June 2022

DPS Manager Crystal Roberts Honored by MBIA

The Montgomery County chapter of the Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA) has awarded the Malcolm Shaneman 2022 Quality of Life Award to Department of Permitting Services (DPS) Manager Crystal Roberts.

The award is given to a person in the public sector who best reflects a genuine interest for the quality of life in Montgomery County and whose leadership qualities foster an atmosphere of partnership with the housing industry.

“This is a very proud moment in my life,” said Roberts, who was greeted with a standing ovation when the award was presented at MBIA's annual legislative breakfast. 

A DPS employee since 2013, Roberts is described by MBIA as the face of DPS intake and an industry expert on ePlans, ePermits and eServices. She was commended for her strong customer service background and positive attitude. Roberts oversees the DPS customer service counter, fee payment office, and permit technicians assigned to land development and residential applications.

She credits her Montgomery County colleagues for the award and said it’s rewarding to know that the building industry and business community appreciate the department’s work.

“I would not be recognized if it weren’t for every person at DPS,” Roberts wrote in an email to her colleagues. “We are part of a team and every day I am supported by others in this organization.  I consider the award to be our award and I was honored to accept it on our behalf.” 

DPS Earns Two NACo Awards

The National Association of Counties (NACo) has recognized the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services with two 2022 achievement awards.

The innovative programs that were recognized this year, include Notices of Violations and Citations/Court Proceedings – Information Guide in the category of Civic Education and Public Information, and Sustainability, Energy, and Mechanical Code Compliance Tools in the category of County Resiliency.  

Kudos to the Land Development Sediment Control Inspection team for the information guide award, and the Sustainability, Energy and Mechanical team for the resiliency award.  

Assignment Education

DPS Deputy Director Ehsan Motazedi welcomed dozens of DPS inspectors for their quarterly meeting on May 11 at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s hearing room at the Wheaton Office Building.

These educational meetings are important to ensure field operations continuity as well as training for DPS’s inspection staff.

The meeting included a presentation by WSSC, a code compliance procedural review, an overview of on-site inspections safety, and a refresher course on responding to and servicing the County’s 311 service request system.  

For more information about scheduling inspections, visit the DPS website.

One on One with DPS Inspections Manager James Sackett

It’s been a busy spring for DPS Inspections Manager James Sackett who supervises a residential team of 17 inspectors in Montgomery County.

In May, DPS inspectors fielded 962 requests for free residential deck maintenance inspections during Building Safety Month. The previous record high for deck inspections was 422 requests in 2019. Sackett said the inspections are being conducted in the order they are received, and, he said, inspections would continue during the summer months if necessary to fulfill each homeowner’s request. “The demand is very high,” said Sackett.  “We have received more requests for deck inspections this year, than any one year in the past. It will take us some time to respond to all of them.”

According to Sackett, once an inspector is on location the inspection takes approximately 15 minutes.

“Our inspectors go out and provide you with a decent overview of your structure, how it is being maintained, how it was originally constructed, generally is it safe and what you can do to make it safer,” Sackett said. He said his inspectors do not certify the safety of the structure and they are not issuing violation notices. “We are providing maintenance tips and recommendations only as part of this free service,” he said.

Sackett, who has worked at DPS for 17 years, was recently featured on the What’s Happening MoCo? podcast. Take a listen and learn more about deck safety, and the permitting process in Montgomery County.

Decks and Permits

A building permit is required for all residential decks that are supported by footings regardless of the height above grade. An electrical permit may be required for decks constructed with stairway illumination, hot tubs, receptacles, spas, etc.  

Did you know that Montgomery County Residential Deck Details may be used in lieu of construction plans for single span, single level decks? These decks cannot be constructed with roofs, screened porches, hot tubs or other additional loads.

Visit the DPS website for more information, including a frequently asked questions and answers section about decks.

Pools and Permits

A building permit is required for construction, alteration, repair, or enlargement of any residential swimming pool. A residential swimming pool is an artificial structure, either above or below ground, that is accessory to a residential dwelling and available only to the household and its guests for swimming, diving, and wading.

If a swimming pool was installed prior to July 13, 1990 it must be protected by a fence at least 42 inches high or have an automatic swimming pool cover. Swimming pools installed after that date must be protected by an adequate barrier that is 60 inches high.

Visit the DPS website to learn more.

Sign Review Board Meets June 16

The Sign Review Board meets virtually at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 16. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on the DPS website.

If you have questions or need more information, contact DPS staff liaison Roger Waterstreet at roger.waterstreet@montgomerycountymd.gov.

DPS Anniversary

The Department of Permitting Services will celebrate its one-year anniversary serving walk-in customers at its new location in Wheaton this month. DPS opened its customer service lobby, located on the 7^th floor at 2425 Reedie Drive, on June 14, 2021.

The customer service lobby is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday - Friday. 

Holiday Schedule

The Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) offices will be closed on Monday, June 20 in recognition of Juneteenth. The DPS customer service lobby will reopen at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 21.

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