38.2

Risk Grade

Good

Wealthiest MD county; dense suburban growth; agricultural preservation program restricts utility-scale; limited available land; community solar and commercial active

Assessment Snapshot

Population

333,234

State Rank

Compliance

50%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

State floor per HB1036/SB931 (eff. Jul 1 2025): ≤100 ft from property lines; ≤150 ft from non-participating residences. No county-specific setbacks above state floor.

Zoning Mechanism

County Board of Appeals/Board of Commissioners: Special Exception or Conditional Use Permit in applicable zoning district.

Acreage Caps

None codified at county level.

Density Caps

None codified.

Spacing Rules

None codified

Size Restrictions

None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Strongly favorable politically (progressive suburb); limited utility-scale land; agricultural preservation restrictions

Basis for Assessment

Wealthiest MD county; dense suburban growth; agricultural preservation program restricts utility-scale; limited available land; community solar and commercial active

Political Risk Factors

Improving

Board Members

County Executive: Calvin Ball | D | Nov 2026. County Council: Elizabeth Walsh (D, D1), Opel Jones (D, D2), Christiana Rigby (D, D3), Deb Jung (D, D4), David Yungmann (R, D5) | Nov 2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

PJM / BGE (Exelon) transmission zone

Utilities

BGE (Exelon), Pepco (Exelon) (southern portions)

State Permitting Process

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).

State Incentives

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.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Solar development in Howard County (Columbia/Ellicott City area). BGE serves Howard County. Suburban/exurban county; commercial and some agricultural solar. Howard County environmental policies support solar.

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

No confirmed MD PSC CPCN denial or county-level rejection on record for Howard County as of Mar 2026. MD Renewable Energy Certainty Act (HB1036/SB931, eff. Jul 1 2025) limits county authority to deny ≥1 MW solar.

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Howard County, MD — Solar Development Risk Assessment