Howard County MD S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act data center moratorium (2026)
Howard County, MD — Council Bill 31-2026, the S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act: Data Center Moratorium Through November 2, 2027 (June 1, 2026)
Howard County, MD · Howard Cnty., Md. Council Bill 31-2026 (S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act) (June 1, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- November 2, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking to build in Howard County; Howard County planning and permitting agencies.
- Enforced by
- Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning / Howard County Council
Howard County unanimously passed Council Bill 31-2026 on June 1, 2026 — the S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act, where S.M.A.R.T. stands for Strategic Moratorium for Assessing Responsible Technology. It halts development of new data centers in Howard County through November 2, 2027, roughly a 17-month pause. The Act does not just stop development; it sets up the work that is meant to replace it, creating a SMART Data Center Task Force charged with defining and reviewing best practices for how data centers should be built and operated in the county and issuing a final report recommending siting and location standards. The county began seeking applicants for the task force in July 2026. Howard County sits between Baltimore and Washington along the I-95 corridor, and its action was part of a Maryland county wave through 2026 that also took in Montgomery, Prince George's, Baltimore City, Calvert and Queen Anne's.
Who is protected: Howard County residents and landowners, through a moratorium on new data center development lasting until November 2027 while a dedicated task force develops siting and operating standards.
Legal detail
Howard County, Md. Council Bill 31-2026, the Strategic Moratorium for Assessing Responsible Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) Siting Act, passed unanimously June 1, 2026. Imposes a moratorium on development of new data centers in Howard County through November 2, 2027. Institutional component: establishes the SMART Data Center Task Force, mandated to define and review best practices for data center construction and operation in the county and to issue a final report recommending siting and location standards — so the moratorium's end date is tied to a deliverable rather than being a bare pause. Recruitment for task force members opened July 6, 2026. The bill text is published by the County Council at cc.howardcountymd.gov (CB031-2026.pdf) and the task force has a standing page under the Council's commissions and task forces listing.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Howard County, MD |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | June 1, 2026 |
| Citation | Howard Cnty., Md. Council Bill 31-2026 (S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act) (June 1, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | New data center development is not permitted during the moratorium period |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| Agency page | SMART (Strategic Moratorium for Assessing Responsible Technology) Data Center Task Force — County Council of Howard County, Maryland |
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
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