Baltimore County building department

Baltimore County’s Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections (PAI) works out of the County Office Building in Towson. Within PAI, Permit Processing takes building, electrical and plumbing applications, Building Plans Review checks drawings against the county building and fire codes, and Zoning Review checks permits against the Baltimore County Zoning Regulations (BCZR). Separate bureaus inspect building, electrical, plumbing/gasfitting and sediment-control work.

One permit authority for the whole county

The Maryland Manual states that Baltimore County has no incorporated towns or cities. Towson, Catonsville, Dundalk, Owings Mills, Essex and every other community in the county get their permits from PAI. The exception is Baltimore City, which is a separate independent city outside the county with its own building department (DHCD, 417 East Fayette Street). Check which side of the city line a property is on before you apply.

Applying online

All building, plumbing, electrical and other construction permit applications are filed online in the county’s Online Permit Application portal (a Cityworks system). This is a different system from the county’s Accela Citizen Access site, which handles licenses, code complaints and other payments. The Permit Processing lobby has public workstations, and staff help people set up accounts and applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

Steps the county describes:

1. Choose Create Account, enter your email address, and finish registration from the link in the confirmation email. If the email is in your spam folder, mark it unread before you click the link.
2. Enter applicant and owner details, pick the property address, and add your contractor from the portal’s contractor search.
3. Upload your plans on the Plan Documents tab and assign each file a discipline. Name files using the county’s published naming convention.
4. Staff review comments and plan markups appear under Open Plan Review → Review Documents, or in the Tasks section.
5. Fees are calculated once the application is complete. You pay from the “Applications with Fees Due” box on your dashboard. The county accepts Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.

A permit is valid for one year. You can request one additional year when you file. An expired permit can’t be extended, so you have to file a new application.

When a permit is required

Project	County rule
Deck	Over 16 in above lowest grade or over 120 sq ft
Shed, gazebo, detached garage	Over 120 sq ft
Fence	42 in or taller, measured from the ground even when the fence sits on a wall
Residential roof	Only when 50% or more of the sheathing/deck is replaced; a second layer of shingles needs no permit
Residential siding	Only for historic district or landmark properties

Size does not matter for decks, fences and accessory structures in a proposed or designated county historic district, on the Baltimore County Landmarks List, in the floodplain, or in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. All of those need a permit regardless of size.

Deck submittals scale with size. Under 600 sq ft needs a site plan. 600 sq ft and over needs construction plans and a site plan. Over 3,000 sq ft needs plans signed and sealed by a Maryland-licensed design professional. Lots on well and septic need a site plan that meets the county’s Ground Water Site Plan Requirements. Accessory structure applications need a signed Accessory Structure Letter. New dwellings need a site plan sealed by a professional engineer, surveyor or landscape architect.

Residential fences are limited to 42 in in front yards and 6 ft at side and rear property lines. They can go up to 10 ft in side and rear yards if set back 2 ft for every foot over 6 ft. Fences can’t be built in access easements.

Codes and local design values

Council Bill 49-24, effective September 3, 2024, adopts the 2021 IBC, IRC, IMC, IECC and ISPSC with county amendments. It replaced Bill 40-15. Other codes in force:

• Plumbing and gasfitting: the county code adopted by Bill 94-23, effective July 1, 2024
• Electrical: the current NEC edition
• Fire: NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (2018) under Bill 14-21
• Floodplain: Bill 6-24, effective May 6, 2024

Building Inspections publishes these local design values:

• Footing depth 30 in below final grade (48 in for pole buildings)
• Ground snow load and roof live load 30 psf
• Design wind speed 90 mph
• Seismic site class B
• Tidal flood protection elevation 10.4 ft (NAVD 88) for Back River and south, and 11.2 ft north of Back River
• Downspouts must discharge at least 8 ft from any property line

Inspections

Building, electrical and plumbing inspections are all scheduled through your portal account. Requests are due by 2 p.m. the business day before the inspection. Cancel or reschedule online by 6 a.m. on inspection day. After 6 a.m., call the bureau to cancel: building 410-887-3953, electrical 410-887-3960, plumbing 410-887-3620. For an estimated arrival time, call between 7:30 and 8 a.m. on inspection day. Building Inspections is in Room G-24 and is open 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays.

Trade licensing

Only a Baltimore County-licensed plumbing or gasfitting contractor can apply for a plumbing or gas permit. Master electricians must hold a Maryland master license and also register with the county; a new registration costs $160. License and registration applications go through the same online portal.

Zoning

Zoning Review does not confirm a property’s zoning classification by phone or email. Use the county’s My Neighborhood map instead. An owner-occupied DR- or RC-zoned home not owned by an LLC or corporation can get a variance administratively, without a public hearing. Any neighbor within 1,000 feet can still request a hearing.