Queen Anne's County, MD Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

In unincorporated Queen Anne's County, building inspections run through the Department of Planning and Zoning, which § 10-2 names as the Department of Building Inspection, with the Zoning Administrator serving as Code Official. The County trims and rewrites the International Building Code inspection sections instead of printing its own checklist.

Section 110.3 deletes base Subsections 110.3.2, 110.3.3 and 110.3.5 and renumbers the remaining subsections. A new Subsection 110.3.2 sets the foundation inspection: it is made when the foundation is complete with all required anchors, vents and termite shield installed. Section 110.5 appends 24 hours before said work is completed to the end of the first sentence on inspection requests. The base sentence comes from the International Building Code and is not reprinted in the County Code.

Reinspections cost extra. Section 109.7 lets the County charge a reinspection fee for each reinspection in three situations: the work was not ready at the prearranged inspection time, the inspector did not have access to the work at that time, or the inspector discovered a flagrant noncompliance during a requested inspection. The dollar amount is not printed in this section. Section 110.7 adds a stronger tool: after written notice and a hearing, the Building Official can refuse further inspections or permits of any kind to a contractor, developer or owner until all violations are corrected and all fees are paid. Under Section 115.2.1, posting a stop-work order at the job site is adequate notification by the Code Official.

Other inspections run on separate tracks. The Office of the Fire Marshal sets inspection priority and frequency for the Fire Prevention Code and charges inspection, re-inspection and plan review fees under the Maryland State Fire Marshal's fee schedule (§ 10-6). An electric company cannot attach power lines or a meter until an inspection agency or a department designated by the County Commissioners issues a meter cut-in certificate (§ 11-20). The Plumbing Inspector inspects appliance installations, and piping work that involves a well must be inspected before it is covered (§§ 12-15 and 12-17).