Baltimore County building permit search: the county's Permit Search map and records requests

Which addresses this covers

Baltimore County Permits, Approvals and Inspections (PAI) issues every building and trade permit in the county, because the county has no incorporated towns: Towson, Catonsville, Dundalk, Essex, Parkville, Pikesville, Owings Mills, Randallstown, Perry Hall and White Marsh are all in the county system. Baltimore City is a separate jurisdiction with its own portal, covered in the Baltimore City permit search guide.

How to look up the permits on a Baltimore County address

1. Open Permit Search and accept the Warranty and Disclaimer.
2. Click the Add Data icon, search for "Permits" and add the Permits, Electrical, Plumbing and Gas layers. Close the search box.
3. Open the Find Permit tool and type the address (it fills in as you type) or a permit number.
4. Results list on the right by trade; building permits are under "Cityworks permits". Expand a trade and click each permit to read its Status, PERMITNO, APPL_DATE, ISSDATE and DESC_WORK.
5. A furnace swap or water heater shows as a gas permit, and a heat pump or AC usually as an electrical permit, so check every trade layer, not just building.

What the statuses mean

Of permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, we count 52.5% finished, 47.1% still open and 0.4% expired. Because building permits rarely close, an "open" new home or deck permit is not by itself a sign of a problem; ask the contractor for the final inspection result.

When the record you want is not online

PAI's Records Search and Request page offers a Confirmation of Records request covering permit applications, permits issued, inspections performed and use and occupancy records. The fee is $20 per residential address ($50 commercial), and "PAI has 21 days from the date the request is received to fulfill this request". The page says building, electrical, gas and plumbing permits are not handled as Public Information Act requests. Requests go to PAI, 111 West Chesapeake Avenue, Room 120, Towson, MD 21204, PAIdirectorsoffice@baltimorecountymd.gov, 410-887-3353 (read 24 October 2026).

What our Baltimore County pages add

The county's map answers "what was permitted at this address". Our Baltimore County page counts the whole county file by kind of work, October 2024 to September 2026:

84% of the 72,744 permits (October 2024 to September 2026) were for homes. The busiest ZIP codes in that window were 21220 (5,329 permits), 21244 (4,753) and 21228 (4,185); every ZIP is on the ZIP code pages. The permit statistics page has counts by year and month, and browse permits lists the rows. Maryland home improvement contractors are licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission.

What this does not tell you

The county's files name no contractor and carry no final inspection date, so we show no firm lists and no time to final for Baltimore County. Trade permits carry no job value; the estimated cost is on building permits only.