MARYLAND LAND USE\LAND COVER 2002
CLASSIFICATION SCHEME
The land use\land cover classification scheme described below has been used to identify the
predominant usage of land that could be interpreted from high altitude aerial photography and satellite
imagery. The LU_CODE field, in each county land use shape file, contains the 2 or 3 digit integer
numbers identified below.
In general, only land uses greater than 10 acres in size have been identified. Transportation
features such as roads, highways, rail lines and utility lines have not been included in this GIS database.
Transportation features are better represented by the point and line files available from the Maryland State
Highway Administration.
10 Urban Built-Up
11 Low-density residential - Detached single-family/duplex dwelling units, yards and
associated areas. Areas of more than 90 percent single-family/duplex dwelling units, with
lot sizes of less than five acres but at least one-half acre (.2 dwelling units/acre to 2
dwelling units/acre).
12 Medium-density residential - Detached single-family/duplex, attached single-unit row
housing, yards, and associated areas. Areas of more than 90 percent single-family/duplex
units and attached single-unit row housing, with lot sizes of less than one-half acre but at
least one-eighth acre (2 dwelling units/acre to 8 dwelling units/acre).
13 High-density residential - Attached single-unit row housing, garden apartments, high-rise
apartments/condominiums, mobile home and trailer parks. Areas of more than 90 percent
high-density residential units, with more than 8 dwelling units per acre.
14 Commercial - Retail and wholesale services. Areas used primarily for the sale of products
and services, including associated yards and parking areas.
15 Industrial - Manufacturing and industrial parks, including associated warehouses, storage
yards, research laboratories, and parking areas.
16 Institutional - Elementary and secondary schools, middle schools, junior and senior high
schools, public and private colleges and universities, military installations (built-up areas
only, including buildings and storage, training, and similar areas), churches, medical and
health facilities, correctional facilities, and government offices and facilities that are
clearly separable from the surrounding land cover.
17 Extractive - Surface mining operations, including sand and gravel pits, quarries, coal
surface mines, and deep coal mines. Status of activity (active vs. abandoned) is not
distinguished.
18 Open urban land - Urban areas whose use does not require structures, or urban areas
where non-conforming uses characterized by open land have become isolated. Included
are golf courses, parks, recreation areas (except areas associated with schools or other
institutions), cemeteries, and entrapped agricultural and undeveloped land within urban
areas.
20 Agriculture
21 Cropland - Field crops and forage crops.
22 Pasture - Land used for pasture, both permanent and rotated; grass.
23 Orchards/vineyards/horticulture - Areas of intensively managed commercial bush and tree
crops, including areas used for fruit production, vineyards, sod and seed farms, nurseries,
and green houses.
24 Feeding operations - Cattle feed lots, holding lots for animals, hog feeding lots, poultry
houses, and commercial fishing areas (including oyster beds).
241 Feeding operations - Cattle feed lots, holding lots for animals, hog feeding lots, poultry
houses.
242 Agricultural building breeding and training facilities, storage facilities, built-up areas
associated with a farmstead, small farm ponds, commercial fishing areas.
25 Row and garden crops - Intensively managed truck and vegetable farms and associated
areas.
40 Forest
41 Deciduous forest - Forested areas in which the trees characteristically lose their leaves at
the end of the growing season. Included are such species as oak, hickory, aspen,
sycamore, birch, yellow poplar, elm, maple, and cypress.
42 Evergreen forest - Forested areas in which the trees are characterized by persistent foliage
throughout the year. Included are such species as white pine, pond pine, hemlock,
southern white cedar, and red pine.
43 Mixed forest - Forested areas in which neither deciduous nor evergreen species dominate,
but in which there is a combination of both types.
44 Brush - Areas which do not produce timber or other wood products but may have cut-over
timber stands, abandoned agriculture fields, or pasture. These areas are characterized by
vegetation types such as sumac, vines, rose, brambles, and tree seedlings.
50 Water - Rivers, waterways, reservoirs, ponds, bays, estuaries, and ocean.
60 Wetlands - Forested or non-forested wetlands, including tidal flats, tidal and non-tidal marshes,
and upland swamps and wet areas.
70 Barren land
71 Beaches - Extensive shoreline areas of sand and gravel accumulation, with no vegetative
cover or other land use.
72 Bare exposed rock - Areas of bedrock exposure, scarps, and other natural accumulations
of rock without vegetative cover.
73 Bare ground - Areas of exposed ground caused naturally, by construction, or by other
cultural processes.
80 Transportation - Miscellaneous transportation features not elsewhere classified. Includes park and
ride facilities and transit stations.