Maryland County Halts New Sewer Connections Due to System Overload

Anne Arundel County officials have imposed a ban on new sewer connections starting March 2, 2026, after reaching maximum capacity limits in shared systems with Baltimore. The restrictions will halt approval of new development projects until additional wastewater capacity becomes available.

Officials in Anne Arundel County have declared an immediate halt to new sewer connections beginning March 2, 2026, citing overwhelming demand on the region’s wastewater treatment systems.

The Department of Public Works issued the emergency restrictions after the county hit maximum flow limits within the Baltimore City Sewer Service Area, putting strain on aging infrastructure shared between multiple jurisdictions.

Properties that tie into the Baltimore County Patapsco Interceptor and Sewage Pumping Station will face the most significant impact from these new rules.

County officials say that while daily average flows remain within acceptable ranges, deteriorating pipes and excessive water infiltration during storms have pushed peak usage beyond what current agreements between the counties allow.

Baltimore City and Baltimore County cannot provide Anne Arundel County with additional wastewater capacity due to existing legal settlements, creating a backlog for new construction projects.

Under the emergency measures, county officials will stop approving capacity requests for any new developments in the affected service area.

The county will also pause authorization for new building permits and tenant improvements that would connect to the overloaded infrastructure.

Developers who already secured capacity allocations measured in Equivalent Dwelling Units will keep their approvals, but no new allocations will be granted during the moratorium.

County officials plan to make exceptions for properties with failing septic systems that need immediate connection to public sewer lines. Building permits requiring one or more capacity units will undergo individual review.

Construction projects and permit applications that had not received official capacity approval before the announcement must now wait indefinitely.

These stalled projects cannot move forward until the county obtains additional wastewater capacity or officials modify or remove the restrictions entirely.