Baltimore (city)

Moratoriums and bans

1. June 16, 2026 Baltimore City: Moratorium. Ordinance 26-128 makes data centers able to use 10 MW or more a prohibited use citywide for one year from its effective date (30 days after enactment) and calls for a study within nine months. (Baltimore City Council, June 16, 2026)

Updates, newest first

1. Oct. 25, 2026 TierPoint Baltimore (BAL) · TierPoint's spec sheet lists the Russell Street site with more than 28,000 square feet of data center space and redundant 1,500 kW generators. (TierPoint, undated)
2. June 16, 2026 Baltimore City: Moratorium · Ordinance 26-128 makes data centers able to use 10 MW or more a prohibited use citywide for one year from its effective date (30 days after enactment) and calls for a study within nine months. (Baltimore City Council, June 16, 2026)

Statewide

Chapter 640 of 2020 exempts equipment bought for a qualified data center from the state sales and use tax (the operator must invest at least $5 million, or $2 million in a Tier I area, and create at least five jobs) and lets counties and towns reduce or remove property tax on data center equipment; a 2026 bill to repeal both (HB 560) was introduced. (Maryland Department of Legislative Services, 2026; Maryland General Assembly, Oct. 25, 2026) The Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024 (Chapter 411, SB 474) exempts on-site emergency backup generators at qualifying data centers from the Public Service Commission's certificate of public convenience and necessity under set conditions; it also changes how corporate income tax from certain new data centers is distributed. (Maryland General Assembly, May 9, 2024) SB 116 of 2025 (enacted over the governor's veto as Chapter 10 of the 2025 special session) requires a state study of data centers' environmental, energy and economic impacts, due Sept. 1, 2026; Frederick County said in mid-September that it had not yet been completed. (Maryland Department of Legislative Services, 2025; Maryland General Assembly, Oct. 25, 2026; Frederick County Executive, Sept. 14, 2026) The Next Generation Energy Act of 2025 required each utility to file a separate large-load rate schedule by Sept. 1, 2026 so other customers do not carry the cost of serving them; the Utility RELIEF Act (HB 1532, Chapter 353 of 2026) lowered the large-load threshold from 100 MW to 25 MW, ordered a Public Service Commission registry of large loads by July 1, 2027, and barred data centers in most Baltimore City tax increment financing districts. (Maryland Department of Legislative Services, 2026; Maryland General Assembly, Oct. 25, 2026) Maryland data centers →