Permits & licenses in Baltimore City.
Baltimore City is an independent city — not part of any county. Its building department, its fee schedule, and its review queue answer to nobody else's. A project inside the line files here and only here; the surrounding county's process, even a familiar one, does not apply.
- Permits are filed through the DHCD e-Permits system.
- Baltimore City sits outside Baltimore County; the county's PAI office has no jurisdiction here.
Call and talk to a permit specialist — for your Baltimore City project.
Baltimore City · drawn from Census boundaries
What we clear here
- Building permits — new construction, fit-outs, renovations
- Trade permits — electrical, plumbing, gas, mechanical
- Use & occupancy and the inspections behind it
- Business & contractor licensing
- Signs, site work, and right-of-way
How it moves
Your package is checked against the current Baltimore City checklist before it's filed — forms, editions, scales, signatures. Then it's tracked in the queue and defended through comments. A resubmittal means the back of the line; the pre-filing check is what keeps you out of it. The habit comes from volume: 400+ permits a year across these counters.
Straight answers
Who issues building permits in Baltimore City?
Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) — with the trade, health, and fire reviews that attach depending on the project.
Does DaKa work in Baltimore City?
Yes — Baltimore City is inside our Maryland home turf. Call (240) 344-5075 and we'll lay out your project's permits and licenses, in order, with the clock on each.
Call and talk to a permit specialist
(240) 344-5075Ten minutes on your project. You leave with the permits and licenses it needs, in order, with the clocks that run on each.