Executive order
On September 3, 2025, Governor Wes Moore signed the
Housing Starts Here executive order. This order aims to address Maryland’s affordable housing crisis by accelerating housing production across the state.
The order directs state executive-branch departments and agencies to:
- Identify surplus state-owned land suitable for housing.
- Improve procedures and processing timelines for permit and funding applications.
- Improve coordination between agencies to bring more housing to market faster.
- Establish housing production targets and incentives for local jurisdictions.
Housing production targets
The executive order directs the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to publish housing production targets by
Janualy 1, 2026, and every five years thereafter.
Housing production targets will be set for
- The State of Maryland
- Each county
- Each municipality that exercises planning or zoning authority
By establishing housing production targets, DHCD will:
- Create benchmarks to measure progress toward eliminating Maryland’s housing shortage.
- Encourage local jurisdictions to take action to meet this goal.
Based on DHCD's current data, Maryland must double its housing production rate over the next five years to meet forecasted population needs. To track this effort, DHCD will publish an annual report that includes:
- An assessment of progress toward housing production targets.
- Guidance for local jurisdictions to increase building.
Permits and funding for affordable housing
The executive order addresses costs and delays in state permitting processes. The order directs state agencies that issue housing construction permits to implement faster processing procedures by
March 1, 2026.
Agencies that issue permits related to housing construction are also required to:
- Fully digitize permit applications and fee payments by March 1, 2026.
- Develop policies to increase predictability and transparency related to housing construction permit applications.
- Designate a senior contact for coordination and efficient processing of housing construction permits.
The order also requires DHCD to:
- Create and implement a
plan for faster distribution of funding for affordable multifamily housing development.
- Designate a State Housing Ombudsman to act as a liaison to help coordinate and accelerate permitting processes. They will serve as a primary contact for state agencies, local governments, developers, and stakeholders. Contact information for the State Housing Ombudsman will be available soon.
Housing on state-owned land and near transit
The executive order directs state agencies to create and implement policies to build housing on suitable state-owned land. This unlocks more opportunities to build housing where it is needed.
The order:
- Directs DHCD and the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop strategies to implement their
Interagency Agreement on Transit-Oriented Development. This agreement aims to:
- Increase the production of housing near transit stations, including on MDOT-owned land.
- Help reduce sprawl, traffic, and pollution.
- Provide residents with enhanced access to opportunity.
- Directs DHCD and MDOT to coordinate funding and investment. They must also work with local jurisdictions to support
transit-oriented development.
- Directs DHCD and the Department of General Services (DGS) to work with other state agencies to identify surplus state-owned land suitable for housing. DHCD and DGS have been collaborating with other agencies to create a database of suitable properties.
Local governments interested in State-owned land being developed for housing under the executive order may send a letter to:
- DGS Secretary Chaudhry
- DHCD Secretary Day
- The secretary of the agency that owns the land.
Housing leadership awards
The executive order directs DHCD Secretary Jake Day to establish an annual Maryland Housing Leadership Award to recognize local jurisdictions that:
- Are either on track to meet or exceed their housing production targets.
- Enact policies or legislation that significantly promote the development of more housing.
Jurisdictions that receive this award will be eligible for bonus points on applications for DHCD funding. This incentive encourages local governments to implement pro-housing reforms that fit their needs.
More information on the Maryland Housing Leadership Award will be published in the future.
