Montgomery County, Maryland
Maryland county advancing an 18-month data-centre moratorium and 25 MW zoning cap.
Last refreshed: 25 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Will Montgomery County's 25 MW cap become Maryland's blueprint for data-centre limits?
Timeline for Montgomery County, Maryland
Advanced an 18-month moratorium and a 25 MW zoning cap
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Maryland county caps campuses at 25 MWBackground
Montgomery County council committees advanced an 18-month moratorium on new data-centre construction and a 25 MW zoning cap on aggregate monthly electricity demand on 22 July 2026, the first Maryland jurisdiction to act, with a full council vote scheduled for 28 July. The committee move followed County Executive Marc Elrich's June executive order barring the permitting department from accepting or processing new data-centre applications.
Montgomery County is Maryland's most populous county, a Washington DC exurb of around 1.05 million people seated in Rockville. Historically built around federal employment, biotech and light industry, it has faced a wave of data-centre proposals as AI-driven demand for computing capacity has pushed developers into DC-adjacent jurisdictions with grid access.
As the first Maryland county to formally cap data-centre size, Montgomery County's moratorium is being watched as a possible template for other exurban jurisdictions weighing zoning limits against grid strain and local opposition.