Prince George's County, MD Building Permit Fees (2026)
Residential building permit fees from the official Prince George's County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) fee schedule, effective March 2, 2025. DPIE stacks several flat components and adds a 10% technology fee on top.
This page covers: Prince George's County residential building permit fee components as published in the DPIE Fee Schedule effective March 2, 2025 - the administrative fee, building permit fee, the M-NCPPC review fee, the 10% technology fee, and the residential retaining wall fee.
This page does NOT cover: The School Facility Surcharge and the Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge, which apply to new residential construction, are large, are location-dependent, and are set separately from the building permit fee. It also excludes trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), which DPIE bills on separate schedules.
Source note: The live DPIE Fee Schedule PDF on the county website returned an access block during extraction. The figures here were read from the Internet Archive snapshot (captured March 9, 2025) of the same official county URL, which is consistent with the schedule's printed March 2, 2025 effective date. Re-confirm the live PDF with DPIE before treating any figure as a load-bearing quotation.
Prince George's County does not charge a single permit fee - DPIE stacks components. A residential retaining wall over 2 feet totals about $268.40: a $120 building permit fee, a $66 administrative fee, a $53 grading fee, and a $5 M-NCPPC review fee, all subject to a 10% technology fee. A new single-family dwelling's building permit fee is $1.17 per square foot (with $1.30 per sq ft over 3,500 sq ft), but new homes also carry large separate School Facility and Public Safety surcharges. Maryland adds no statewide percentage levy.
- DPIE builds a stacked total: administrative fee ($66) + building permit fee + grading ($53) + use and occupancy ($112) + M-NCPPC ($5), then a 10% technology fee on the total.
- A residential retaining wall over 2 feet totals about $268.40 all-in (with the 10% technology fee).
- A new single-family dwelling's building permit fee is square-foot based: $1.17 per sq ft, plus $1.30 per sq ft for area over 3,500 sq ft.
- New residential construction also triggers a School Facility Surcharge and a Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge that are large, location-dependent, and set separately - not part of the building permit fee.
- Maryland has no statewide percentage levy, but DPIE's own 10% technology fee plays a similar role on county permitting fees.
- The figures here come from the Internet Archive snapshot of the official March 2, 2025 DPIE schedule; re-verify the live PDF before budgeting.
Prince George's County DPIE Fee Components
DPIE assembles a permit total from the components below, then applies a 10% technology fee to the DPIE fees. Maryland adds no statewide levy.
| Fee Component | Amount | Basis / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Fee | $66.00 | Per building permit |
| Technology Fee | 10% | Of all DPIE/Health permitting and licensing fees |
| M-NCPPC Review Fee | $5.00 | Collected with all permits, plus 10% tech fee |
| New single-family dwelling - building permit fee | $1.17 / sq ft | $1.30 / sq ft for area over 3,500 sq ft |
| New dwelling - grading fee | $53.00 | Component of the new-construction total |
| New dwelling - use and occupancy | $112.00 | Component of the new-construction total |
| Interior / exterior alteration | $220 min or 1% of value | Plus $66 administrative fee; confirm exact basis with DPIE |
| Residential retaining wall (over 2 ft) | $120.00 building permit fee | Plus $66 admin + $53 grading + $5 M-NCPPC, then 10% tech |
Source: Prince George's County DPIE Fee Schedule, effective March 2, 2025, read from the Internet Archive snapshot (captured March 9, 2025) of the official county URL. Confirm the live PDF with DPIE before filing.
How Prince George's County Calculates Building Permit Fees
| Step | What Happens | Prince George's County Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Start with the building permit fee | Determine the base permit fee for the project type. | New SFD: $1.17/sq ft ($1.30/sq ft over 3,500). Retaining wall over 2 ft: $120. Alteration: $220 minimum or 1% of value. |
| 2. Add the administrative fee | A flat administrative fee is included on building permits. | $66 per permit. |
| 3. Add other components | New dwellings add grading and use and occupancy; all permits add the M-NCPPC review fee. | Grading $53, Use & Occupancy $112 (new dwellings), M-NCPPC $5 (all permits). |
| 4. Apply the 10% technology fee | DPIE assesses a 10% technology fee on its permitting and licensing fees. | Technology fee = 10% of the DPIE fees in the stack. |
| 5. Add separate surcharges (new construction) | New dwellings carry large, location-dependent surcharges set outside the building permit fee. | School Facility Surcharge and Public Safety & Behavioral Health Surcharge - see the exclusions below. |
Worked Examples
Example 1: Residential Retaining Wall (over 2 ft)
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Fee - retaining wall | Flat, per wall | $120.00 |
| Administrative Fee | Per permit | $66.00 |
| Grading Fee | Component | $53.00 |
| M-NCPPC Review Fee | All permits | $5.00 |
| Technology Fee | 10% of $244.00 | $24.40 |
| Estimated Total | $244.00 + $24.40 | $268.40 |
Note: The four DPIE components ($120 + $66 + $53 + $5 = $244) are subject to the 10% technology fee, bringing the total to $268.40. Source: DPIE Fee Schedule effective March 2, 2025 (Internet Archive snapshot).
