HB 870 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Environment - Permit Applications for New Buildings - Notice (Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act)

HB 870, the "Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act," requires new construction of large commercial and multifamily residential buildings (over 35,000 square feet) to meet specific energy conservation standards set by the Maryland Department of Labor. The bill defines "covered buildings" to include most large commercial structures and state-owned buildings, but excludes historic properties, schools, manufacturing facilities, and agricultural buildings. It mandates that adopted energy conservation requirements must be at least as stringent as the International Energy Conservation Code, with the state allowed to set stricter standards to improve efficiency. The law also establishes clear definitions for terms like "energy conservation measure" to guide implementation and ensure consistency.

Issues: ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 4, 2026 Signed May 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

First - Maryland Building Performance Standards - Energy Conservation Requirements (Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act) → Third - Environment - Permit Applications for New Buildings - Notice (Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand the list of sponsors and update the bill's title to reflect a new requirement for counties and municipalities to notify the Department of the Environment about permit applications for large new buildings. The text of the law was reorganized to add a new section mandating that local governments provide specific details about proposed large buildings to the state department within 10 business days of accepting a permit application, while also updating the repeal and reenactment instructions to align with the correct legal articles and volumes.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include a new notification requirement for counties and municipalities regarding large new building permit applications, shifting some administrative responsibilities from the state department to local jurisdictions.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for counties and municipalities to notify the Department of the Environment within 10 business days of accepting a permit application for new buildings with 35,000 square feet or more of gross floor area.

Specified that the required notice must include the building address, permit number, total square footage, building type, planned energy sources, and owner contact information.

ELIGIBILITY

Updated the list of bill sponsors to include additional delegates (Boafo, Behler, Boyce, Foley, J. Long, Lewis, and Stein) in addition to the original sponsors.

DEFINITION

Reorganized the definitions section to move the 'Covered building' definition to a new subsection (e) and removed the definition for 'Energy conservation measure' which was not included in the new text.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's title to 'Environment - Permit Applications for New Buildings - Notice' and corrected the repeal and reenactment instructions to reference the correct Annotated Code of Maryland volumes and articles.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 25, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 7, 2026

How they voted

40–9

Passed

Total votes 49

Mar 25, 2026

D Democratic36

36 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican13

4 Yea 9 Nay

69% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 12, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 412

executive

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Returned Passed

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Adopted

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (40-9)

senate

Mar 20, 2026

Committee

Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation

lower

Mar 7, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (93-37-12)

house of delegates

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

First Reading Environment and Transportation

lower

8 primary · 0 co-sponsors