5%                              LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 256

this requirement and to the powers of the Board of County Com-
missioners of that County in relation thereto.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 11 be and it is hereby added to the Code of
Public Local Laws of Howard County (1965 Edition, being Article
14 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland), title "Howard
County," subtitle "Building Regulations and Buildings Engineer,"
to follow immediately after Section 10 thereof, and to read as fol-
lows:

11.

(a) Every person, firm, association, or corporation beginning
the construction of a building or outside structure in Howard County
and subsequently abandoning or terminating the project shall level
off, fill in, or otherwise restore the plot of land being used to a
reasonably smooth and even surface, without projecting portions of
construction or unfilled excavations.

(b) Six months following an apparent abandonment or discon-
tinuance of such a building or structure, the Board of County Com-
missioners shall investigate the situation and ascertain from the
person, firm, association, or corporation which began the construc-
tion work if in fact it has been abandoned or terminated.

(c)    If the Board ascertains that the construction work has in
fact been abandoned or terminated, it shall order in writing that
the person, firm, association, or corporation which began the con-
struction work conform to the requirements of subsection (a)
within sixty days after receiving the order. Failure to comply with
this order is a misdemeanor.

(d)    If the Board ascertains that the construction work has been
only temporarily suspended, for a reason which in the judgment
of the Board is reasonable and probably unavoidable under the
building, financial and other conditions applying to the project, it
shall give written notice to the person, firm, association, or corpo-
ration which began the construction, of the provisions of this sec-
tion. If the suspension of construction work continues for additional
period of twelve months from the time of this notification, the con-
struction work shall be deemed abandoned or terminated, and any
further non-compliance with the requirements of subsection (a) is
a misdemeanor.

(e)    Any person, firm, association, or corporation convicted of
a misdemeanor under this section is subject to a fine in an amount
not in excess of one hundred dollars, plus the sum of five dollars for
each day after conviction during which non-compliance with sub-
section (a) continues.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1967.

Approved April 14, 1967.