The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (the Commission, or M-NCPPC) was established in 1927 by the Maryland General Assembly to provide long-range planning and park acquisition and development for the two Maryland counties bordering the District of Columbia. Since that time, the population of the two counties has increased fifteen-fold to more than 1.6 million residents, and continues to grow. Along with this increase in people have come tremendous changes in diversity of population, ethnic heritage, and community makeup. Communities served include older, dense neighborhoods close to Washington, DC, upscale suburban developments, and rural areas.

The Commission's planning efforts are governed by a General Plan for the bi-county area, which is amended periodically through a process involving citizen input.

Funding for the Commission's programs comes from a combination of federal and state grants, corporate and community partnerships, and a surcharge on property taxes paid by residents and business owners in the two counties. These tax rates are levied by both counties for the Commission, and are set each year with the approval of both respective county councils. The county councils also approve the Commission's annual operating and capital improvement budgets and work programs.

An appointed Planning Board for each county meets at least once a week to handle planning, zoning, park, and recreation issues. The two Planning Boards meet monthly as the full Commission.

The bulk of the Commission's work in each county is carried out by three major operating departments: The Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation [this site], the Prince George's County Planning Department, and the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning.