Howard County vs Montgomery County, MD Building Permit Fees (2026)
Howard County and Montgomery County both price residential new construction and additions per square foot, with no statewide Maryland levy - but the rates and the add-ons differ sharply. Howard charges $0.25 per square foot plus a 10% technology fee and low flat filing fees; Montgomery charges $0.767865 per square foot with large filing-fee floors and no technology fee. Across every comparable project, Howard County comes out lower.
For a 400 square foot room addition, Howard County charges about $160 all-in ($100 permit at $0.25/sq ft + $50 filing + $10 technology fee) while Montgomery County charges $593.75 ($307.15 permit at $0.767865/sq ft + $286.60 filing-fee floor) - Montgomery is roughly 3.7 times higher. For a new 2,400 square foot detached house, Howard is about $810 and Montgomery is $2,764.32. Both counties add no statewide percentage levy.
- Both counties price new construction and additions per square foot, but Howard is $0.25/sq ft and Montgomery is $0.767865/sq ft - about three times higher.
- Howard adds a 10% technology fee and small flat filing fees ($25-$100); Montgomery has no technology fee but large filing-fee floors ($286.60 additions/alterations, $757.05 new homes).
- A 400 sq ft addition: $160 in Howard vs $593.75 in Montgomery.
- A new 2,400 sq ft house (building-permit side): $810 in Howard vs $2,764.32 in Montgomery.
- Neither county adds a statewide percentage levy; both assess large separate impact/school charges on new homes that are excluded here.
- Montgomery prices alterations per square foot ($0.681345/sq ft); Howard uses flat alteration fees ($50 up to 200 sq ft, $100 over).
Howard vs Montgomery: Fee Structure Side by Side
| Fee Element | Howard County (DILP) | Montgomery County (DPS) |
|---|---|---|
| New SF construction / addition rate | $0.25 / sq ft | $0.767865 / sq ft |
| Alteration / repair | Flat: $50 (≤200 sq ft) or $100 (over) | $0.681345 / sq ft |
| Filing fee | $25 alteration, $50 addition, $100 new residential | 50% of permit or $286.60 (addition/alteration); 50% or $757.05 (new home) |
| Technology fee | 10% of permit fee | None |
| State levy | None (Maryland) | None (Maryland) |
| Deck | Priced as addition/structure per sq ft | Flat $194.67 (≤500 sq ft) |
| Fee schedule effective | July 1, 2025 (FY2026) | Printed FY2022 (verify current) |
Shared-Assumption Worked Examples
Each example assumes the same square footage for both counties.
Example 1: Room Addition, 400 sq ft
| Fee Component | Howard County | Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee | 400 × $0.25 = $100.00 | 400 × $0.767865 = $307.15 |
| Filing fee | $50.00 | $286.60 (floor) |
| Technology fee (10%) | $10.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $160.00 | $593.75 |
Note: Same 400 sq ft addition. Montgomery's filing-fee floor of $286.60 and higher per-sq-ft rate make it about 3.7x Howard. Howard's 10% technology fee applies to the $100 permit fee.
Example 2: New Detached House, 2,400 sq ft
| Fee Component | Howard County | Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee | 2,400 × $0.25 = $600.00 | 2,400 × $0.767865 = $1,842.88 |
| Filing fee | $100.00 | $921.44 (50% of permit) |
| Technology fee (10%) | $60.00 | $0.00 |
| MD Home Builder Guaranty Fund | $50.00 | (not itemized here) |
| Total (building-permit side) | $810.00 | $2,764.32 |
Note: Building-permit side only. Both counties assess large separate impact, excise, and school facility charges on new homes, excluded here. Montgomery is about 3.4x Howard at this size.
Example 3: Remodel, 200 sq ft (alteration)
| Fee Component | Howard County | Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee | Flat $50.00 (≤200 sq ft) | 200 × $0.681345 = $136.27 |
| Filing fee | $25.00 | $286.60 (floor) |
| Technology fee (10%) | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $80.00 | $422.87 |
Note: Howard prices alterations as a flat fee by area; Montgomery per square foot, but Montgomery's $286.60 filing-fee floor dominates a small remodel. Assumes 200 sq ft of altered area.
Which County Is Cheaper for Your Project?
| Scenario | Lower Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small remodel (under 200 sq ft) | Howard ($80 vs $422.87) | Montgomery's filing-fee floor dominates small jobs |
| Room addition | Howard ($160 vs $593.75) | Howard's $0.25/sq ft is far below Montgomery's $0.767865 |
| New detached house | Howard ($810 vs $2,764) | Lower per-sq-ft rate and smaller filing fee |
| Deck | Depends on size; Montgomery flat $194.67 (≤500 sq ft) | Howard prices a deck per sq ft as a structure/addition |
| Predictability | Montgomery for flat-fee items (deck/pool/fence) | Montgomery publishes flat fees for those project types |
Practitioner Insight
The headline is simple - Howard County is cheaper than Montgomery County on essentially every per-square-foot project, often by three to four times, because its base rate is $0.25/sq ft against Montgomery's $0.767865 and its filing fees are a fraction of Montgomery's floors. Montgomery's one structural advantage is the published flat fee for discrete projects like decks ($194.67) and pools, which removes square-footage math. For both counties, the building permit fee is only the county's slice; the separate impact, excise, and school facility charges on a new home dwarf it. Confirm Montgomery's current rates given its FY2022 printed schedule, and Howard's at 410-313-2455.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
-
Howard County DILP - FY26 Building Permit Fee Schedule Effective July 1, 2025 - Howard County, MD
-
Montgomery County DPS - Residential Construction Fee Schedule (AllFees.pdf) Printed effective FY2022 - Montgomery County, MD - verify current
See each county's full fee page, or compare more Maryland jurisdictions.