition or fence might affect your home's value, or whether to finish a project before listing, Theresa Shoptaw can talk through how improvements in St. Charles are viewed in today's market. Let's Connect.