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Permitting Authorities / City of Baltimore - Department of Housing and Community Development, Permits and Inspections

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Baltimore, MD?

Adopted code

City of Baltimore - Department of Housing and Community Development, Permits and Inspections

In Baltimore the City's Department of Housing and Community Development issues building permits and inspects the work, at the One Stop Shop, 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 100. The Maryland Building Performance Standards apply in Baltimore as they do in every part of Maryland. This listing covers the office's contact details and the rules state law sets for every Maryland town; it does not cover Baltimore's own permit rules.

Jurisdiction
City of Baltimore, Maryland
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
417 E. Fayette Street, Room 100, Baltimore, MD 21202
Contact
  • url: https://www.baltimorecity.gov/dhcd/our-work/permits-and-inspections
  • phone: 443-984-1809
Permit portal
Permit portal
Contractor registration required
Required
Adopted code
The 2021 International Residential Code, as adopted by the State in the Maryland Building Performance Standards. COMAR 09.12.51.04A incorporates the "2021 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings," and COMAR 09.12.51.05A provides that "The IBC, IRC, and IECC, as modified in Regulation .04 of this chapter, shall constitute the Maryland Building Performance Standards," effective May 29, 2023 (50:10 Md. R. 407). The State's changes to the residential code are to its scope and appendices, its energy chapter, and notes removing mechanical, plumbing and electrical work from the Standards; none touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. The State also points work on existing buildings to the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (COMAR 09.12.58.03A). The Standards are enforced in every part of the State: "Each local jurisdiction shall implement and enforce the most current version of the Standards and any local amendments to the Standards" (Public Safety Article 12-505(a)(1)(i)), and "the county in which a building or structure is located shall implement and enforce the Standards for that building or structure" unless a municipality does so itself (12-505(b)). A county or city may change them: "A local jurisdiction may adopt local amendments to the Standards," provided the amendments do not weaken the energy provisions, the automatic fire sprinkler provisions for townhouses and one- and two-family dwellings, or the "wind design and wind-borne debris provisions contained in the Standards" (12-504(a)(1)), and "If a local amendment conflicts with the Standards, the local amendment prevails in the local jurisdiction" (12-504(c)). A local jurisdiction must enforce a new State edition within 12 months after the State adopts it (12-505(a)(1)(ii)). The State proposed adopting the 2024 editions in the Maryland Register of June 26, 2026 (53:13 Md. R. 593); that proposal had not been adopted when this record was checked. This record did not read the local amendments of this jurisdiction except as stated here. Everything above is Maryland state law, the same everywhere in the State. In Baltimore the City enforces the Standards itself: its Department of Housing and Community Development issues building permits and inspects the work. The City's Building, Fire, and Related Codes, Part X, § 10-101 (Ord. 24-341), provides that "The International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (2021 Edition) is adopted as part of the Building, Fire, and Related Codes of Baltimore City," subject to the City's modifications listed in § 10-102. Those modifications amend Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, in two places: Section 905.18 (Ord. 23-252) requires roof coverings over conditioned spaces on low-slope roofs (slope under 2:12) of new buildings and additions to have a minimum 3-year-aged solar reflective index of 78, and Section 911 sends rooftop decks and other rooftop structures to § 1510 of the Baltimore City Building Code; Sections 901 to 904 and 906 to 908 are as in the IRC.
Sales & use tax
6% Maryland sales and use tax, with no county or city sales tax added on roofing materials. On a reroof the roofer pays the tax on the materials when buying them. The statute sets the tax at "6 cents for each exact dollar" of a taxable price of $1 or more (Tax-General Article 11-104(a)(2)), and "A county, municipal corporation, special taxing district, or other political subdivision of the State may not impose any retail sales or use tax" except a tax in effect on January 1, 1971, taxes on fuels, utilities, space rentals and certain controlled substances, and a code county's tax on food and beverages (11-102(c)). The Comptroller's rule says "a person who constructs, improves, alters, or repairs real property shall pay the tax on all materials purchased, which will be incorporated into real property in such a manner that the materials will lose their identity as tangible personal property" (COMAR 03.06.01.19A), and wording in the contract such as "tax included" or "tax exempt" does not change that (03.06.01.19B). The rule treats repair and replacement alike. Everything above is Maryland state law, the same everywhere in the State.

Local roofing hub

Roofing in Baltimore, MarylandCity hub

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Calvert County, MDRoof permit Caroline County, MDRoof permit Cecil County, MDRoof permit Dorchester County, MDRoof permit Frederick County, MDRoof permit Roofing in MarylandState hub

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Sources

Roofing questions: Baltimore, MD

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Baltimore, MD?

Yes.

What building code does Baltimore, MD use?

The 2021 International Residential Code, as adopted by the State in the Maryland Building Performance Standards. COMAR 09.12.51.04A incorporates the "2021 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings," and COMAR 09.12.51.05A provides that "The IBC, IRC, and IECC, as modified in Regulation .04 of this chapter, shall constitute the Maryland Building Performance Standards," effective May 29, 2023 (50:10 Md. R. 407). The State's changes to the residential code are to its scope and appendices, its energy chapter, and notes removing mechanical, plumbing and electrical work from the Standards; none touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. The State also points work on existing buildings to the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code, the 2021 International Existing Building Code (COMAR 09.12.58.03A). The Standards are enforced in every part of the State: "Each local jurisdiction shall implement and enforce the most current version of the Standards and any local amendments to the Standards" (Public Safety Article 12-505(a)(1)(i)), and "the county in which a building or structure is located shall implement and enforce the Standards for that building or structure" unless a municipality does so itself (12-505(b)). A county or city may change them: "A local jurisdiction may adopt local amendments to the Standards," provided the amendments do not weaken the energy provisions, the automatic fire sprinkler provisions for townhouses and one- and two-family dwellings, or the "wind design and wind-borne debris provisions contained in the Standards" (12-504(a)(1)), and "If a local amendment conflicts with the Standards, the local amendment prevails in the local jurisdiction" (12-504(c)). A local jurisdiction must enforce a new State edition within 12 months after the State adopts it (12-505(a)(1)(ii)). The State proposed adopting the 2024 editions in the Maryland Register of June 26, 2026 (53:13 Md. R. 593); that proposal had not been adopted when this record was checked. This record did not read the local amendments of this jurisdiction except as stated here. Everything above is Maryland state law, the same everywhere in the State. In Baltimore the City enforces the Standards itself: its Department of Housing and Community Development issues building permits and inspects the work. The City's Building, Fire, and Related Codes, Part X, § 10-101 (Ord. 24-341), provides that "The International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (2021 Edition) is adopted as part of the Building, Fire, and Related Codes of Baltimore City," subject to the City's modifications listed in § 10-102. Those modifications amend Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, in two places: Section 905.18 (Ord. 23-252) requires roof coverings over conditioned spaces on low-slope roofs (slope under 2:12) of new buildings and additions to have a minimum 3-year-aged solar reflective index of 78, and Section 911 sends rooftop decks and other rooftop structures to § 1510 of the Baltimore City Building Code; Sections 901 to 904 and 906 to 908 are as in the IRC.