SALISBURY, MD - The Wicomico County Council has announced their intention to reconsider new zoning legislation that would impact dog kennels throughout the county.
Legislative Bill 2025-01, previously passed by the Council, would require kennels to be at least 1,000 feet away from the nearest home and give businesses three years to comply. Some in Wicomico who currently operate kennels expressed frustration with the bill, saying it threatened to shutter their businesses.
The Council now says they will consider an amendment to the legislation that would allow a modified kennel setback requirement in special exceptions. The possible change, according to the Council, will allow current kennel owners to continue operating beyond the three-year deadline.
“Despite social media misrepresentations, the County Council’s intentions were never to put existing kennel operators out of business nor to cause undue hardship,” The Wicomico County Council said in a statement Friday. “Following the adoption of Legislative Bill 2025-01 which increased the setback distance, it was brought to the Council’s attention that the increased setback requirement could pose significant challenges for existing kennel operators.”
Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano previously told WBOC she planned to veto the legislation at the Council’s next meeting on February 18. The Wicomico County Council says it will reconsider the legislation at that same meeting on Monday, which is currently scheduled for 10 a.m.