What's Required in Baltimore
- No permit for tiling, painting, flooring, cabinets and counter tops (BFRCBC 105.2 item 7).
- Plumbing permit to install or replace any fixture, even in the same location (DHCD category page; BFRCBC 109.6.3(j)).
- Plumbing permits only to city-licensed master plumbers or master gas fitters (BFRCBC 2903.3).
- Electrical permits for new or replaced circuits, fans and lighting only to city-licensed electricians (BFRCBC 2706.2).
- Building permit with existing and proposed floor plans when fixtures or partitions move (DHCD category page).
- Fees: $5 per fixture, $6 per circuit, $30 exhaust minimum, $50 minimum alteration fee, plus $25 application and 5% tax (BFRCBC 109).
- MHIC-licensed contractor for construction work on a one- or two-family home (DHCD).
- Rough-in and final inspections for plumbing and electrical work (DHCD inspection guidelines).
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom in Baltimore?
For surfaces, no; for fixtures, yes. Baltimore's building code lists interior painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar interior finish work as exempt, so retiling, new flooring and paint need nothing. Fixtures are different. DHCD's permit-category page lists adding or replacing plumbing, mechanical, gas and electrical fixtures and devices at one- and two-family homes as permit work even in the same size and location, and its plumbing guideline lists plumbing fixture replacement among jobs that need a licensed contractor. A new toilet, vanity sink or tub in the old spot is a plumbing permit; a new exhaust fan or lighting circuit adds mechanical and electrical lines. Moving fixtures to new locations, or turning a closet into a half bath, also needs a building permit with existing and proposed floor plans.
Pulling and resetting the same toilet to lay new flooring is a repair, not a replacement: the model plumbing exemption for clearing stoppages, repairing leaks and the removal and reinstallation of water closets, without replacing or rearranging fixtures, is adopted as in the model code, though DHCD's handout lists it under buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings, so confirm before relying on it.
Baltimore Bathroom Remodel Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Retile, repaint and replace flooring | None | BFRCBC 105.2 item 7 |
| Replace a toilet in the same spot | Plumbing permit: $5 + $1 tax + $25 application = $31 | BFRCBC 109.6.3(j); DHCD category page |
| Replace toilet, sink and tub in place | Plumbing permit: $15 + $1 tax + $25 application = $41 | BFRCBC 109.6.3(j) |
| Add a ducted exhaust fan and its circuit | $30 exhaust minimum + $6 circuit + $2 tax + $25 = $63 | BFRCBC 109.6.3(e), 109.6.2(b) |
| Replace an electric water heater | $20 plumbing line by a master plumber | BFRCBC 109.6.3(j) |
| Gut remodel with 4 fixtures moved, 2 circuits and a fan | $112 in fees + $6 tax + $25 application = $143 | BFRCBC 109.6.1(c), 109.6.2, 109.6.3 |
| Turn a closet into a half bath | Building permit with floor plans plus plumbing permit | BFRCBC 105.1; DHCD category page |
How Much Does a Bathroom Permit Cost in Baltimore?
Very little. Plumbing is $5 per fixture installed, replaced or reconstructed ($20 to remove fixtures only, $20 per electric water heater). Electrical is $6 per new or replaced branch circuit, or $25 for installing 1 to 25 fixtures or devices only. A ducted exhaust system is $5 per 1,000 cubic feet per minute with a $30 minimum. When walls or layout change, the building alteration fee is $0.30 per square foot of affected floor area with a $50 minimum, which covers any bathroom. Add the nonrefundable $25 application fee and the 5% Building Code Permit Tax, rounded up. Gut remodel example: $50 building, $20 for four fixtures, $12 for two circuits and $30 for the fan make $112; tax adds $6 and the application fee $25, for $143. Work done without a permit draws a surcharge of the greater of $1,000 or 50% of the permit fee.
Who Can Do the Work?
Baltimore issues plumbing permits only to licensed master plumbers or master gas fitters, electrical permits only to licensed electricians and HVACR permits only to licensed HVACR contractors. Maryland exempts an individual doing plumbing in their own residence from state licensing, but the city permit still goes to a master plumber. DHCD says construction work on one- and two-family dwellings requires an MHIC-licensed contractor. File in E-Permits under the One and Two Family Combo Permit with each contractor's registered license; plumbing and electrical work gets a rough-in inspection before the walls close and a final at the end.
How to Get a Bathroom Remodel Permit in Baltimore
List fixtures and changes
Count every toilet, sink, tub, shower, fan, circuit and water heater you will install or replace, and note any moved walls or fixtures.
Hire licensed trades
A master plumber files the plumbing, a licensed electrician the wiring, and an MHIC-licensed contractor any construction work.
Prepare floor plans if the layout changes
Show existing and proposed layouts for relocated fixtures or partitions; add a cross-section for structural work.
Apply in E-Permits
File a One and Two Family Combo Permit with the estimated cost, fixture counts and each contractor's registered license; pay the $25 application fee.
Inspect before closing walls
Pay the permit fees and 5% tax, schedule rough-in inspections before drywall or tile goes up, then the final.