Frederick County, Maryland, adopted a data-center moratorium on July 1, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.
Frederick County, Maryland, adopted a data-center zoning exclusion on December 24, 2025. Its status in this snapshot is enacted.
The records read: "Data-center moratorium running to a set end date, adopted 2026-07-01, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)." "Frederick County Council voted 5-2 on December 23, 2025 to approve the Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay Zone (CDI-OZ) map, designating approximately 2,615 acres north of Adamstown where data centers can be located. The ordinance… (datacentertracker.org)."
Details
| Action | Class | Status | Date | MW threshold | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moratorium | restriction | in force | July 1, 2026 | county-wide | Moratorium Nation (ALEA Institute) | |
| Zoning exclusion | restriction | enacted | December 24, 2025 | county-wide | datacentertracker.org |
Jurisdiction type: county. County: Frederick County. Dataset: moratorium nation. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.
Maryland context
Maryland has 18 documented local actions across 14 jurisdictions in this snapshot. At the state level, the state has a ratepayer-protection law (enacted).
A town that says no to a data center gives up local tax revenue, not jobs: one large campus pays $2M to $90M a year depending on the tax regime, against roughly 50 permanent jobs. The parent piece prices it and lists the conditions that beat a ban.