Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
Interior Nat Harbor

Information about the Permit Process

Types of Permits and Approvals

DPIE issues permits for the following construction categories:

View DPIE's comprehensive list of Building Permit Requirements by Case and/or Permit Type

Determine Whether or Not a Permit Is Required

View DPIE's When Is a Permit Required? page.
 

Agencies Involved in the Permitting Process

The following agencies are involved in the permitting process:

  • DPIE — Processes incoming permits. Collects permit fees. Processes bonds. Approves plans for buildings, site/road, and health permits with respect to building codes, fire/life safety codes, grading, road, watershed and floodplain codes, and health codes. Issues the above-referenced permits. Inspects permitted construction activity.
  • DPIE Health OR Prince George’s County Health Department* — Approves plans for new and remodeled facilities, food service facilities, on-site sewage disposal systems, wells for potable water supplies, and public swimming pools and spas. 
  • Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M–NCPPC)* — Approves zoning, use, subdivision, site plans, tree conservation plans, landscape plans, and subdivision plats prior to issuance of building and site permits. See M–NCPPC website to submit zoning, subdivision, site plans, landscape plans, plats, tree conservation, etc.
  • Prince George's Soil Conservation District (PGSCD)* — Approves erosion and sediment control plans, as well as agricultural and forest harvesting operations. See PGSCD website to submit erosion and sediment control, and other approvals.
  • Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)* — Approves water-  and/or sewer-related plans involving systems extensions, site utility, hydraulic analysis, and planning commission preliminary plans; manages plumbing and gas service connection permits.  See WSSC website to submit water and sewer construction permits.
  • Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) — Approves permits for all work in the state rights-of-way. See MDOT SHA website to submit roadway permits in the SHA r/w.
  • Utility Companies (PEPCO, Washington Gas, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Verizon, Comcast, SMECO, etc.) — Approve and install electric, gas, phone, cable, streetlights and other dry utilities. DPIE issues special utility permits to utility companies; however, see individual utility company websites to submit requests for dry utility extensions.
  • Municipalities — There are 27 municipalities in Prince George's County. Permit requirements vary depending on the municipality.  View the "DPIE Plan Review and Permit Responsibilities in Municipalities" matrix for categories and responsibility coverage.
  • Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) — Approves permits impacting wetlands, waterways and floodplains. MDE also permits certain landfills, large sewers, groundwater withdrawals, and certain other uses that result in environmental impacts.
  • Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Maryland DNR) — Approves permits for mining operations and roadside tree removals.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — Approves impacts to FEMA floodplain areas.

*Representatives from the Health Department, PGSCD, M–NCPPC, and WSSC are colocated at DPIE.

Flowcharts of the Permit Process and Timeframes

Various approvals and permits are required from DPIE, M–NCPPC, WSSC, PGSCD, MDOT SHA, Prince George's County Health Department and other agencies to successfully construct projects in Prince George’s County. View the following documents for details.

Submittal Information Required and Plan Screening 

The permit process requires various plans, calculations, studies, and information for County agencies to review your permit. DPIE has checklists that define the information required. DPIE plan screening is required for all new residential buildings, commercial buildings, commercial additions and townhouses, and site/road permits. Plans are screened to determine if sufficient information has been included in the package before the engineering plans review can be conducted. Submittal packages that achieve a positive plan screening will be distributed to start the permit review process. Packages that do not achieve a positive screening will be returned to the customer for correction.

DPIE has checklists that identify design requirements for various types of permits. Typically called "Design Review Checklists," these checklists should be used by design professionals to ensure accuracy in plan preparation.

View the Development Forms and Checklists page of links by category.

Permitting Required in Municipalities

If you live in a municipality, there may be additional requirements when getting a permit. To find out if your property is in a municipality, check the PGATLAS. Once you are on the page, select "Map Layers" (the last icon on the right). View the list of choices, then click on the drop-down menu by "Administrative" layer; next, move the slider down on the right to view and click on the "Municipal Boundary" layer.

