What is Complete Streets?
Defining Complete Streets
“Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work.”
– National Complete Streets Coalition
Complete Streets Vision
“To ensure that Howard County is a place for individuals of all backgrounds to live and travel freely, safely, and comfortably, public and private roadways in Howard County shall be safe and convenient for residents of all ages and abilities who travel by foot, bicycle, public transportation or automobile, ensuring sustainable communities Countywide.”
– From Howard County's Complete Streets Policy Statement
Resolution and Policy
The Howard County Council unanimously adopted the Complete Streets Resolution CR 120-2019 on October 7, 2019. The scope of the policy covers all aspects of transportation projects, and details the actions to create opportunities for safer, more accessible streets for users of all ages and abilities. The policy provides guidelines for retrofits of existing infrastructure, capital improvements, and improvements as part of a subdivision and land development. It also includes guidelines for repairs and maintenance activities.
| Complete Streets Policy Action | Status |
|---|---|
| Report key Complete Streets performance measures and outcomes. Read the latest 6-month report to County Council. This is the 66-month report and was published on September 23, 2025. See below for an archive of past 6-month reports. | In Process |
| Form a Transportation & Land Use Regulation Advisory Group to develop recommendations to align the County’s development code with the complete streets policy. More information can be found on the Land Use & Transportation Regulation Advisory Group (LUTRAG) webpage. | Completed |
| Update the Design Manual to reflect Complete Streets policies, and provide training modules for users of the Manual. More information can be found on the Design Manual webpage, including links to each training module. | Completed |
| Form a Complete Streets Implementation Team that guides the updates of the Design Manual. More information can be found on the Complete Streets Implementation Team webpage. | Completed |
| Incorporate equity into the policy’s performance measures; these performance measures are used to track implementation progress, prioritize projects, and evaluate designs through an Equity Emphasis Area (formerly known as Vulnerable Populations) Index. The latest version of the Equity Emphasis Area Index completed in 2023. The previous version of the Equity Emphasis Area Index completed in 2020. | Completed |
| Develop a system for evaluation and prioritization of County transportation projects reflecting Complete Streets policies. A copy of the proposed Howard County Capital Transportation Project Prioritization Scoring System. | Completed |
| Develop a community engagement plan that promotes an equitable and accessible decision-making process. More information information can be found on the Complete Streets & Community Engagement webpage. | Completed |
| Revise the County's sidewalk policy to address the process for community notification and approval for sidewalk extensions. A revised policy was adopted in October 2020 by Executive Order 2020-16. | Completed |
Complete Streets Resources
- September 23, 2025 66-month report to County Council
- September 13, 2024 54-month report to County Council
- December 18, 2023 48-month report to County Council
- July 31, 2023 42-month report to County Council
- December 5, 2022 36-month report to County Council
- May 26, 2022 30-month report to County Council
- November 2, 2021 24-month report to County Council
- April 30, 2021 18-month report to County Council
- October 27, 2020 12-month report to County Council on policy implementation
- April 28, 2020 report about the first six months of policy implementation
The process for exceptions is stated under item 3 of the Complete Streets Policy.
List of approved exceptions:
As detailed in the Howard County Design Manual Volume III Chapter 5, development projects are required to complete a multimodal transportation study.
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