Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said his administration has submitted legislation to permanently ban data centers in Harford County.
The bill is a response to talk of a Harford County Council moratorium on data centers and the feeling among residents who want Harford County to create zoning classifications and guardrails surrounding data centers that might be proposed in the future.
“Over the last year, my administration has been approached by parties interested in bringing data centers to Harford County,” Cassilly said. “We have carefully researched the impacts these facilities have had on communities across the country, and it is clear that Data Centers are not appropriate for Harford County.”
He is not the only official concerned. Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen wants a one-year ban on data centers, and Baltimore County Council member Pat Young also proposed a freeze.
Cassilly said in a press release that his administration became concerned about data center guidelines after Harford County Council President Patrick S. Vincenti’s invitation to a data center advocacy group to present before the County Council. Cassilly is also worried about the council’s proposed moratorium legislation because it could provide a pathway for future efforts to formally authorize data centers with zoning code amendments.
“The discussion surrounding the moratorium bill created what many residents viewed as the opening of Pandora’s Box,” Cassilly said. “When Councilman Bennett, the sponsor, publicly stated that the moratorium is to give county officials time to research those facilities and draft legislation to regulate them, it became clear that stronger action was necessary. Rather than creating a legislative pathway for these projects, my administration is proposing to ban them outright.”
Cassilly’s administration is concerned about the impacts of data centers’ massive energy consumption, the pressure on infrastructure, environmental impacts, noise, water usage, and incompatibility with Harford County’s quality of life. Maryland’s green energy policies have already made it difficult to produce in-state energy, and Cassilly is concerned data centers would make it even harder.
Maryland overall is already behind on its environmental goals, according to a January 2026 University of Maryland report. Data from the university’s Center for Global Sustainability showed that Maryland would only reduce globe-warming emissions 42% from 2006 levels by 2031. The goal mandated by law is 60%.
Three years earlier, the same researchers had the state’s carbon emissions reduced by 50%– still short of the 60% goal, but closer than the current 42%. They attribute the backslide in environmental progress to regressive policy changes from President Donald Trump’s administration, which rolled back electric vehicle rules and climate and renewable energy funding.
As for Harford County as of now, data centers are not legal within the Harford County Zoning Code. The legislation Cassilly submitted to the County Council would codify a permanent ban so that data centers could not be approved “administratively or through future interpretation of the zoning code,” according to the press release.
“My priority is protecting the citizens of Harford County by ensuring future growth aligns with the health, welfare, values and expectations of our residents,” Cassilly said. “This legislation sends a clear message that Harford County is not interested in becoming a regional hub for data center development.”