Some projects require permits from the County and other permits are required from a municipality. For projects located in municipalities, DPIE's matrix identifies the types of permits you need from Prince George’s County and various municipalities.

In addition, the requirements for inspections of projects are located in the Inspection Responsibilities in Municipalities chart.

Permit Time Limits and Extensions

Permit Applications:

Once a permit application has been filed, a building permit must be issued within one year of the filing date, or it shall be deemed to have been abandoned unless such application has been diligently pursued in good faith or a permit has been issued (see County Code Section 4-111). For Site/Road Permits, if the applicant does not post bond and pay fees within six months, the application may be voided (see County Code Section 23-114).

Issued Permits:

Building permits that have been issued are valid if inspections have occurred within a 6-month period of time. If inspections have not been scheduled, building permits automatically expire. Site/Road Permits are issued with expiration dates that vary depending on the type and size of permit. The expiration date is reflected on the issued permit. A request to extend an issued permit must be submitted within 30 days of the expiration date. If granted, extensions renew the validity of an application or permit. 

Apply for Permits Here

Begin your permit application(s) here at DPIE's Online Permit Services page.

Homeowners can file 24 types of Building Permits through the Virtual Permit Center's Walk-Through Permit Process.

For information regarding Special Events, Farmers' Markets and Flea Markets, visit DPIE's Special Event Permit page.

Attestation Required at Time of Permit Application

At the time of permit application, the person making the application is required to certify and attest to the following:

DISCLAIMER AND ATTESTATION
By submitting this application, I certify and attest that I am authorized to make this application. I certify that all statements on this application are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and are made under the penalties of perjury. I agree to comply with all applicable Maryland and Prince George’s County laws and regulations. The work described herein is true and accurate and will be performed in compliance with applicable codes and standards of Prince Georges County and the State of Maryland. I hereby declare and affirm under penalty of perjury, that I understand Section 4-117 and that penalties of $1,000 per day can be assessed for working without or outside the scope this permit. The making of false statements on this application is punishable by civil or criminal penalties.

Check Permit Status

There are a variety of ways to search for a permit:

Permit Revisions

Momentum Permit Cases

For permits in Momentum, view the MANUALS and Guides — Step-by-Step Instructions with Visuals page.

Customer enters the Momentum portal and submits an application for a revision.

  • Select "Apply Here," then select the permit type that you originally applied for (e.g., Residential, Commercial, Fire Permit, etc.). 
  • Select the applicable Pre- or Post-Issuance Revision option from the Case Type dropdown. Be sure to state that you want the applicant of record updated in Momentum and ProjectDox.
  • Select applicable change under “Permit Type.”
  • After you select the appropriate options, complete all relevant fields on the revision form. 
  • Applicant will need to input the application number (ex. 12345-2024-RGU), then submit.
Legacy ePermit Cases

To apply for a revision to the building application/permit, either the Applicant of Record, or Property Owner must send a signed PDF or Word document to eplan@co.pg.md.us with the narrative requirements indicated below. You will receive a notification from ePlan to upload the revised drawings after the revision to the application/permit has been processed.  

Narrative Requirements:
  • Case Number
  • Applicant Name
  • Email Address
  • Revised Work Description
  • List of file names being uploaded, if applicable
  • Departmental reviews that have already been completed, if applicable
  • Change of construction cost, if applicable
  • Any Additional Changes, if applicable
  • Include the following Attestation Statement with a signature and date:
    • DISCLAIMER AND ATTESTATION:
      By submitting this application, I certify and attest that I am authorized to make this application. I certify that all statements on this application are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief and are made under the penalties of perjury. I agree to comply with all applicable Maryland and Prince George’s County laws and regulations. The work described herein is true and accurate and will be performed in compliance with applicable codes and standards of Prince George's County and the State of Maryland. I hereby declare and affirm under penalty of perjury, that I understand Section 4-117 and that penalties of $1,000 per day can be assessed for working without or outside the scope this permit. The making of false statements on this application is punishable by civil or criminal penalties.
Permit Fees

View the "DPIE Fee Schedule" for applicable costs.