Maryland: data centers & your electric bill
The numbers residents cite at hearings — grid, water, and regulator contacts for Maryland, from the free GridWatch toolkit.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Maryland.
As of July 2026 · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
Your regulator
Maryland Public Service Commission — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Maryland electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Pushback already happening in Maryland
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore City | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-06-16 | CB 26-0158: 1 year, facilities drawing 10 MW or more; 9-month impact study | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Prince George's County | Local | Enactedexpires 2028-07-07 | 2-year pause on hyperscale data centers — the longest in Maryland. Bars the planning department from considering applications until the council passes regulations. Three members abstained; one voted no | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Baltimore County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-01-01 | 1-year, passed unanimously; runs no later than Jan 1, 2027. A 6-month extension was being introduced in Aug 2026 with a bipartisan majority and the county executive behind it | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Montgomery County | Local | Enactedexpires 2028-01-28 | 18-month moratorium approved unanimously, alongside limits on data center development | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Ridgely | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-08-31 | 1-year moratorium; part of an Eastern Shore wave of local action after a controversial Federalsburg data center proposal | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Harford County | Local | Enacted | Permanent ban — first MD county to permanently ban data centers, unanimous. A single hyperscale facility could double the county's residential electricity demand. Legal challenges anticipated | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Howard County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-11-02 | 17-month moratorium (S.M.A.R.T. Act), unanimous. Expires Nov 2 2027 or when zoning amendment passes. Task force of up to 11 appointees studying impacts. Existing zoning dates to 1993 | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Carroll County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-02-19 | 12-month moratorium to study economic and environmental impacts and propose regulations | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Queen Anne's County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-29 | 12-month moratorium, effective immediately. Part of the Eastern Shore moratorium wave after the Federalsburg data center proposal | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Caroline County | Local | Enacted | 1-year moratorium in unincorporated areas. Part of the Eastern Shore moratorium wave | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Dorchester County | Local | Enacted | 1-year moratorium. Part of the Eastern Shore moratorium cluster | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Talbot County | Local | Proposed | 1-year moratorium resolution introduced; public comment hearing scheduled Sep 8. Not yet enacted | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Garrett County | Local | Enacted | Data center moratorium; western Maryland county | Unverified |
As of August 2026 · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
Every data center already built in Maryland
GridWatch does not yet track a named hyperscale campus in Maryland, but that does not mean the state has none. DataCenterMap keeps a public directory of existing facilities — street addresses included — for Maryland.
Browse the Maryland directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
Latest Maryland data center news
Video coverage mentioning Maryland
State municipal league: Maryland Municipal League
A data center was proposed near you?
The free toolkit walks you through it in five steps: who's really behind the LLC, what it costs your community, what to do this week, and a downloadable action pack — speech, letters, flyer, and CBA targets included.