{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-26-503","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Local Government § 26–503","heading":"","body":"(a) On receipt of a copy of the plan from the county commissioners or county\ncouncil, a board of viewers shall:\n(1) (i) engage the services of a private engineer; or\n(ii) use the services of an engineer of a local, State, or federal\nunit of government;\n(2) enter and view, with the individuals described in item (1) of this\nsubsection, the land described in the petition;\n(3) make careful and thorough examination of the land described in\nthe petition and of other land if necessary to locate properly the project that is the\nsubject of the petition;\n(4) include in the area of the proposed drainage association all land\nthat would be benefited and exclude any land described in the petition that it\ndetermines would not be benefited by the proposed improvement;\n(5) conduct surveys to determine the boundaries and elevations of\nthe area and to develop a plan for the project; and\n(6) lay out on the ground a plainly and substantially marked line of\neach ditch or drain or other improvement that it considers necessary.\n(b) A board of viewers shall consider as damages, without regard to any\nbenefit that would result from the proposed drainage project:\n(1) the value of land taken for construction of the proposed drainage\nproject;\n(2) inconvenience imposed by the construction of the proposed\ndrainage project; and\n(3) other lawfully compensable damages.","path":["Article - Local Government"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=glg\u0026section=26-503","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:59:58Z","sha256":"77a3feb02df5335dfc790919a084b8c1076f776849a89a6dc00ae81eb11b402a","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-26-502","next":"us-md/md.-code-local-government-26-504"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}