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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland restricts PFAS in land-applied sewage sludge and requires industrial pretreatment standards
Last action · April 28, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 329Sponsors: Sara Love and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Beginning October 1, 2028, Maryland bans the land application of or related products containing regulated at or above 50 parts per billion, and restricts application for levels between 25 and 50 parts per billion. The law authorizes sewage sludge generators to blend materials to lower PFAS concentrations, establishes monitoring and source tracking studies, and permits local jurisdictions to set fees for industrial users discharging PFAS.
Wastewater treatment facilities and agricultural landowners face new testing, blending, and mitigation mandates to manage chemical contaminants before applying sludge to farmland, while industrial dischargers may incur higher fees and pretreatment controls.
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that do not easily break down in the environment and have been increasingly scrutinized for their accumulation in soil, water, and biological tissues. context
- Sewage sludge, or biosolids, is frequently treated and applied to agricultural land as a fertilizer and soil amendment, raising environmental concerns when industrial chemicals are present in the waste stream. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Sewage sludge generators
Must conduct monitoring, complete source tracking studies, develop mitigation plans, and comply with new concentration thresholds.
Agricultural and marginal land owners
Subject to restrictions on what materials can be applied to their land and must receive advance notice of PFAS concentrations in applied sludge.
Industrial users
May be subject to new pretreatment standards, discharge permits, and local rates or fees if they discharge PFAS into wastewater treatment systems.
Local governments and pretreatment authorities
Authorized to set rates and fees for industrial users and must receive advance notice prior to land application of sludge containing elevated PFAS levels.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the new PFAS restrictions on land-applied sewage sludge take effect?
Can sewage sludge with elevated PFAS levels still be treated or mixed?
Who must be notified before sewage sludge containing between 25 and 50 parts per billion of PFAS is applied to land?
What else do you want to know?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
18 actions- Apr 28, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 329
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorPassed Enrolled
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (46-0)
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorSenate Concurs House Amendments
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (129-8)
- Apr 9, 2026HouseFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
Show 12 earlier actions
- Apr 9, 2026HouseFavorable with Amendments { 853822/1 Adopted
- Apr 8, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation
- Mar 25, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m. (Environment and Transportation)
- Mar 21, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Environment and Transportation Health
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (41-0)
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 423427/1 Adopted
- Mar 18, 2026SenateFloorMotion Laid Over (Senator Ellis) Adopted
- Mar 18, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 423427/1
- Mar 16, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Feb 10, 2026SenateHearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Statutory PFAS Thresholds for Biosolids
The legislation transitions Maryland from general wastewater regulation to specific numerical thresholds (25 and 50 parts per billion) for regulated PFAS in land-applied sewage sludge.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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