Charles County, MD Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 224-1.2(6), IRC R109.1.5
- Footing inspection
- Required before concrete placement
- Framing inspection trigger
- Clearance under 4 feet
- Ledger deck rule
- Preliminary inspection before attachment
- Wall bracing tie-in
- IRC Section R602.10
Summary
Charles County requires a separate footing inspection before pouring deck concrete and a separate framing inspection before any decking is installed on decks with under four feet of clearance, added as new IRC subsections by § 224-1.2(6).
R109.1.5.2 Deck footing inspection for decks. A footing inspection shall be required for all deck applications. Deck footing inspections shall be approved prior to the placement of concrete, and prior to the beginning of any framing that obstructs access to all footing excavations, such as the placement of beams and/or joists with a head clearance less than 4' above grade. R109.1.5.3 Deck framing inspection. A separate deck framing inspection shall be required prior to installation of any surface decking, where any portion of the deck beams and/or joists (with the exception of landings and stairways) has a clearance of less than 4' above grade at any point under the deck. Trim boards and/or lattice work, which may obscure framing fasteners and connections, shall not be installed until the framing has been approved.
Full Breakdown
5 to the adopted International Residential Code with several deck-specific inspection stages. 2 requires a footing inspection for every deck application, which must be approved before concrete is placed and before any framing begins that would block access to the footing excavations, including beams or joists with less than four feet of head clearance. 3 then requires a separate framing inspection before any surface decking goes down whenever the deck beams or joists have less than four feet of clearance above grade, and bars installing trim boards or lattice work that would hide framing fasteners until that framing inspection is approved. 10 that must be approved before house wrap, doors, windows, trim, or exterior wall coverings go on.
Violations & Fines
Framing, trim boards, or lattice work installed before the required inspection is approved is itself a code violation the Building Code Official can act on: under § 224-1.1(10) the official may withhold permits or place a hold on inspections anywhere on the property until an existing violation is corrected, and under § 224-1.1(15) may levy weekly or monthly fines for a violation left unresolved after written notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Charles County require a deck footing inspection?
Do all Charles County decks need a separate framing inspection?
What extra inspection applies to a ledger-attached deck?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charles County
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