Maryland Building Permit Fees (2026)
Actual building permit fee formulas from official Maryland county fee schedules. Each Maryland jurisdiction sets its own rates, and unlike Virginia, Maryland has no statewide percentage levy on permits. Coverage starts with the two largest Washington suburbs and expands as each county's official schedule is verified.
- Maryland has no statewide building-permit levy. There is no equivalent of Virginia's mandatory 2% USBC levy at the state level.
- Each Maryland county sets its own fee schedule and structure. Montgomery County prices most construction per square foot; Prince George's County stacks flat components plus a 10% technology fee.
- In Montgomery County, a deck of 500 sq ft or less is a flat $194.67 and an in-ground pool is $313.64 (fence included). A fence permit is $77.87 and rooftop solar is $227.12.
- In Prince George's County, a residential retaining wall over 2 feet totals about $268.40 all-in with the 10% technology fee.
- New residential construction in both counties carries large separate charges - impact taxes and school facility payments in Montgomery, and School Facility plus Public Safety surcharges in Prince George's.
How Maryland Permit Fees Work
There is no single statewide Maryland building permit fee. Authority sits with each county or municipal permitting department, so the structure and the bottom-line number vary widely across the state.
| Jurisdiction | Permitting Authority | Fee Structure | Headline Figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | Department of Permitting Services (DPS) | Per square foot for construction; flat fees for decks, pools, fences, solar | Deck (≤500 sq ft) = $194.67 |
| Prince George's County | Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) | Stacked flat components + 10% technology fee | Retaining wall = $268.40 |
| Howard County | Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) | Per square foot (new/addition) + flat alterations + 10% technology fee | Small remodel = $80 |
| Anne Arundel County | Inspections and Permits | Value-based tiered table + $43 application fee | $15k deck = $207 |
| Baltimore County | Permits, Approvals and Inspections (PAI) | Flat fees by structure type (2018 schedule) | Deck = $85 |
| Harford County | Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) | $0.15/sq ft + $100 application fee; no technology fee | Shed = $20 |
| Carroll County | Permits and Inspections | Flat fees by category; $0.12/sq ft on new build; no levy | Deck = $60 |
| Charles County | Planning & Growth Management (PGM) | Additive itemized: application + plan review + inspection | $115 application |
| Frederick County | Permits and Inspections | Flat fees by category and sq ft tier; +$33 filing +$11 automation; eff. July 1, 2026 | Deck = $157 all-in |
Because Maryland sets no statewide percentage levy, the county's own fees (and, in Prince George's County, the 10% technology fee) determine the building permit cost. For new construction, separate impact and school surcharges usually exceed the permit fee itself.
Maryland Jurisdictions
Actual fee structures from official county documents. Each page includes the complete fee components, worked examples, and a calculator link.
Pages are added as fee data is verified against official county documents. Each page requires a minimum of one official adopted fee schedule source before publishing.
Compare Maryland Counties Head-to-Head
The two largest Maryland suburbs of Washington price permits very differently. See a full side-by-side with shared-assumption worked examples.
Montgomery County's per-square-foot model vs Prince George's County's stacked components and 10% technology fee.
Maryland vs Virginia vs Washington DC
Homeowners across the DMV often assume the three jurisdictions price permits the same way. They do not. The base permit math differs, but the real divergence is the mandatory add-on layer that sits on top of every permit.
| Jurisdiction | Mandatory add-on | What drives the bottom line |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | None statewide | County fee schedule only; Howard and Prince George's add a 10% technology fee |
| Virginia | 2% state USBC levy on every permit | Local fee plus the mandatory 2% Virginia levy on top |
| Washington DC | 10% enhanced fee on the permit | A single DOB schedule plus a universal 10% enhanced fee |
For a small project, Maryland's lack of a statewide levy often makes the permit line itself the cheapest of the three. The picture flips on new construction, where Maryland's county impact and school-facility charges are among the highest in the region. See how Virginia's 2% levy works or how Washington DC stacks its 10% enhanced fee for the contrast. Like Maryland, Texas charges no statewide levy - in Austin the city schedule is the whole story.
Maryland Project-Type Guides
Each guide breaks down a single project type in one Maryland county, with the exact fee components, a worked example, and a calculator link.
| County | Guides |
|---|---|
| Montgomery | Deck · Pool · Fence · Solar · Addition · Finished basement · Retaining wall · Demolition |
| Howard | Addition · Finished basement |
| Baltimore County | Deck · Solar |
| Carroll | Deck · Pool · Finished basement · Solar |
| Harford | Pool · Fence · Shed · Demolition |
| Frederick | Deck |
Maryland Permit Fee FAQ
Does Maryland charge a statewide building permit levy?
No. Maryland has no statewide percentage levy on building permits. There is no equivalent of Virginia's mandatory 2% USBC levy. Each county sets and collects its own permit fees, so the bottom-line cost depends entirely on the county schedule (and, in Howard and Prince George's County, a 10% technology fee added on top).
Which Maryland county is cheapest for a deck permit?
Among the covered counties with a flat deck fee, Carroll County is the lowest at $60, followed by Baltimore County at $85, then Frederick County at $157 all-in (effective July 1, 2026), then Montgomery County at $194.67 for a deck of 500 sq ft or less. Anne Arundel County is value-based instead of flat - about $207 for a $15,000 deck. Howard County prices decks through its per-square-foot and alteration schedule rather than a single flat fee.
What is the 10% technology fee?
Howard County and Prince George's County add a 10% technology (automation) fee calculated on the permit fee itself. Carroll County, Baltimore County, and Harford County do not charge it. Always read the county page for whether the fee applies to your project type.
Are electrical, plumbing, and HVAC permits included?
No. The figures here are for the building permit only. Separate trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical/HVAC) are issued and priced on their own, and they are excluded from every building-permit number on this page.
Why do new-home permit costs look so much higher?
On new construction, the building permit fee is usually the smallest line. Maryland's county impact taxes and school-facility payments - Montgomery County's impact and school facility payments, and Prince George's County's School Facility and Public Safety surcharges - are set entirely apart from the permit fee and typically dwarf it. For a deck, a pool, or a small alteration, the county fee schedule is the whole story; for a new house, it is barely the beginning.
How current is this fee data?
Source dates vary by county and are disclosed on each county page - from Baltimore County's 2018 schedule to Prince George's County's March 2025 DPIE schedule and Charles County's FY26 schedule. Counties revise fees periodically, so confirm the current figure with the county permitting department before budgeting or filing.
Maryland Permit Fees: What Most Homeowners Miss
"The instinct in the DMV is to assume Maryland works like Virginia, but the mechanics are different. Maryland has no statewide levy, so there is no automatic 2% on top of every permit. Where Maryland gets expensive is new construction: Montgomery County's impact taxes and school facility payments, and Prince George's County's School Facility and Public Safety surcharges, are the real cost drivers on a new home - and they are set entirely apart from the building permit fee. For a deck, a pool, or a small alteration, the county fee schedule is the whole story; for a new house, it is barely the beginning."
Sources
-
Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) Montgomery County, MD - Residential construction fee schedule (AllFees.pdf), printed effective FY2022 - verify current rates
-
Prince George's County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) Prince George's County, MD - DPIE Fee Schedule effective March 2, 2025 (read from Internet Archive snapshot; verify live)