DER, Building Inspection Section (BIS)

The Building Inspection Section (BIS) provides oversight of construction activities for residential construction and commercial tenant fit outs. BIS handles building, mechanical, residential, electrical and residential sprinklers. This Section also handles complaints related to construction activities. It should be noted that the City of Laurel regulates the construction and enforcement activities for their city. For issues related to the City of Laurel, contact them directly at (301) 725-5300.

The County uses an automated system to schedule inspections. In order to schedule an inspection, click on How to Schedule An Inspection for instructions and have the following information prior to calling the automated system:

• Contact phone number
• Case number
• Request code (see listing below) and
• Date you would like the inspection to occur

The system will provide you with a confirmation number. Please write that number down and keep it available throughout the inspection process. In order to assure a smooth inspection, please have the County-approved plans and the permit available for the inspector. It is helpful to have someone on site to answer any questions the inspector may have. However, if the construction is fully accessible and the plans and permit are posted at the site, the inspector will attempt to complete the inspection without a contact person present.

Inspections are scheduled based on location and volume. Due to varying lengths of time needed for an inspection and the location of inspections, we are unable to schedule an exact appointment time. We make every attempt to meet the requested inspections for finals and concrete on the scheduled day. Unfortunately, due to the unpredictable volume of requests, we may have to delay the inspection. In this event, the inspector will attempt to contact the requester after 2:00 p.m. We give priority to final and concrete inspections. If the inspection is missed, we will honor the request on the next business day, but we recommend that another request be made through the automated inspection request system. If you have not received your inspection or been contacted by the inspector by 2:30 p.m., you may obtain the inspection status by calling (301) 883-3820.

If you would like to contact us about a possible Code violation in a home that is under one (1) year old, please write, fax or e-mail describing the problem. Please include your name and daytime phone number if you would like the inspector to contact you.