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Baltimore County, MD Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Noise Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Noise standard
COMAR 26.02.03.02
County noise chapter
Baltimore County Code Art. 17, Title 3
Applies in
R.C.5 Zone only
Landscaping tie-in
Buffer required next to residential use
Governing section
BCZR § 443.1.F

Summary

A data center or energy storage device built under BCZR § 443.1 must comply with all state and local noise rules, including Maryland's COMAR 26.02.03.02 environmental noise standards and Article 17, Title 3 of the Baltimore County Code. The noise duty applies on top of the section's own setback, height and landscaping requirements.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Baltimore County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

F.Noise. A data center or energy storage device developed under this section shall comply with all state and local noise ordinances and regulations, as set forth in COMAR 26.02.03.02. and Article 17, Title 3 of the Baltimore County Code.G.Conflicts. If there is a conflict between the provisions of this section and any other provisions of these zoning regulations, the provisions of this section shall govern.H.Applicability. This section applies only to a data center or energy storage device in the R.C.5 Zone.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29 | Zoning Regulations: Supplement 10).

Full Breakdown

Section 443, adopted by Bill No. 5 Zone. 02, Maryland's environmental noise standard, and Article 17, Title 3 of the Baltimore County Code, the county's own noise ordinance chapter, as the two bodies of law that govern. G makes this section control over any conflicting zoning provision, a data center cannot rely on any other part of the zoning regulations to avoid the noise duty. The noise standard sits alongside the section's landscaping requirement in Subsection E, which requires a buffer around any data center or energy storage building that adjoins residentially zoned or used property, reinforcing that the county expects these facilities, mechanical equipment included, to be screened and quieted where they meet a residential neighbor.

5 Zone; a facility outside that zone is not governed by these noise, setback or landscaping standards and would instead need review under whatever regulations apply to its actual zoning classification.

Violations & Fines

A data center or energy storage device that exceeds the noise limits set by COMAR 26.02.03.02 or Article 17, Title 3 of the county code is out of compliance with BCZR § 443.1.F, and because § 443.1.G makes the section's own terms control, the facility cannot claim a competing zoning provision as a defense. Baltimore County's noise ordinance under Article 17, Title 3 carries its own enforcement and citation process, administered separately from the zoning permit for the facility itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What noise rules apply to a data center in Baltimore County?
BCZR § 443.1.F requires the facility to comply with all state and local noise ordinances, specifically citing COMAR 26.02.03.02, Maryland's environmental noise regulation, and Article 17, Title 3 of the Baltimore County Code, the county's own noise ordinance.
Does the noise rule apply to data centers countywide?
No. Section 443.1.H limits the entire section, noise duty included, to data centers and energy storage devices located in the R.C.5 Zone; facilities elsewhere fall under whatever standard zoning and noise rules apply to that district instead.
Can a data center get around the noise rule by citing another zoning section?
No. Section 443.1.G makes this section control over any conflicting provision elsewhere in the zoning regulations, so the noise requirement in Subsection F cannot be displaced by a more permissive standard found elsewhere in the code.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Baltimore County

All Baltimore County rules

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