With the 2026 legislative session now in the rearview mirror, several major bills deserve a closer look. Lawmakers faced a series of consequential and time-sensitive issues this year, forcing difficult decisions that will carry lasting implications for Maryland residents, counties, and the state’s broader policy landscape. 

Energy policy, in particular, took center stage. With affordability serving as the watchword of the session, there was intense focus on what the General Assembly would do to address rising utility bills and build on its 2025 energy work. The result is a significantly altered energy landscape, with new policies aimed at encouraging additional generation and delivering some measure of relief to ratepayers. 

Unlike 2025, when the General Assembly enacted three major energy bills, 2026 produced one sweeping omnibus measure: HB 1532, the Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act. While much of HB 1532 does not directly affect county governments, there are two major components that local leaders should have on their radar. Over the next few articles, we will break down those sections, why they matter, and what questions may remain moving forward. 

Part I: Rooftop Solar 

Relevant language: Page 25, line 24 through page 29, line 21. 

Under the Brighter Tomorrow Act of 2024, any county that required a permit for the installation of rooftop solar was directed to adopt automated solar permitting software to help speed the review and approval of applications.  

The Utility RELIEF Act of 2026 substantially revises that section of law. In short, it goes further in defining what counties must do, sets a firm compliance date, and now gives the Attorney General authority to seek judicial enforcement if a county fails to comply. 

Major changes 

Mandated August 2027 adoption
Counties must adopt the required software by August 1, 2027.
(Page 27, lines 14–21)

More detailed software requirements
The bill now spells out, in much more explicit terms, what local solar permitting software must be able to do. These include: 

• automate reviews for applicable building, electrical, and related code requirements. 
• producing code-compliant approvals. 
• issuing a code-compliant permit. 
• accepting online fee payments. 
• issuing revisions immediately. 
• being capable of processing the majority of residential solar energy system applications; and 
• immediately notifying the county when a permit is issued.

(Page 26, line 19 through page 27, line 5)

Explicit exemption for historic properties
Properties listed on, or eligible for listing on, the Maryland Register of Historic Properties, as well as properties designated by a local government as historically significant, are explicitly exempt.
(Page 27, lines 7–13) 

Five-day average for in-person inspections
For counties that require in-person inspections for rooftop solar installations, those inspections must now be completed within an average of five business days. Counties must also make their average inspection times publicly available each year.
(Page 27, lines 24–30) 

Residential permitting fee capped at $500
The bill caps residential solar energy system permitting fees at $500 for projects that use the mandated software. That cap does not apply to residential energy storage systems, main electrical panel upgrades, or main electrical panel derates.
(Page 28, lines 9–22) 

Important guardrails retained
The General Assembly kept two notable protections that were in the original 2024 law: 

• counties that do not require permits for rooftop solar are exempt from these provisions; and 

• MEA must delay or suspend the mandate if the software is no longer updated or maintained, or if adequate state or federal implementation funding is unavailable.
  (Page 28, line 5 through page 29, line 4) 

Attorney General enforcement
New this year, the Attorney General is authorized to seek judicial enforcement against a county that fails to comply with this section of law.
(Page 29, lines 20–21) 

Stay Tuned for Part II

In the next article, we will examine new language directing the Power Plant Research Program, along with other state agencies, to identify 50 potential sites for large-scale energy generation and evaluate the feasibility of state-level zoning and permitting for those locations. 

Check out the Utility RELIEF Act of 2026.

Check out the Brighter Tomorrow Act of 2024. 

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives.