Montgomery County, MD · Overview
Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking
Montgomery County, Maryland requires annual energy benchmarking for buildings 25,000 sq ft and larger (expanded down from an original 50,000 sq ft threshold), submitted via ESPM data request, with third-party verification every 3 years. A county Building Energy Performance Standard layers interim (starting around 2028) and final (around 2033+) performance requirements on top.
Verified against primary sources
Filing deadline
Jun 1
Annually, for the prior calendar year
- City fee
- No city fee on file.
- Files via
- ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, plus the Montgomery County Benchmarking Reporting Portal.
Filing facts
What the registry knows
- Who’s covered
- Buildings 25,000 sq ft or larger.
- Deadline
- Jun 1, annually
- Files via
- ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, plus the Montgomery County Benchmarking Reporting Portal.
- City fee
- No city fee on file.
- If you miss it
- $500 Class A civil fine (initial), $750 for repeat offenses; each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Violations of County Code ch. 18A art. 6 (failure to benchmark, meet performance standards, or file an improvement plan) are Class A civil violations; non-compliance after an Order of Abatement can bring contempt sanctions.
How to comply
Step by step
Confirm the building is 25,000 sq ft or larger within Montgomery County.
Share the building with the MontgomeryDEP account in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (a "Montgomery County MD MBID" Standard ID), then claim it and submit through the Montgomery County Benchmarking Reporting Portal before June 1 — portal submission is required for compliance status.
In every third reporting year, arrange third-party verification of the benchmarking data, and track the county BEPS interim (~2028) and final (~2033+) performance-standard dates separately.
FAQ
Common questions
Was the Montgomery County threshold always 25,000 sq ft?
No — it was expanded down from an original 50,000 sq ft threshold to the current 25,000 sq ft threshold.
How often does Montgomery County require independent data verification?
Every 3 years, similar to the cadence used by Washington DC and Chicago, though the exact verification requirements are county-specific.
Want Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking handled for you?
Run the compliance checker to confirm this program actually applies to your building, then join our early-access waitlist — we’re onboarding buildings city by city and will email you the moment we’re filing in your jurisdiction.
Check your building