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Data centers in Howard County, Maryland: 1 project mapped
New data centers are on hold in Howard County until November 2, 2027. The County Council voted unanimously on June 1, 2026, for the S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act, which bars new data center construction and stops the county from accepting applications; it can end sooner if the council adopts new rules from an 11-member task force. Existing and already-approved data centers are not affected.
The county already has a few. The largest is on Eternal Rings Drive in Laurel, with another under way at the same site; the University of Maryland Medical System has one in Columbia, and Cogent Communications runs one on Race Road in Elkridge. Together data centers paid the county about $552,000 in the 2025 tax year.
The sponsor, Council Vice Chair Christiana Rigby, said the county's data center zoning dates to 1993 and the pause gives the council elected in November time to vote on the task force's ideas. "We're not looking at just a ban for a ban's sake," she said. The Sierra Club backed the pause, while NAIOP Maryland, a commercial real estate group, warned it "sends a negative market signal that may not be easily reversed." Two of the task force seats go to building trades unions.
Data center projects on record in Howard County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Laurel1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eternal Rings Data CenterLaurel | GI Partners | Not reported |
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.