Howard County
Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP)
In short
Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) issues 6 permits we publish for Howard County, last verified 2026-10-02. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Expedited Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $750 for a project up to 2,500 square feet; $1,500 for 2,501 to 5,000 square feet; plus $750 for each additional 2,500 square feet above that, under the FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. | one-time, per review | 2026-10-02 |
| Building Permit, New Construction or Addition (Non-Residential) | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $0.30 per new gross square foot, plus a $200 non-refundable commercial filing fee, under the FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), plus the 10% technology fee Howard County Code §3.101(b) applies to all DILP permits. | one-time, per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Master Electrician License | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $100 for a Master Electrician License (General, Restricted or Limited), valid for a 2-year term, under the FY2027 Electrical Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. | 2 years | 2026-10-02 |
| Annual Master Plumbing Permit | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $50 per year, under the FY2027 Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. | annual | 2026-10-02 |
| Onsite Utility Contractor License | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $70 per year, under the FY2027 Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. | annual | 2026-10-02 |
| Tenant Improvement Permit, First Occupancy of Shell Spaceonly if it applies to you | Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits (DILP) | $250 per permit, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee | one-time, per permit | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Commercial Expedited Plan Review
A business that wants its commercial building-permit plans reviewed on an expedited basis rather than the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits' standard review queue can pay for Commercial Expedited Plan Review: $750 for a project up to 2,500 square feet, $1,500 for 2,501 to 5,000 square feet, and an additional $750 for every further 2,500 square feet beyond that, under the FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule set by Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. This is an optional add-on to, not a substitute for, the underlying building or tenant-improvement permit fee itself.
Building Permit, New Construction or Addition (Non-Residential)
New non-residential construction or an addition in Howard County needs a building permit from the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City. Under the FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule set by Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026, the fee is $0.30 per new gross square foot plus a $200 non-refundable commercial filing fee, with the county's standard 10% technology fee (Howard County Code §3.101(b)) added on top of every DILP permit fee, including this one. This record covers every storefront build-out industry on this site that may undertake new construction or an addition: restaurant, coffee shop, retail store, fitness studio, salon, auto-repair shop and a veterinary clinic's own facility.
Master Electrician License
A contractor performing electrical work in Howard County needs a Master Electrician License — General, Restricted or Limited, depending on scope — from the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits' Board of Electrical Examiners, under Howard County Code §3.210. The fee is $100 for a 2-year term, under the FY2027 Electrical Permit Fee Schedule set by Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026 and linked from the county's own Forms & Fees page, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. This county license is distinct from, and in addition to, any Maryland State Board of Master Electricians licensing requirement; the fee here is Howard County's own, not the state's.
Annual Master Plumbing Permit
A plumbing permit in Howard County must be pulled by a Master Plumber, who needs this Annual Master Plumbing Permit from the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits' Plumbing Advisory Board, under Howard County Code §3.304(c): $50 a year under the FY2027 Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule set by Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. A separate $87.50 'Master Plumber' fee that appears in some search results belongs to the State of Maryland's own Board of Plumbing licensing program, not Howard County's; this record states only the county's own $50/year permit fee.
Onsite Utility Contractor License
A contractor performing onsite utility work (water and sewer service connections outside a building, separate from the interior plumbing work the Master Plumbing Permit covers) in Howard County needs this Onsite Utility Contractor License from the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits' Plumbing Advisory Board, under Howard County Code §3.305(j): $70 a year under the FY2027 Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule set by Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee. This license is separate from, and may be held in addition to, the Annual Master Plumbing Permit recorded above; the two cover different scopes of work under the same fee schedule.
Tenant Improvement Permit, First Occupancy of Shell Space
A business taking first occupancy of a tenant space inside a shell building in Howard County — the typical case for a new restaurant, retail store, salon, fitness studio or similar storefront moving into an existing commercial building rather than new ground-up construction — pays $250 per permit under the FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026, effective July 1, 2026), issued by the Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits, plus the standard 10% DILP technology fee under Howard County Code §3.101(b). This is distinct from, and typically cheaper than, the new-construction/addition fee recorded separately above, which is sized to the square footage of new construction rather than a first-occupancy fit-out of existing shell space.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Howard County
- Phone
- 410-313-2455
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- FY2027 Building Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026), effective July 1, 2026Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- FY2027 Electrical Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026), effective July 1, 2026Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- FY2027 Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution #83-2026), effective July 1, 2026Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Howard County Forms & Fees page (links the FY2027 Electrical and Plumbing Permit Fee Schedules)Howard County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Other offices serving Howard County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Maryland jurisdictions
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