Anne Arundel County building department

Anne Arundel County’s Department of Inspections and Permits (I&P) runs the Permit Center at the Heritage Office Complex on Riva Road. The Permit Center takes in building, grading and trade permits. Other I&P divisions handle building inspections, site inspections for sediment control, stormwater and the Critical Area, engineering review for subdivisions and site plans, code compliance, and trade licensing. With so much waterfront in the county, many ordinary projects come under Chesapeake Bay Critical Area rules, and several common permit exemptions do not apply there.

Where county permits stop

The Maryland Manual lists two incorporated municipalities in the county: Annapolis and Highland Beach.

• City of Annapolis: the city’s Department of Planning and Zoning issues its own permits and handles development review, inspections, licensing, zoning, Critical Area compliance and historic district approvals. Applications go through the city’s Citizen Self-Service (CSS) portal, not LUN. The office is at 145 Gorman Street, 3rd Floor, Annapolis, MD 21401, phone 410-260-2200, email [email protected].
• Highland Beach: the town has its own Zoning Approval Application and a Zoning Approval Appeal Application.

Everywhere else in the county, including unincorporated communities with Annapolis mailing addresses, the permit comes from I&P.

Filing through Land Use Navigator

Since December 1, 2025, all new permit applications must be filed online through Land Use Navigator (LUN), the county’s Accela Citizen Access portal. Two exceptions are apartment submissions (with their associated trades) and revisions to existing paper applications. Apartment projects need an appointment, which you request by emailing [email protected].

Anyone can search records in LUN without logging in. To apply, pay, see invoices or track pending items, you need a free account. Licensed professionals enter their license numbers when they register. The Permit Center has kiosks with document scanners for sheets up to 11x17; larger documents can be brought on a flash drive.

A residential building permit (the Single Family Dwelling record type, or Accessory Structure for detached work) usually needs:

• Construction plans drawn to an architectural scale, showing dimensions, materials and how the work will be built
• A site plan drawn to an engineer’s scale, showing easements, property lines, rights-of-way, and any grinder pump, private well or septic system
• The county’s Critical Area Worksheet
• A Standard Grading Plan Application, when the project calls for one

Trade permits (electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, onsite, storage tank, water/sewer connection) are separate records. The county says licensed electricians, plumbers and mechanics may apply for them.

Common residential projects

Project	Permit needed?
Detached deck	Exempt if under 200 sq ft and under 3 ft high, but only outside the Critical Area and Bog Contribution Drainage Area
Attached deck	Required; replacing deck boards only is exempt
Shed or gazebo	Exempt up to 10 ft high and 150 sq ft; always required in the Critical Area; a shed within 3 ft of the house always needs one
Fence	Required over 6 ft, on corner lots, and on waterfront property
Roof	Required when sheathing and shingles, or trusses, are replaced; shingles only is exempt
Retaining wall	Required over 24 in
Pool / hot tub	All in-ground pools, above-ground pools over 36 in, and all hot tubs
Patio	Exempt from a building permit, but may need a Standard Grading Plan
Pier, bulkhead, water-access stairs	Always required
Solar	Required; removal only is exempt; removing and reinstalling in-kind needs only an electrical permit

Basement finishes, porches, additions, pergolas, waterproofing, fireplaces and stove inserts also need permits.

Fees

The building permit schedule effective October 1, 2024 is based on the estimated value of the work. Every building permit adds a non-refundable $43.00 application fee.

Estimated value	Permit fee
$0–$3,000	$86.00
$3,001–$5,000	$103.00
$5,000–$10,000	$147.00
$10,001–$15,000	$164.00
$15,001–$20,000	$198.00
$20,001–$25,000	$242.00
Over $25,000	$242.00 plus 0.010 × value above $25,000

Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and grading permits each carry their own $43.00 application fee. Examples: a single-family electrical service of 200 amps or less is $147.00, a heating/AC system is $121.00, and grading for a single-family dwelling up to 20,000 sq ft is $692.00. Issued permits are not refundable. Withdrawing an application before issuance gets 50% back, but not the application fee. Each inspection that is not cancelled at least 24 hours ahead, or that the inspector cannot get into, costs $150.00.

Codes in force

The current codes took effect May 25, 2026: the 2021 IBC, IRC, IECC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IEBC and ISPSC; the 2020 NEC; NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (2024); and NFPA 13 and NFPA 72 (2022). County amendments are published in the Anne Arundel County Code on American Legal Publishing.

Inspections

Inspections are requested in LUN once the permit has been active for 24 hours. If you have no internet access, call (410) 222-7784, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The approved drawings and grading plans must stay on site. The final building inspection can’t be scheduled until every trade final has passed. Commercial and tenant-improvement work also needs the Fire Marshal’s final (410-222-7884). I&P accepts third-party inspections for footings, backfill and slabs.

Critical Area

The Critical Area covers all land within 1,000 feet of mean high tide or the landward edge of tidal wetlands. Inside it is a 100-foot buffer from tidal waters, tributary stream banks and tidal wetlands. Disturbing the buffer generally takes a variance and a buffer management plan approved by I&P. Removing any vegetation, even dead or damaged trees, needs an approved Vegetation Management Plan first. Disturbing more than 5,000 sq ft needs a grading permit. In Limited Development and Resource Conservation Areas, impervious surface is capped at 15% to 31% of the site. Questions go to the Critical Area team at (410) 222-7960.

Trade licenses

I&P Licensing issues county electrician, mechanical, plumber/gas fitter, utility contractor, disposal system contractor and water conditioner installer licenses. Phone (410) 222-7788 or email [email protected].