Frederick County, MD Data Center Zoning — Maryland Supreme Court Blocks Referendum

The Maryland Supreme Court ruled June 30, 2026 that Frederick County's December 2025 approval of a 2,600-acre 'critical digital infrastructure overlay zone' for data centers is not subject to a citizen referendum under the county charter, upholding a lower court and blocking a ballot question more than 21,000 residents had petitioned for. The court also found the proposed ballot question itself legally deficient (unclear map depiction, incomplete ordinance text).

Technical detail

Maryland Supreme Court decision, 2026-06-30, affirming a Frederick County Circuit Court ruling that the county's December 2025 zoning ordinance creating a critical digital infrastructure overlay zone (CDI-OZ, ~2,600 acres, concentrating data centers north of Adamstown) is not referendum-eligible under the county charter. Written opinion was pending at publication. Justice Joseph Getty: public-hearing referendum efforts run 'like 500 steps behind' once land is secured and zoning negotiated. Distinct from the separately-tracked (placeholder) Frederick County 'Data Center Conditions Ordinance' (noise/water/generator conditions, introduced May 2026) — this entry concerns only the December 2025 zoning map's referendum-immunity ruling.

Who is protected: N/A — this entry tracks a court ruling on referendum procedure, not a protection for residents.

Who must comply: N/A — procedural ruling on Frederick County's own zoning process.

Key facts

Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere

• Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
• Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
• Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
• Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
• WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
• Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect