Washington County adopts county fire‑prevention code and fee schedule as inspections move in‑house

The Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt the Washington County Fire Prevention Code — the Maryland State Fire Prevention Code, including NFPA references, with local amendments — and to approve a county fire‑prevention fee schedule to support the county’s decision to bring fire prevention plan review and inspections into the Division of Permits and Inspections.

Greg Carteret, director of permits and inspections and the county’s code official, presented the proposed ordinance (with two local amendments) and the fee schedule and said the county must hold public hearings and adopt a local fire prevention code to assume responsibility from the State Fire Marshal under Maryland law. The county set an effective date of July 1, 2025, for the new code.

A contractor who performs sprinkler work locally, Brian Knowl of Knowl’s Fire Protection, addressed the hearing with questions about plan‑review turnaround and inspection capacity. Knowl said his firm performs more than 20 inspections a week under the State Fire Marshal and expressed concern about potential delays if the county’s review timeline lengthened; he warned builders could complain if the sprinkler review process slowed construction.

Carteret responded that the division currently has nine certified inspectors, will add three positions (including two dedicated fire positions and one commercial plan examiner), and expects to have about 10 certified fire inspectors and two or three dedicated plan reviewers once staffing adjustments are complete. He said residential sprinkler reviews and inspections should have quick turnaround because building inspectors who already perform residential inspections are being cross‑certified to perform those fire inspections.

On the fee schedule, Carteret said the county compared fees to the State Fire Marshal and neighboring Frederick County. For residential plan review the fire component will mirror building calculation (10¢ per square foot) and commercial fees were generally designed to be comparable or lower for large warehouses (10¢/sq. ft. for certain storage/industrial occupancies). Carteret said overall fees should be comparable to the previous state fees and in some cases lower; revenues from fees are expected to cover the additional staffing costs.

After closing the public hearings, the board voted 5‑0 to adopt the fire prevention code and the associated fee schedule. Commissioners asked staff to monitor turnaround times and report back if additional staffing or process changes are needed.

The county attorney and permitting director noted statutory notice requirements were followed and that the public hearing period had been advertised in accordance with state law.

Meeting materials included the draft ordinance with two local amendments and the proposed fee schedule.