The homeowner's guide
Montgomery County deck permits, explained.
Half the deck builders ranking for Montgomery County searches are based far away. We work under the rules of Montgomery County's building department (MCDPS) every week. Here's the guide we wish every homeowner read before collecting bids.
When you need a permit, and when you don't
| New deck | Permit required. Always. |
|---|---|
| Demo and rebuild | Permit required. It's a new structure. |
| Structural changes | Permit required for changes to framing, footings, or the ledger beyond in-kind repair. |
| Deck Resurfacing | Typically no permit. Boards, railings, and edge trim are replaced but the frame stays. If frame repairs go beyond like-for-like replacement, we confirm with the county before proceeding. |
The three inspections
A permitted Montgomery County deck passes three checkpoints: footing inspection: the county checks your holes (30 inches below grade, sized to code) before any concrete pours; framing inspection: the structure is checked before boards hide it; and the final inspection when everything is complete. Each is scheduled with the county at least 24 hours ahead, and we handle all three.
The most-cited item on county deck inspections is the lateral load connection: the hardware that ties the deck to the house structure so it cannot pull away. It's cheap during construction and expensive to retrofit, and it's exactly the kind of line a low bid omits.
What permitting actually involves
The county fee is only the last step. Getting a deck legally approved means assembling the application package: the site information and plat, the structural details the county reviews, your HOA's architectural submission (drawings, material specs, and color selections in the format your HOA wants), the submission itself through the county's electronic system, and then coordinating all three inspections around the build schedule. That is real work, and it's why "we handle permitting" matters. Our pricing includes the entire process: paperwork, fees, submissions, and inspection scheduling. No surprise addendum, and nothing left for you to chase.
HOA architectural review
Many Montgomery County subdivisions require HOA architectural approval on top of the county permit. The homeowner formally submits, but we prepare everything: drawings, material specs, and color selections in the format your HOA wants.
What happens if you skip it
Unpermitted structural work surfaces at the worst time, usually a home sale, when a buyer's inspector flags the deck and you're negotiating repairs on a deadline, or an insurance claim after a failure. Retroactive permits often mean opening up finished work. The permit is the cheap part.