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

Wicomico County adopted the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC), and International Energy Conservation Code as its Building Code, controlling for all construction within unincorporated Wicomico County (§§ 117-2, 117-4, 117-6). 1 to require any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or erect a sign, to first apply to the Chief Building Official and obtain the required permit. Ordinary minor repairs may proceed without a permit only with the Chief Building Official's approval, and only if they do not otherwise violate the code.

A general permit also carries the right to install equipment such as heating apparatus, elevators, vaults, chutes, and boilers when shown on the filed drawings and specifications; if not shown, a separate special permit is required. Once issued, a permit under § 117-3K becomes invalid unless work begins within six months, with one six-month extension available for the start of work, and the work itself must be finished within three years of issuance or extension, subject to further extensions the Chief Building Official may grant for justifiable cause.

Carports, decks, demolition and disposal, pools, portable sheds, and solar panels carry a shorter 180-day completion window. Emergency repairs may begin immediately but the permit application must follow by the next working business day (§ 117-3F).