Solar permitting — Howard County, Maryland
On file: public meetings, local news, known opposition groups.
Wealthiest MD county; dense suburban growth; agricultural preservation program restricts utility-scale; limite. Permitting: County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permi; 150-ft max / 1…
Key driver: Wealthiest MD county; dense suburban growth; agricultural preservation program restricts utility-scale; limited available land; community solar and commercial active
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permit in applicable zoning district.
Setbacks & buffers
50 ft from property lines
Spacing requirements
None codified
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
Local county zoning permit: conditional use or special exception at county level; no uniform statewide solar permitting standard. PPRP (Power Plant Research Program, MD DNR): environmental review for generating facilities ≥70 MW; PSC CPCN required for projects ≥70 MW. Projects <70 MW: county-level permitting only. No statewide preemption of local solar ordinances. Net metering: systems up to 2 MW (residential up to 2× annual load). All MD in PJM territory. Maryland has the largest solar carve-out in the U.S. at 14.5% by 2028 (MD Code, PUC §7-703).
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
50% by 2030 (14.5% solar carve-out) | Clean Energy Jobs Act (2019) + CESA (2022) | Md. Code Ann. PUA §7-703
State incentive programs
Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS): 50% by 2030; solar carve-out 14.5% by 2028 — drives strong SREC demand. Maryland SREC market: PSC-administered; ~$50-80/SREC 2023-2024 for Tier 1 Maryland SRECs. Maryland Solar Access Program (Brighter Tomorrow Act 2024): $750/kW up to $7,500 for income-qualifying residential customers. Maryland Community Solar: community solar program active statewide. Maryland PSC: approval required for utility-owned solar; IPP projects via county/local process. Utility: BGE (Eversource) serves Baltimore metro; Pepco serves Montgomery/PG County; Delmarva Power serves Eastern Shore; SMECO serves Southern MD; Potomac Edison (FirstEnergy) serves western MD.
Grid & interconnection
PJM / BGE (Exelon) transmission zone
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- Howard County's data center moratorium inches closer to reality Data center
- Howard County implements moratorium on data center ... Data center
- Howard County Approves Data Center Moratorium and Task Force Legislation Data center
- Howard County commissioners OK 180-day moratorium on battery energy storage systems Storage
- Howard County Council unanimously approves temporary ban on data center development Data center
- Support Community Solar in Howard County Solar
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- Project track record
- Developer intelligence
- Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.
- OtherSolar
Local governments in Howard, MD will have a standard process for reviewing solar energy systems under 5 MW.
- OtherSolar
The Agricultural Preservation Board will review applications for commercial solar facilities on land with a Howard County Agricultural Land Preservation Program easement.
- OtherSolar
Howard County Executive proposes changes to zoning regulations to allow more solar projects.
- OtherSolar
The Agricultural Preservation Board provides information on the procedure for submitting a Commercial Solar Facilities Conditional Use Petition.
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-08-28 Maryland Data Center Debate Intensifies As Local Rules Diverge
- 2026-03-13 State Roundup Lawmakers Tackle Moores Budget 1 4B Shortfall Sweeping Energy Reform Bill Heads To House Floor Sewage Overflows Lead To…
- 2026-03-05 As Data Centers Multiply Marylands Power Grid Struggles To Keep Up
- 2026-01-23 Calvin Ball Howard Solar
- 2025-09-04 Senate Pres Bill Ferguson Faces Heat Over Energy Company Ties There Is A Solar Grift
- 2025-08-08 State Roundup Another Purple Line Problem Floods Apartments States Scramble To Complete Renewable Energy Projects Oc Challenges Wind Permit…
- 2025-08-05 Farmers Concernedmaryland Solar Law
- 2025-08-05 Albert Pike Statue Reinstalled Trump Nuclear Reactor Moon
- 2025-08-05 Why Farmers Concerned Solar Legislation 045441312
- 2025-07-17 Howard County Farm Becomes Net Zero Energy Facility
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