Glen Burnie, MD (July 13, 2026) – Anne Arundel County officials are providing an update on the structural integrity incident at Empire Towers (7310 Ritchie Highway). The structure of Empire Towers – a privately owned, 10-story office building – was compromised on July 9th during active and unpermitted construction work on the building’s parking garage.
The building remains unsafe at this time, and the 150-foot safety perimeter the county has established remains in effect. The building owner has shared that they are working with a licensed structural engineering firm who has evaluated the site and plans to conduct remediation work to stabilize the building. They hope to begin work this week, and anticipate the work will take approximately 10 days to stabilize the building.
To assist businesses in the collapse zone that are currently unable to operate, the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) has launched the Empire Towers Disaster Recovery Grant. Applications are now open at https://bit.ly/
For businesses that are located outside the collapse zone but have been impacted by road closures (500, 508, 512, and 514 Crain Highway North), the county is working with adjacent property owners to open detours to allow employees and customers a safe route to reach their buildings. The county will share updated route details as soon as they become available.
AAEDC remains available as a resource to impacted businesses to help them find temporary locations and other support throughout this incident. Business owners are encouraged to reach out to AAEDC at info@aaedc.org.
The county has launched a webpage (aacounty.org/empiretowers) with details on this incident, next steps, and safety guidance. The county will continue to update this webpage as new information becomes available.
The Office of Emergency Management will be available to speak with members of the media tomorrow, July 14, at 12 pm in Glen Burnie. All media personnel must RSVP with Director of Communications Gabby Reed at ce-office-comms-team@aacounty.