Building Permit For Storage Shed Frederick County Maryland, Do I Need One?

Do I Need A Building Permit For  Storage Shed Frederick County Maryland?  We hear this question from our customers all the time. I will list the requirements for a shed in Frederick County MD in this blog post to help guide you in the right direction.

Do I need a building permit for this storage shed in Frederick County?

The good news is, most of our customers do not need a building permit.  If your shed is less than or equal to 150 square feet, you do not need permission from Frederick County for your storage shed.  This size requirement is interesting because the industry standard is to build with even numbers.  For example, 10×14 and 10×16 storage sheds are standard sizes, not 10×15.  Because of this discrepancy, many customers will purchase a 10×16 storage shed without permission from the county.  The chances of someone questioning whether an installed 10×16 storage shed had obtained a building permit are slim to none.

If you are looking for a larger storage shed, it is required that you submit for a building permit in Frederick County.  The process is fairly painless as long as you have the necessary paperwork.  When you arrive at the Frederick County Permits Department, make sure you have:

1. Completed shed building permit application
2. Two copies of your plot plan.  The county prefers a legal survey of your property, but will accept a hand drawn plot plan if necessary as long as it is legible and drawn to scale.  A acceptable plot plan will include:
   1. All property lines and property line dimensions
   2. Square footage or acreage of the property
   3. Building restriction lines and utility easements
   4. North direction arrow
   5. Property owner name(s)
   6. Street address of property
   7. Existing dwelling and any other existing structures
   8. Existing well if applicable
   9. Existing septic area if applicable
   10. Existing driveway
   11. Detailed dimensions of the proposed new construction
   12. Proposed new construction location with setbacks to property lines and nearest structure in all directions
3. Two sets of construction plans.  For sheds, these can be very basic drawings provided by our office.
4. Real property data search from this website, printed.
5. Paperwork from incorporated town if applicable
6. Application payment:
   1. Shed 399 square foot or less: $180 (plus $50 if property has well and or septic)
   2. Shed 400 square feet or more: $239 (plus $50 if property has well and or septic)
7. Notarized letter of permission from land owner if applicable.

Once you have all of your paperwork in order, you can walk through your permit Monday through Friday from 8 am to 3 pm at the Community Development Division located at 30 North Market Street.  The phone number to this office is 301-600-2313.  The application for a shed permit is available online here.