Maryland Closes Zoning Loophole for Private Immigration Detention Facilities

Policy ID

MD-LA-2026-4-28

State Response

Statewide,

Legislative Action

Detention, Federal Law Enforcement, Land Use

Short Description

Passed as an emergency measure by the Maryland House in February 2026 and signed by Governor Wes Moore, HB 1017 prohibits private companies from operating or occupying immigration detention facilities in areas not properly zoned for that use, closing a loophole that allowed detention centers to be sited without explicit local zoning authorization.

Date Adopted

04/28/2026

Updates

The bill advanced amid controversy over ICE’s purchase of a Washington County warehouse for conversion into a roughly 1,500-bed immigration detention facility; Maryland’s Attorney General separately sued to block that project over alleged environmental-review and public-notice failures.