Washington County, MD Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger threshold
- $1,000+ project cost
- Who to notify
- Supervisor of Assessments
- Filing fee
- None
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $100 fine
- Governing section
- Public Local Laws § 1-502
Summary
Washington County, Maryland requires a building-intentions report before anyone erects a new building or an addition worth $1,000 or more, under Code of Public Local Laws Section 1-502. The Supervisor of Assessments takes the report at no charge, and skipping it is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $100 fine.
(a) Building permit required. Before erecting any new building or any addition to any existing building involving a total expense of $1,000 or more, all persons, firms, or corporations shall make a report of the building intentions to the Supervisor of Assessments of Washington County. (b) Fee. The Supervisor of Assessments shall acknowledge receipt of the report in writing on a suitable form. A fee may not be charged for it. (c) Misdemeanor. Any person or corporation failing to comply with the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $100.
Full Breakdown
Section 1-502 sits in Subtitle 5 (Housing, Building Permits and Sidewalks) of the 2019 Code of the Public Local Laws of Washington County, right after the county's Housing Code provision. It requires a report, not a technical plan review: anyone erecting a new building, or adding to an existing one, at a total expense of $1,000 or more must report the building intentions to the Supervisor of Assessments of Washington County before starting. The Supervisor's office does not charge for this: it must acknowledge receipt of the report in writing on a suitable form, and Section 1-502(b) expressly bars any fee for that acknowledgment.
The requirement traces back to Section 195 of the 1957 County Code and has been carried through the 1970, 1984, and 1991 recodifications into today's Section 1-502. Unlike the immediately preceding Housing Code section, 1-501, which states outright that it "does not apply to any incorporated municipality," Section 1-502 carries no parallel municipal carve-out in its own text. 2, which makes it unlawful to use, erect, or enlarge a building without one; Section 1-502's report to the Supervisor of Assessments is an additional, distinct filing tied to the county's property-assessment records rather than to zoning or building-code plan review.
Violations & Fines
Failing to report building intentions on a project of $1,000 or more is a misdemeanor under Section 1-502(c). A conviction carries a fine of not more than $100. This penalty is separate from any zoning-permit violation the Zoning Administrator may pursue for the same construction under Zoning Ordinance Section 24.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Washington County require a building permit report?
Is there a fee for the Washington County building permit report?
What happens if I skip the required building report?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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