Building permits in Howard County, Maryland
Of the 13 common home projects we have verified in Howard County, 5 need a permit outright and 7 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 1 official source
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 13
- in Howard County
One thing Howard County does not make you permit
Worth knowing before you call anyone. Most jurisdictions we cover require all of these.
- Patio Permit
A standard patio installation does not need a permit; a patio that includes a retaining wall over 3 feet high, or is located in a mapped floodplain, may still need a separate permit
Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits
- 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043
- Phone: 410-313-2455
- Email: buildingtech@howardcountymd.gov
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Howard County
Howard County permit records are public, and you can check a property's permit history by address or permit number online.
What needs a permit in Howard County
Of the 13 common home projects we have verified in Howard County, 5 need a permit outright and 7 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel Permit | It depends | Set locally | Interior alterations to a single family home need a $25 filing fee plus $50 for an area... |
| Deck Permit | Permit required | Any size | $50 per structure (Miscellaneous Structures Accessory permit, FY2027 Building Permit Fee... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Any size | $50 non-refundable permit application fee, plus $50 for 25 or fewer outlets/fixtures... |
| EV Charger Permit | It depends | Permit requirements are set by the county, but the work is regulated statewide: every... | Not itemized by name |
| Fence Permit | It depends | fences 7 ft or under, not enclosing a pool, are exempt from a building permit; over 7 ft or enclosing a pool requires a Miscellaneous Structures building permit | $50 per structure for fences over 7 feet high or enclosing a pool (Miscellaneous... |
| HVAC Permit | It depends | For new HVAC installations, fuel or energy source conversions, additions or alterations... | $50 non-refundable application fee |
| Patio Permit | No permit needed | Exempt | ...per the county's residential permit handout, needing no filing fee and a flat $50... |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Any size | $50 non-refundable filing fee (other than Express Plumbing Permit) |
| Pool Permit | Permit required | Any size | $100 for above-ground pools |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | roof covering replacement with no other structural repairs is exempt, including up to 64 sq ft of roof sheathing; replacing more sheathing or any other structural repair requires a building permit | Not published |
| Shed Permit | It depends | sheds under 200 sq ft (one-story, non-conditioned, detached) are exempt from a building permit; 200 sq ft or more requires a Miscellaneous Structures building permit | $50 per structure for sheds over 200 and up to 400 sq ft (Miscellaneous Structures... |
| Solar Permit | Permit required | Any size | $50 per structure for a residential roof- or ground-mounted solar collector... |
| Water Heater Permit | It depends | It depends on the county | Water heater replacement bills as the $50 plumbing filing fee plus the $25... |
What you can build in Howard County
- Shed size, height and setback rules in Howard County (6 rules, each quoted from an official Howard County source)
- Fence size, height and setback rules in Howard County (4 rules, each quoted from an official Howard County source)
- Deck size, height and setback rules in Howard County (2 rules, each quoted from an official Howard County source)
- Pool size, height and setback rules in Howard County (1 rule, each quoted from an official Howard County source)
Planning a project in Howard County?
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Planning several things at once? Check your whole project
Schedule an inspection in Howard County
Permitted work is not finished until it passes inspection. DILP inspections and enforcements page with inspection scheduling instructions.
Schedule or request a Howard County inspection
When the portal will not take the date you need, the office still books by phone: 410-313-2455.
Checked . If the office has changed its process, report it.
Howard County permit fees compared with nearby Maryland localities
| Maryland locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County | $50 per structure (Miscellaneous Structures Accessory... | $50 non-refundable application fee | $50 non-refundable permit application fee, plus $50 for 25... |
| Anne Arundel County | Building permits are valuation-based: "$0-$3,000 | $86.00"... | ...residential: "Heating and Air Conditioning |... | ...subpanel) | Any number of electrical devices |... |
| Baltimore County | ...07/01/26: Decks (Open Deck) (under 600 sf)... | ...HVAC System Only for commercial work only ($100.00... | ...upgrade, replacement or reconnection... |
| Montgomery County | $223.87 flat for an open unenclosed deck 500 sq ft or... | Mechanical Permit minimum fee $80.84 for a residential one... | $111.94 minimum fee for a residential one or two family... |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Maryland jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
Howard County permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in Howard County?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 13 permit types we have verified for Howard County, 5 always require a permit (for example a deck permit), 7 depend on size or scope (a bathroom remodel permit, for instance), and 1 needs no permit at all in Howard County. Each Howard County permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in Howard County?
- Howard County publishes a fee for 12 of the 13 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits; we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in Howard County?
- Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits issues permits in Howard County, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks, and takes questions at 410-313-2455. The Howard County official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
How the Howard County pages were verified. 13 permit types, 21 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for Howard County is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.
Permitting activity in Howard County
In 2025, Howard County authorized permits for 728 new residential housing units (329 single-family, 399 in multi-family buildings), valued at $256M , down from 881 the year before. That works out to about 2.1 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual data · population 339,183.