Construction and Utility Permits

Construction Permits

Any work within a County right-of-way must be covered by a Construction Permit for Work within a County right-of-way, when a site is being developed without public road construction (Public Works Agreement). The Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) will require a bond, which is sufficient to cover the anticipated construction costs for installing the pertinent entrance improvements. The bond amount is established by the DPW&T. No inspection fee is required. For a conditional use in a residential zone, prior Planning Commission approval is not required. Please refer to our Construction Permit County Right Of Way Work for additional information. Refer to the approved User Fee Schedule for additional review and permit fee information.

Utility Permits

Any utility installation or repair within a County right-of-way, digging, trenching, boring/crossing, tree removal, etc., requires a Utility Permit Application Form. Requests must be submitted in writing, along with a location drawing, to the Department of Public Works & Transportation for review. Bonding requirements are then determined by the Supervisor of County Highways and appropriate information shown on our Construction Permit County Right Of Way Work. Once application/request is approved, a permit application must be executed and bonding received. A standard permit detailing general and special provisions is then issued for duration of 180 days. Once the work is completed and inspected (via Field Inspection Report) to assure the permit conditions have been satisfied, the permit and blanket bond can be released and/or the bond returned to the applicant. If the work is not completed by the expiration date, the applicant may request an extension. If an extension is not granted, the County has the option to claim the bond and complete the work. Refer to the approved User Fee Schedule for additional review and permit fee information.

Miss Utility

Miss Utility is a "One Call" notification center that is mandated as a partial solution to the utility damage problem. Miss Utility serves as a single point of contact for excavators to determine which utilities are present in the area in which they will be digging. Miss Utility notifies the utility companies with utilities in the vicinity of the dig area and the utility company provides a physical locating/marking service prior to the excavation. In Maryland, utilities are scheduled to be located within 48 hours from the time the locate is requested. For more information about Miss Utility or to submit a location request, call 1-800-257-777, dial the new "811" Federal Communications Commission hotline or the view the Miss Utility website.