Allegany County, MD Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Chapter 255 of the Code of Allegany County adopts the 2006 International Building Code and the 2006 International Residential Code by reference as the county's 2007 Building Code, so any construction covered by those codes in unincorporated Allegany County needs a permit before work starts. Section 360-59 defines the permit itself as running through application, plan review, approval, inspection, and issuance of a certificate of occupancy. The county carves out one narrow exemption in § 360-62C: "No building permit is needed when new construction or enlargement of a building does not exceed 100 square feet, unless the construction involves sanitary facilities or impacts a septic area or well." Even a small shed or deck addition under that 100-square-foot threshold still has to meet the zoning setbacks for its district, since the same subsection makes clear that "all setbacks must be met for the particular use" regardless of whether a permit is pulled.

Anything larger than 100 square feet, and anything of any size that adds plumbing, a sanitary connection, or affects a septic area or well, needs a full building permit application even if the footprint is small. Because Part 4 Zoning applies only in the zoned areas of unincorporated Allegany County, a property outside a zoned area may not face the same setback trigger, but the underlying Chapter 255 building-permit requirement for structures covered by the adopted IBC and IRC still runs on a county-wide basis. Violating the Building Code, including building without the required permit, carries a fine of $1 to $1,000 under § 255-2.