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Maryland C-PACE financing guidance

Maryland — C-PACE background, administration and local applicability

Research as of October 28, 2026. Status: active, locally enabled; not automatically available everywhere. Maryland has a multi-jurisdiction MDPACE platform and two independently administered county programs. Crucially, Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) assumed direct MDPACE administration in September 2025; older references to Abacus or PACE Financial Servicing describe earlier arrangements, not the current lead. MCEC transition announcement, December 2, 2025

Local evidence first. Financing availability is not assumed.

History: law, adoption and launch are different events

  • 2009 enabling law: HB 1567, Chapter 743, authorized local clean-energy loan programs, property-tax surcharges and assumption by subsequent owners. This was enabling authority, not proof of an operating commercial program in every county. Maryland General Assembly bill record
  • 2014 commercial financing framework: SB 186, Chapter 472, authorized private commercial lenders and, with mortgage/deed-of-trust holder consent, local tax-bill collection and lien treatment. Enacted chapter
  • October 2015 MDPACE launch: MCEC's FY2016 report explicitly dates the launch to October 2015, in partnership with PACE Financial Servicing. Its July 2016 adoption counts were historical, not present coverage. MCEC FY2016 annual report, p.13
  • 2016 amendment: Chapter 534 removed the earlier 100-kW renewable-generation cap, effective October 1, 2016. Do not carry that obsolete cap forward. Enacted SB 173
  • 2021 expansion: HB 517 became Chapter 441, addressing remediation and resiliency. Legislative history
  • 2025–26 administrative change: Abacus was still described as administrator in July 2025; MCEC took over in September. Current linked guidelines are Version 2.1, April 2026, updating Version 2.0 from July 2022 for accessibility and MCEC administration. July 2025 announcement, current guidelines

Who is responsible, and where

Who is responsible, and where
RouteResponsible organizations and verified availability
MDPACEMCEC is sponsor and current administrator. Its live participating-localities page lists 17 jurisdictions: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico. The source misspells Harford as “Hardford.”
Montgomery CountyMontgomery County Green Bank manages day-to-day administration under a county MOU beginning January 2021, extended through December 2026. County Finance/Environmental Protection retain county responsibilities. Updated county guidelines were approved November 2025. The March 13, 2026 county report says no new loans originated in calendar 2025, which is not the same as program closure.
Prince George's CountyFSC First is the county program manager/fund manager. County Bill CB-029-2018 was enacted July 24, 2018, effective September 24, 2018. Its program is independent of MDPACE.

Sources: MCEC locality roster, Montgomery 2025 annual report transmitted March 2026, Prince George's enacted bill, FSC First current program.

MCEC's current contact channel is the MDPACE inquiry form. Its June 2026 announcement identifies Kathy Magruder as executive director. Administrators review eligibility; capital providers supply financing; county tax officials impose/collect the surcharge. These are different roles. MCEC June 2026 transaction announcement

Property, improvements and repayment

The state statute defines commercial property to include nonresidential property and residential property with more than four dwelling units. Authorized categories encompass energy/water efficiency, renewables, remediation and resilience. Express mortgage/deed-of-trust holder consent enables private-loan collection on the tax bill; an unpaid surcharge becomes a property lien when payable, with statutory tax-lien procedures. A purchaser assumes the surcharge obligation. Maryland Local Government Article §§1-1101–1105

MDPACE's 2026 guide includes nonprofit properties with an SDAT tax ID; government-owned property is generally excluded, with limited ground-lease circumstances. Existing buildings, adaptive reuse and new construction can qualify. Improvements must be permanently affixed. The program minimum is $50,000, not a $100,000 maximum; local rules and underwriting still apply. MDPACE guide §§3.3–3.4

The workflow is pre-application, project analysis/technical review and capital-provider selection, mortgage consent, final application/local review, execution and recording of the levy/lien documents, financing close, installation/completion documentation and surcharge servicing. The guide describes nonacceleration and property transfer, and identifies extra consent requirements in Carroll (mechanic lienholders) and Dorchester (all other lienholders). MDPACE guide §§6–8

Local applicability, resilience and code/permit verification

MDPACE 2.0 is not a blanket statewide switch. MCEC says each participating county must amend its agreement, ordinance and levy/lien document; older rules can remain in use until adoption. Obtain that county's operative package before using the new guide. Montgomery's independent November 2025 guidelines and Prince George's independent requirements must not be replaced by MDPACE defaults. MCEC local adoption instructions

State-authorized resilience examples include flood/stormwater mitigation, fire/wind resistance, inundation adaptation, charging infrastructure and storage; remediation includes indoor air/water quality, asbestos, lead and mold. A coastal or flood-exposed location alone does not establish eligibility. Match the measure to the operative local ordinance and technical review, then separately verify applicable building/energy/floodplain permits and any historic-review conditions for the parcel. This research does not establish a parcel-specific code edition or permit approval. Statutory definitions

Prince George's adds a local-spending plan and a best-efforts 35% contracting goal covering specified county/minority business categories; it is not a guarantee of an award. FSC First currently advertises financing up to 20% of appraised value—do not apply that county figure to all Maryland projects. County enactment, FSC First

