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Delegates back statewide permit database bill to standardize housing‑permit data across large counties
Summary
Delegate Sarah Wallach proposed HB 1193 to require large counties to report standardized building‑permit and net housing data to the Maryland Department of Planning and to publish an interactive, searchable statewide database.
Delegate Sarah Wallach asked the committee to move HB 1193, the Maryland Housing Data Transparency Act, which would require counties with more than 150,000 residents to report standardized building‑permit and housing‑pipeline data to the Maryland Department of Planning and publish it on a public, searchable platform.
Wallach described the bill as an extension of 2024 reporting requirements and said current statewide public data aggregated on the state's site does not distinguish housing types (single‑family, duplexes, triplexes, apartments). She said the lack of standardized, centralized data complicates policy decisions about what and where to build, infrastructure planning and progress toward housing goals.
Supporters included housing advocates, building industry groups and local residents who said more accurate pipeline data would help counties, state agencies and private developers coordinate decisions, identify permitting bottlenecks and track net supply by housing type. Chuck Boyd of the Department of Planning said the department has run a voluntary pilot and could implement the model but would need staff and technical resources to scale it; he described automated monthly uploads as feasible for jurisdictions that already export permit data to state systems.
Opposition concerns (initially voiced by the Maryland Municipal League) focused on whether the bill would apply to municipalities; the sponsor said an amendment clarifying the bill applies to counties only was expected and that the MML would withdraw opposition after that change.
Why it matters: supporters said shared, machine‑readable permit and net housing data will give policymakers actionable information to address housing shortages, target infrastructure investment and analyze the types of housing in the development pipeline.
Discussion and next steps: the Department of Planning said it has a multi‑year pilot and can provide technical detail but needs dedicated resources; sponsors and stakeholders said an amendment to limit the bill to counties would resolve municipal concerns. No committee vote is recorded in the hearing transcript.
