Howard County Council unanimously approves temporary ban on data center development
The Howard County Council has unanimously approved a temporary ban on data center development until November 2, 2027. This action follows a proposed data center development and aims to allow a newly established task force to define data centers and recommend necessary zoning changes. Howard County joins other Maryland counties in implementing similar limitations.
The Howard County Council has unanimously enacted a temporary moratorium on data center development, effective until November 2, 2027. This decision, made on Monday, places a proposed data center project in Howard County on hold and aligns the county with Baltimore, Frederick, and Prince George's counties, which have also implemented similar limitations on data center construction.
While Howard County currently hosts several smaller data-processing centers, there are no existing plans for large-scale, campus-style data centers that have typically faced significant community opposition elsewhere. The approved legislation mandates the creation of a task force charged with defining what constitutes a data center and proposing specific county zoning changes.
The ban's duration is set to expire by November 2, 2027, but could conclude earlier if the task force achieves its objectives or if the rezoning process is finalized before the scheduled date.