Known projects: verified financing is not a grant or proof of completion

Known projects: verified financing is not a grant or proof of completion
Project / localityDate, type and financingEvidence/status distinction
Marriott Downtown Frederick at Carroll Creek, 20 S. Carroll Street, Frederick$43 million C-PACE, Nuveen; closing announced May 13, 2026; new 204-room hotel, efficiency/water measuresExplicitly closed financing, first transaction after MCEC direct takeover; project still described as development. Do not call hotel completed from this announcement. MCEC
The Plaza / One Calvert Plaza, 201 E. Baltimore Street, Baltimore City$15.75 million, Bayview PACE; closing announced June 30, 2026; office-to-student-housing conversion, 254 bedsFinancing closed; August 1 occupancy was a forward-looking statement in that release, not independently verified completion here. MCEC
The Paramount, Baltimore CityJuly 31, 2025 MCEC announcement; concert venue; $26 million C-PACE principal confirmed by NuveenFinancing closed mid-construction; not then complete. MCEC calls it 82,000 sq.ft.; lender says 88,000 sq.ft.—area discrepancy unresolved. MCEC, Nuveen lender announcement
Wildwood Medical Center, Bethesda$638,849 C-PACE, medical officeCounty portfolio records completion February 21, 2018. County annual report, p.2
Rockville Motel Associates, reported by county as Bethesda$1,611,899 C-PACE, commercial/hospitalityCounty records completion October 28, 2020; retain its reported city rather than infer city from the borrower name. County report
Unitarian Universalists Church of Silver Spring$965,000 C-PACE, nonprofit/faith-basedIn portfolio at December 2025; first surcharge September 30, 2025; county completion date explicitly N/A. County report

Next steps and exact gaps

  1. Resolve property jurisdiction first; obtain signed current ordinance/agreement and guideline version, not only a statewide list.
  2. Verify county-specific resilience categories, consent, underwriting, fees, billing calendar and permitting with current documents before quoting an offer.
  3. Confirm Montgomery's management arrangement after December 2026 when relevant; do not assume automatic renewal.
  4. Nuveen's first-party announcement resolves Paramount's principal at $26 million; reconcile the 82,000 versus 88,000 sq.ft. descriptions. Obtain current completion evidence for the 2026 projects.
  5. MCEC's landing page displays an apparent $50,000–$100,000 range inconsistent with its current guide and $43 million deal; use the dated guide, not that apparent web-copy error. The live individual-section MGA statute viewer returned only a shell; the official full-article statutory text was readable.

This is an evidence-backed research brief, not a legal opinion, financing commitment or guarantee of savings.

Continue your project research

Compare the national C-PACE financing structure; Organize state and local project requirements; Prepare a commercial-building improvement scope. This page provides guidance only; it does not accept an application or submit information to a provider.

References

  1. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MCEC transition announcement, December 2, 2025. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/news/mcec-assumes-leadership-of-c-pace-program/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  2. www.mgaleg.maryland.gov (n.d.) Maryland General Assembly bill record. Available at: https://www.mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Search/Legislation?target=%2F2009rs%2Fbillfile%2FHB1567.htm (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  3. mgaleg.maryland.gov (n.d.) Enacted chapter. Available at: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2014RS/chapters_noln/Ch_472_sb0186T.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  4. mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MCEC FY2016 annual report, p.13. Available at: https://mdcleanenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MCEC-Annual-Report-FY2016.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  5. www.mgaleg.maryland.gov (n.d.) Enacted SB 173. Available at: https://www.mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/chapters_noln/Ch_534_sb0173T.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  6. mgaleg.maryland.gov (n.d.) Legislative history. Available at: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/legislation/details/hb0517?ys=2021RS (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  7. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) July 2025 announcement. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/news/mdpace-paramount-abacus/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  8. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) current guidelines. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MDPACE_ProgramGuidelines_REV.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  9. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MCEC locality roster. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/programs/participating-localities/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  10. www.montgomerycountymd.gov (n.d.) Montgomery 2025 annual report transmitted March 2026. Available at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/BONDS/Resources/Files/C-PACE%20FY26%20Annual%20Report.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  11. princegeorgescountymd.legistar.com (n.d.) Prince George's enacted bill. Available at: https://princegeorgescountymd.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?FullText=1&GUID=F18F309E-570F-4DEF-B601-C9D59C701DEC&ID=3531270&Options=&Search= (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  12. fscfirst.com (n.d.) FSC First current program. Available at: https://fscfirst.com/learn/programs/commercial-property-assessment-for-clean-energy/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  13. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MDPACE inquiry form. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/programs/contact-mdpace/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  14. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MCEC June 2026 transaction announcement. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/news/msu-mdpace/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  15. mgaleg.maryland.gov (n.d.) Maryland Local Government Article §§1-1101–1105. Available at: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2027RS/Statute_Web/glg/glg.html (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  16. www.mdcleanenergy.org (n.d.) MCEC. Available at: https://www.mdcleanenergy.org/news/mdpace-frederick-marriott/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  17. www.linkedin.com (n.d.) Nuveen lender announcement. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nuveen-green-capital_cpace-activity-7357061846975012864-qYkB (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.

Written by VERADUCT Editorial. Herve Drompt, VERADUCT Owner — publication authorized; not professional or legal review. Page version 1.0.1. Publication authorization is not professional, legal or scientific peer review.