Overview
- The Harford County Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass emergency Bill 26-011 and County Executive Bob Cassilly signed the measure Wednesday to make the ban effective immediately.
- The ordinance bars new data-center construction anywhere in the county and was driven by a proposed project at Mountain Branch Golf Course that prompted weeks of public hearings.
- Dozens of residents told the council they feared heavy water use, large electricity demand, higher utility bills, heat and noise impacts, and harm to property values if large-scale data centers were allowed.
- The Maryland Tech Council and other industry voices warned the broad ban is legally vulnerable, urged the county to seek an Attorney General opinion, and said the law could invite litigation and lost economic opportunities.
- Critics noted the bill’s vague wording does not clearly distinguish hyperscale facilities from smaller telecommunications sites already operating in Harford County, creating a likely point of legal challenge and uncertainty for existing infrastructure.