Data through September 2026 · updated 20 Oct 2026
72,744 building permits issued in Baltimore County, October 2024 through September 2026: about 36,372 a year. The biggest kind of work is electrical, with 25,685. 36,489 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), about the same as the 36,255 in the 12 months before. 84% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is October.
Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026; the 12 months before is Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo | 12 mo before | Change | Homes | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 25,685 | 35% | 13,121 | 12,564 | +4% | 82% | July |
| Plumbing | 22,473 | 31% | 10,790 | 11,683 | −8% | 90% | March |
| HVAC | 5,336 | 7% | 2,863 | 2,473 | +16% | 95% | April |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 2,963 | 4% | 1,428 | 1,535 | −7% | 100% | July |
| Fences & walls | 2,819 | 4% | 1,325 | 1,494 | −11% | 94% | May |
| New homes | 2,308 | 3% | 1,381 | 927 | +49% | 100% | November |
| Solar | 1,400 | 2% | 762 | 638 | +19% | 94% | September |
| Remodels & repairs | 1,178 | 2% | 618 | 560 | +10% | 100% | April |
| Additions | 1,044 | 1% | 496 | 548 | −9% | 100% | October |
| Demolition | 299 | under 1% | 140 | 159 | −12% | 72% | October |
| Pools & spas | 251 | under 1% | 122 | 129 | −5% | 100% | June |
| Other | 6,859 | 9% | 3,384 | 3,475 | −3% | 39% | October |
Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: roofing (91), ADUs & casitas (38).
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from October) | 3 | 8,940 | 35,760 |
| 2025 | 12 | 36,656 | 36,656 |
| 2026 (through September) | 9 | 27,148 | 36,197 |
Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 3,334 |
| Nov 2024 | 2,701 |
| Dec 2024 | 2,905 |
| Jan 2025 | 2,308 |
| Feb 2025 | 2,533 |
| Mar 2025 | 2,732 |
| Apr 2025 | 3,105 |
| May 2025 | 3,204 |
| Jun 2025 | 3,346 |
| Jul 2025 | 3,717 |
| Aug 2025 | 3,395 |
| Sep 2025 | 2,975 |
| Oct 2025 | 3,634 |
| Nov 2025 | 2,864 |
| Dec 2025 | 2,843 |
| Jan 2026 | 2,474 |
| Feb 2026 | 2,648 |
| Mar 2026 | 3,290 |
| Apr 2026 | 3,472 |
| May 2026 | 3,197 |
| Jun 2026 | 3,210 |
| Jul 2026 | 3,178 |
| Aug 2026 | 3,001 |
| Sep 2026 | 2,678 |
Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), October 2024 through September 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.
25,685 permits · busiest July, quietest November
22,473 permits · busiest March, quietest January
5,336 permits · busiest April, quietest September
2,963 permits · busiest July, quietest January
2,819 permits · busiest May, quietest January
2,308 permits · busiest November, quietest December
1,400 permits · busiest September, quietest February
1,178 permits · busiest April, quietest January
| Kind of work | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 85 | 88 | 91 | 112 | 107 | 117 | 125 | 102 | 90 | 102 | 84 | 98 |
| Plumbing | 79 | 85 | 121 | 106 | 98 | 101 | 107 | 111 | 95 | 116 | 92 | 90 |
| HVAC | 78 | 109 | 92 | 127 | 100 | 105 | 113 | 66 | 59 | 115 | 112 | 124 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 51 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 116 | 125 | 156 | 127 | 103 | 111 | 78 | 97 |
| Fences & walls | 51 | 60 | 99 | 135 | 160 | 104 | 101 | 136 | 77 | 129 | 74 | 72 |
| New homes | 75 | 88 | 80 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 126 | 124 | 112 | 135 | 154 | 70 |
| Solar | 66 | 63 | 85 | 111 | 89 | 84 | 82 | 113 | 169 | 148 | 91 | 99 |
| Remodels & repairs | 76 | 80 | 87 | 129 | 116 | 109 | 98 | 94 | 108 | 108 | 96 | 99 |
How the county classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.
| Permit class | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes (residential) | 61,163 | 84% | 30,841 |
| Other | 11,581 | 16% | 5,648 |
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, so each has had at least 12 months to reach a final. Finished means the county recorded a final inspection or marked it complete; expired means it lapsed without one.
| Status | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Finished | 19,017 | 52.5% |
| Still open | 17,078 | 47.1% |
| Expired | 160 | 0.4% |
The 10 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the county's permits are counted.
| ZIP code | Permits | Share | Top kind of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21220 | 5,329 | 7% | Electrical (1,988) |
| 21244 | 4,753 | 7% | Plumbing (1,477) |
| 21228 | 4,185 | 6% | Electrical (1,501) |
| 21093 | 4,082 | 6% | Electrical (1,478) |
| 21117 | 4,074 | 6% | Electrical (1,559) |
| 21208 | 3,690 | 5% | Electrical (1,279) |
| 21222 | 3,627 | 5% | Electrical (1,274) |
| 21234 | 3,583 | 5% | Plumbing (1,277) |
| 21136 | 2,898 | 4% | Electrical (1,131) |
| 21237 | 2,641 | 4% | Electrical (955) |
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Permit statistics for other places in Baltimore. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Source: Baltimore County GIS, Active Development map service: Cityworks Permits, Electrical Permits, Plumbing Permits and Gas Permits layers, read 20 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building, electrical, plumbing and gas permits issued by Baltimore County Permits, Approvals and Inspections, which covers the whole county (it has no incorporated towns): Towson, Catonsville, Dundalk, Essex, Parkville, Pikesville, Owings Mills, Randallstown, Perry Hall, White Marsh and the rest. Baltimore City is a separate jurisdiction with its own permit office and is not in this file; the few trade permits whose ZIP code lies wholly inside Baltimore City are left out. Grading, storm-water and use-and-occupancy permits are not counted.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "Baltimore County, MD building permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/baltimore-county/permit-statistics, data through September 2026, from Baltimore County Permits, Approvals and Inspections building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · How many get finished · By ZIP code.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Finished, open and expired · Permits by ZIP code.