Alteration Without Use & Occupancy
Applying
Building Permit applications are completed online. Please go to the Momentum portal and enter the information directly into the County’s Permitting System.
The Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) has specific requirements for the form and content of every home improvement contract provided by the MHIC licensed contractor. Be sure you are familiar with those requirements before signing any home improvement contract. Home Improvement contractors must be licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC). For any questions pertaining to contract contents, what constitutes a home improvement, or the professional standing of a specific home improvement contractor, contact the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) at (410) 230–6309 or visit their web site at www.dllr.state.md.us.
Plans and Drawings Requirements
Interior
The following plans are required to apply for an Alteration Permit:
- Structural and Architectural Drawings
Exterior
The following plans are required to apply for an Exterior Permit:
- Site/Plot Plans
- Structural and Architectural Drawings
Addition and alteration construction is a miscellaneous grouping of home improvement and renovation projects generally geared toward the enhancement of an existing principal structure. Exterior and interior additions/alterations fall into this category. There are numerous home improvement projects within this classification, some of which may require multiple permits.
Residential Additions
Residential additions can extend outward or upward from the existing structure. They are extensions of your living space. Living areas often can be altered or created through renovations to an existing structure without the benefit of outward physical expansion. For example, a basement can be finished as a family recreation room and/or den, or it can be divided and partitioned to create an additional bedroom.
In order to perform new construction or to alter an existing structure, one must obtain a building permit and submit site plans showing existing and proposed structure location(s), including well and/or septic (if applicable). Structural plans also are required.
Electrical
Electrical work for additions or alterations of existing dwellings requires an application for an Electrical Permit by a Master Electrician licensed by the State of Maryland.
Health and Plumbing
Additionally, the Health Department’s Division of Environmental Health will check to ensure that the existing septic system is sized adequately for any proposed increase to living area(s), where applicable.
Like electrical work, the installation of plumbing or natural gas piping requires an application by a Registered Master Plumber/Gasfitter licensed by WSSC. Generally, the installation of plumbing by a homeowner is not permitted. Installation of natural gas piping and appliances by an entity other than a Registered Master Gasfitter is strictly prohibited.
For sprinklered homes, all additions (including sunrooms and patio enclosures) must be protected by an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with NFPA 13D.
Demolition
In accordance with Prince George’s County Building Code, Subtitle 4, Section 4-245(c), “Structures that undergo a complete demolition (exclusive of the foundation) due to lack of maintenance, fire, explosion or natural causes of the structure and additions to structures which exceed one hundred (100) percent of the total floor area (square footage) of the existing structure, shall be required to be fully sprinklered.”
Homeowner's Associations
If your home is located in a subdivision with a Homeowner’s Association (HOA), a separate approval from the HOA may be necessary. Unless erected by the homeowner, all home improvement projects require that a contractor licensed with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission is used.