Prince George's County building department

Prince George’s County’s Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) handles building, electrical, mechanical, site/road and use-and-occupancy permits from its Largo headquarters at 9400 Peppercorn Place, with the Permit Center in Suite 100. Two gaps in that coverage trip people up. Plumbing and gas permits come from WSSC Water, not DPIE. And inside the City of Laurel, the city issues its own permits.

Two systems: Momentum and ePlan

Every DPIE permit applied for since May 1, 2023 starts in Momentum. You enter the case there, DPIE issues the permit from Momentum, and fees are paid there. Plans and documents go through ePlan (ProjectDox). Once Momentum accepts your application, an email from [email protected] explains how to upload, and you need a separate login for each system.

• Old ePermits accounts did not carry over to Momentum. Register again, and use a different email address if you want both an individual and a company account.
• The “I want to” menu asks questions that steer you to the right case type. Have the street address or the SDAT tax account number ready. A deck or shed, for example, files as Building Alteration / Residential Exterior and Grading.
• Files you upload to Momentum cannot be deleted. You can edit an application only while its status is Open or Out to Applicant.
• Permit numbers that contain letters are Momentum cases. Cases with numbers only, plus some legacy work such as trade permits tied to older permits, well and septic permits, and cell tower permits, stay in the older ePermits system.

Momentum password and login problems go to the front desk at (301) 883-6168 or [email protected].

What needs a permit

DPIE’s permit table marks each job B (building), E (electrical), M (mechanical), G (grading) or P (plumbing and gasfitting, issued by WSSC). Some examples:

Project	Permit
One shed of 150 sq ft or less per lot	None
Shed over 150 sq ft, or any shed attached to a building	Building, with plans; needs a permanent foundation
Re-shingling with no structural repair; siding; exact window or door replacement	None
Replacing roof sheathing	Building, with plans
New or replacement deck or porch	Building, with plans
On-grade patio under 500 sq ft (no steps, no parking)	None
Fence over 4 ft (6 ft limit); retaining wall over 2 ft; masonry privacy wall over 4 ft	Building, with plans

Electrical and mechanical trade permits require a licensed electrical or mechanical contractor. Home improvement contractors pulling building permits need an MHIC license. Owners must match state assessment records or show a recorded deed.

Deck plans need a foundation plan, framing plan, cross-section and elevations; designs use a 40 psf live load, seismic category B and a 30-inch frost depth. Decks must be freestanding rather than hung off the house, and lag or carriage bolts are not allowed at guard posts. Building permits expire six months after issuance or six months after the most recent inspection, so keep inspections going at least every six months.

Codes

Since March 1, 2026, DPIE enforces the 2021 IBC, IRC, IEBC, IMC, IECC and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, together with County Code Subtitle 4. It also enforces the 2020 National Electrical Code with Subtitle 9 and the 2021 NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 for fire and life safety. Plumbing and fuel gas fall under the 2024 WSSC Plumbing and Fuel Gas Code (based on the 2024 IPC and IFGC), effective December 1, 2025.

Fees

DPIE’s fee schedule effective October 16, 2026 adds a $66 administrative fee to most permits, plus a 10% technology fee on all DPIE permitting and licensing fees. Many permits also carry a $53 grading fee and a $5 M-NCPPC review fee. Residential minimums include:

Permit	Building permit fee
Residential addition	$1.17/sq ft, plus $1.30/sq ft over 3,500 sq ft (minimum $449)
Interior alteration/repair	$220 or 1% of construction cost, whichever is greater
Deck or pergola	$151
Shed over 150 sq ft; garage; carport	$1.17/sq ft (minimum $119)
Residential fence	$145
In-ground pool / above-ground pool	$297 / $132
Roof-mounted solar	$0.03 per watt or $158, whichever is greater
New single-family house under 3,500 sq ft	$4,095, plus $112 U&O and school and public safety surcharges
Plan review	$120 per discipline per hour

Scheduling inspections

Momentum permits (numbers with letters) can be scheduled only through the IVR at (301) 755-9000, available 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday. Older numeric permits can also use the DPIE Status online scheduler. To book, enter your phone number, the permit sequence and year, and the three-digit inspection request code: the 100 series for R and C permits, the 200 series for EC permits. Press # for the next business day, or enter a date up to seven days ahead. Write down the confirmation number. To cancel, call (301) 883-3820; canceling carries no reinspection fee.

Footing inspections happen before concrete, backfill inspections (with foundation drainage complete) before soil goes against the wall, and framing before anything is concealed.

Third-Party Inspection Program

New commercial construction and commercial alterations costing $200,000 or more go through TPIP, as do projects in third-party or peer plan review and structures with deep foundations, post-tensioning, elevated slabs or problem soils such as Marlboro clay. Detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses of three stories or fewer are excluded. Upload the TPIP agreement in Momentum when you first upload plans to ePlan. Every TPIP job needs a preconstruction meeting, booked through (301) 883-3820.

WSSC plumbing and gas permits

DPIE does not review plumbing plans or issue plumbing permits. WSSC Water issues all plumbing and gasfitting permits through its own ePermitting system. WSSC Permit Services is at 14501 Sweitzer Lane in Laurel, (301) 206-4003, open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and until noon on Wednesdays. WSSC also performs plumbing inspections, and DPIE sends plumbing questions to (301) 206-8886. A WSSC satellite office in Suite 650 of the DPIE building coordinates the water and sewer approvals needed to release building permits.

Owner-occupants of a Group R-3 home with its own WSSC water and sewer connections can get a WSSC homeowner permit after passing an open-book exam. Homeowners cannot do gasfitting (including gas water heaters), connect to WSSC services, install meters or testable backflow assemblies, run below-grade piping deeper than 4 feet, or take on jobs with seven or more fixtures.

City of Laurel

Laurel’s Department of the Fire Marshal and Permit Services issues building, electrical, mechanical, fire and life-safety, grading and right-of-way permits for property inside city limits. Apply through the city’s own ePermits portal or at the Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road, (301) 725-5300 ext. 2238. Call at least 72 hours before you need an inspection; requests are taken from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Laurel charges $150 for a residential reinspection and $250 for a commercial one, payable before the next inspection is scheduled.