Carroll County - Green Building Property Tax Credit

The state of Maryland permits Carroll County (Md Code: Property Tax § 9-308(e)) to offer property tax credits for high performance buildings if it chooses to do so.* Carroll County has exercised this option by offering property tax credits on buildings used for business, commercial, or industrial purposes that meet certain green building standards. The tax credits apply to green buildings that meet the requisite standards and are certified as such after May 5, 2009. The tax credit sunsets June 30, 2014 and no new credits will be issued after this date. The tax credit uses the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system and the Green Building Institute's Green Globe rating system as a metric for determining how "green" a building is. Buildings must receive a minimum LEED Silver or two Green Globes certification in order to be eligible for any tax credit. An equivalent certification under a county recognized system may also be used to qualify for the property tax credit. The property tax credit is determined as a percentage of county property taxes levied against the improved real property, and may be claimed for five consecutive years. Tax credit levels are as follows: 25% for LEED Silver or equivalent 50% for LEED Gold or equivalent 75% for LEED Platinum or equivalent No limitations on credit amounts per building or in aggregate are contained in the county legislation. Tax credit applications must be filed on or before May 1 of the year immediately preceding the taxable year for which the tax credit is sought. The tax credit program is administered by the Department of Economic Development, Department of Management and Budget, Department of the Comptroller, and Department of Planning. *The state authorization contained in Md Code: Property Tax § 9-308(e) applies specifically to Carroll County. Several other counties in Maryland have adopted property tax credits for high performance buildings under another more generally applicable portion of the state code which makes a similar allowance (Md Code: Property Tax § 9-242).