Maryland
Brownfields
The Land Restoration Program resources page of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) says MDE has not developed a Brownfields list because of the stigma that may be attached to the sites included on such a list. The page shows no date. Another MDE page names a Brownfield Master Inventory, described below.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 lists state brownfields records as a standard source. This handbook pairs no Maryland list with that record type, because MDE's resources page says MDE has not developed one. The general reading of a brownfields listing is on the Brownfields page. Several things in MDE's pages still bear on a property that may be a brownfield.
- Another list, not a Brownfields list. MDE says the only list it maintains is the State Master List of potential hazardous waste sites, and that it should not be considered a list of Brownfields.
- A list with Brownfield in its name. MDE's Land Restoration Program page says the Controlled Hazardous Substance Enforcement Division oversees environmental remediation with primary emphasis on the Brownfield Master Inventory (BMI), which MDE describes as a list of sites known or reported to be contaminated by hazardous waste. The resources page links a report of active BMI sites and a report of archived BMI sites, which this handbook did not read. The pages read do not say how that inventory relates to MDE's statement that it has not developed a Brownfields list. See the Controlled Hazardous Substance Enforcement Division page.
- A code on the county lists. In the glossary on MDE's resources page, "Brownfields" means that a Brownfields Assessment has been or is currently being conducted. See the resources and statistics page.
- Local inventories. MDE says some local jurisdictions and municipalities have compiled information on underutilized properties. It gives Baltimore City's Geographic Information System (GIS) inventory of vacant and underutilized industrial and commercial sites as an example, with the Baltimore City Department of Planning at 410-396-8356 for information. For other jurisdictions, MDE says to contact the local environmental health or economic development office.
- Assessment work. MDE says its Controlled Hazardous Substance Enforcement Division assesses property on Brownfields, and performs preliminary assessments and site investigations under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Incentives. MDE says its Voluntary Cleanup Program works with the Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program administered by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, which provides tax credits, loans and grants for the redevelopment of eligible brownfield properties in participating jurisdictions. That program is another department's, and this handbook did not read its pages.
- Buyer status. MDE says that if you purchase a Brownfield property without first applying for Expedited Inculpable Person (EX-IP) status or the Voluntary Cleanup Program, you may be considered a Responsible Party and be ineligible for EPA grants. See the Voluntary Cleanup Program page.
Where to look a site up
MDE says the Land Restoration Program's mapping site lets users search the state's database for information on Brownfields, Voluntary Cleanup Program and State Master List sites. See the project site mapping page. The Land Restoration Program's phone number is 410-537-3493.
Getting the file
The pages read do not describe a records request route specific to Brownfields. MDE's Public Information Act requests page covers requests for MDE records in general.
Sources
Maryland Department of the Environment pages, read October 8, 2026. The pages show no modified date.