Example 2: Interior Alteration, $40,000 declared value (estimate)
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Fee - alteration | Greater of $220 or 1% ($400) | $400.00 |
| Administrative Fee | Per permit | $66.00 |
| M-NCPPC Review Fee | All permits | $5.00 |
| Technology Fee | 10% of $471.00 | $47.10 |
| Estimated Total | $471.00 + $47.10 | $518.10 |
Estimate - confirm the basis: The DPIE schedule lists the alteration permit fee as "$220 minimum or 1% of construction value," and the exact basis (which value, and whether grading or other components attach) should be confirmed with DPIE for your specific project. A $40,000 alteration produces a 1% fee of $400, which exceeds the $220 minimum. Trade permits are separate. Source: DPIE Fee Schedule effective March 2, 2025 (Internet Archive snapshot).
Example 3: New Single-Family Dwelling, 2,500 sq ft (building permit only)
| Fee Component | Rule Applied | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Fee | 2,500 sq ft × $1.17 | $2,925.00 |
| Administrative + Grading + Use & Occupancy + M-NCPPC | $66 + $53 + $112 + $5 | $236.00 |
| Technology Fee | 10% of $3,161.00 | $316.10 |
| Estimated Building Permit Total (before surcharges) | $3,161.00 + $316.10 | $3,477.10 |
Critical exclusion: This is the building permit total only. A new dwelling in Prince George's County also carries a School Facility Surcharge and a Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge that are large and location-dependent (the county has cited Public Safety surcharge ranges of roughly $3,229 inside the inner Transportation Service Area to roughly $9,680 in other locations for the July 2024 - June 2025 period). These are set separately from the building permit fee and can multiply the total government cost of a new home. The DPIE schedule also shows a representative new-SFD example total of about $4,095 before those surcharges. Confirm all current figures with DPIE. Source: DPIE Fee Schedule effective March 2, 2025 (Internet Archive snapshot).
Practitioner Insight
Prince George's County is the clearest example in the DMV of why "the permit fee" is a misleading phrase. DPIE never quotes one number - it assembles an administrative fee, a building permit fee, grading, use and occupancy, and an M-NCPPC review charge, then layers a 10% technology fee on top. For a small project like a retaining wall, the components are modest and the all-in total ($268.40) is predictable. For a new house, the building permit math is only the opening line.
The number that dominates a new-home budget in Prince George's County is the surcharge stack, not the permit. The School Facility Surcharge and the Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge are set per dwelling, vary sharply by where the home sits relative to the county's Transportation Service Areas, and routinely exceed the building permit fee by a wide margin. Treat the per-square-foot permit fee as a floor and ask DPIE for the location-specific surcharge figures before you commit to a budget.
Prince George's County DPIE
Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE)
Prince George's County Government
princegeorgescountymd.gov
Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement
DPIE Online Permits (Momentum)
Apply and pay at dpiepermits.princegeorgescountymd.gov
DPIE Fee Schedule
Effective March 2, 2025
When This Estimate May Not Apply
Source was an archived snapshot
The live DPIE Fee Schedule PDF returned an access block during extraction, so the figures here were read from the Internet Archive snapshot (March 9, 2025) of the same official county URL. The schedule's printed effective date is March 2, 2025. Re-confirm the live PDF with DPIE before relying on any figure.
School and Public Safety surcharges excluded
New residential construction carries a School Facility Surcharge and a Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge that are large, location-dependent (inside vs. outside Transportation Service Areas), and set separately from the building permit fee. They are excluded from every building-permit figure on this page and can exceed the permit cost itself.
Alteration fee basis to confirm
The alteration permit fee is listed as "$220 minimum or 1% of construction value." The precise basis - which value is used and which components attach - should be confirmed with DPIE for your specific project. The alteration example on this page is labeled as an estimate for that reason.
Trade permits are separate
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits each carry their own DPIE fee schedules and are not included in the building permit figures shown here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
-
Prince George's County DPIE - Fee Schedule (PDF, official URL) Effective March 2, 2025 - Prince George's County, MD - Primary source for the fee components on this page - Read from the Internet Archive snapshot (captured March 9, 2025) because the live PDF was access-blocked at extraction Archive snapshot - verify live
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Prince George's County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) Current - Department home page - Contact information and the DPIE Online Permits (Momentum) application portal
Compare Prince George's County against Montgomery County, see Maryland's other counties, or check how Virginia and DC jurisdictions price the same project.
Permit Fees Are One Part of Your Project Budget
Once you know your Prince George's County permit cost, two related numbers complete your total budget picture:
Property tax impact after your project closes
A permitted addition or finished space increases your assessed value in Prince George's County. See how Maryland jurisdictions calculate the ongoing property tax impact at CountyTaxTools.com.
School and impact surcharges
For new construction, Prince George's County's School Facility and Public Safety surcharges can dwarf the building permit fee. Research development and impact charges at ZoneFee.com.