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Washington County adopts local fire prevention code and fee schedule; staff vows quick plan review turnaround
Summary
The county adopted a local fire prevention code and a corresponding fee schedule to bring plan review and fire inspections in-house. Staff said it will add certified inspectors and plan reviewers to meet expected demand and keep residential plan review turnaround short; both measures passed unanimously.
The Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt the Washington County Fire Prevention Code (including referenced NFPA standards) with two local amendments and to approve a county fire prevention fee schedule as the county brings fire prevention functions inside the Division of Permits and Inspections.
Greg Carteret, director of Permits and Inspections, explained the county will assume plan review and inspection duties currently handled by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and proposed local amendments and a fee schedule to support in‑house operations. He said the county is adding three new positions and will have 10 certified fire inspectors and two to three dedicated plan reviewers on staff to handle the workload. Carteret told commissioners that residential plan review and inspections should be turned around quickly in most cases and that commercial review will be handled by dedicated staff.
On fees, Carteret said the proposed schedule mirrors the current building fee structure and is comparable with the state and Frederick County; for example, a typical 2,000‑square‑foot residence would pay about $400 total under the combined building and fire fees. He noted an accommodation for large warehouses: to remain comparable to state fees for very large industrial/warehouse occupancies, the fire review rate for nonresidential storage/industrial occupancies is proposed at 10¢ per square foot (down from 15¢) for the fire component.
Public testimony included a local sprinkler contractor, Brian Knoll (Knoll's Fire Protection), who raised concerns about plan‑review turnaround and inspection capacity during the transition; Carteret and staff responded describing the planned staffing increases and dedicated commercial plan‑review positions. After public comment, the commission voted to adopt the code and the fee schedule; both measures passed by recorded votes of 5‑0.
Ending: County staff said the new program will be staffed before the county begins accepting inspections previously handled by the state and will track turnaround times; the fees are intended to cover the added positions and keep cost impacts comparable to current arrangements.
