The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program has given grant funds of $99,591 to many Maryland counties to help carry out vital services, such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and road, and search and rescue operations.  The PILT program compensates counties and local governments for non-taxable federal land in their jurisdictions.

PILT program eligibility is reserved for local governments (mostly rural counties) that contain non-taxable federal lands and provide vital services, such as public safety, housing, social services and transportation. These jurisdictions provide significant support for national parks, wildlife refuges and recreation areas throughout the year. PILT seeks to compensate them for their support and foregoing tax revenue from these federal lands.

To see which Maryland counties received grant funding from the PILT program, visit the Department of Interior’s website.