Gaithersburg, MD Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit unit
- one per legal address, one per building
- Issuing office
- Planning and Code Administration, Permits Division
- Fee-setting body
- Mayor and City Council
- Appeal deadline
- 17 days to Board of Appeals
- Enforcement tool
- withholding of inspections and permits
- Penalty
- municipal infraction, each day a separate offense
Summary
Gaithersburg requires a separate building permit for every legal address and every separate building at that address before construction begins. City Code § 5-3 amends the 2021 International Building Code's permit section to remove several standard exemptions, and the Planning and Code Administration's Permits and Inspections Division reviews and issues every permit.
(20)Subsection 105.1. Required. Add the following: A separate permit is required for each legal address. A separate permit is required for each separate building at a legal address.(21)Subsection 105.2. Work exempt from permit. Delete the following itemized provisions of the subsection: Building: 1., 2., 4., 6., 7. - partial, only for - cabinets and countertops that do not interfere with egress, 9., 12., and 13. - partial, only for items that do not interfere with egress. Also delete in their entirety the portions of this subsection regarding Gas-Fitting and Plumbing (as regulated by WSSC).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5, § 5-1 adopts the 2021 International Building Code, and § 5-3 amends it specifically for Gaithersburg. 1, as amended, requires a separate permit for each legal address and a further separate permit for each separate building located at that address, so a single lot with multiple structures needs a permit per building rather than one blanket permit. 2: the city deletes several of the code's standard building exemptions (items 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12) outright and allows only a partial exemption for items 7 and 13, limited to cabinets, countertops and comparable work that does not interfere with egress; the gas-fitting and plumbing exemptions are eliminated entirely because those trades are separately regulated by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
1, and its director serves as the City Building Official. 1 requires fees to be paid for each separate permit application before that permit is released. 6 lets the city withhold further inspections or permits on that project until violations are corrected and fees and fines are paid. 1, with further appeal to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County within 30 days of the Board's written decision.
Violations & Fines
Starting work without the required permit, or continuing after the Building Official finds a violation, exposes an owner or contractor to a municipal infraction under amended Subsection 114.4, punishable by a fine set by the Mayor and City Council under §§ 1-9 through 1-11 of the City Code, with each day of the violation a separate offense. The Building Official may also withhold further permits or inspections on the project under Subsection 115.6 until violations are fixed and fees paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a separate permit for each building on my property?
Which office issues Gaithersburg building permits?
What happens if I build without the required permit?
Can a building permit decision be appealed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gaithersburg
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Montgomery County handle building permits.