Seven years ago this month, DPIE opened its doors with a mandate to streamline permitting, plan review, business licensing, inspection, property maintenance and enforcement operations. As we move into our eighth year, the DPIE family will continue to strive to improve its service to our customers.

Upgrades in technology are allowing us to provide better and faster response in everything from scheduling inspections to processing permits to resolving violations of County code.  For example,
this spring, due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements, we began doing virtual inspections on limited residential projects. That initiative has been well received and will be expanded to include additional projects.

We also continue to focus on helping the County increase economic development. Our Business Development Section (BDS) team works with owners of established businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to help them navigate permitting and licensing requirements. You can find their seminars on DPIE's YouTube channel and see the team’s updates in their monthly Building Blocks newsletter.

Our Administrative Hearing Unit (AHU) is helping to reduce the time it takes to adjudicate code violations. The County Council voted in June to expand the unit’s authority by adding short-term rental and unpermitted construction violations to the cases AHU hears. We have made it a priority to pursue scofflaws responsible for unpermitted construction who are often home “flippers” who leave unsuspecting home buyers with shoddily-built projects and huge fines when the unpermitted construction is discovered. We also are urging buyers to verify that any construction on an existing home is appropriately permitted before they purchase.

We are also continuing our efforts to hold responsible those who violate property maintenance requirements. Violations such as tall grass and weeds, peeling paint, littered lots, untagged vehicles and snarled traffic due to illegal businesses create eyesores and detract from property values in our communities. We will continue to address these problems by issuing violation notices and fines and taking additional steps when necessary.

We are here to serve you. As we continue to work in modified circumstances, know that the DPIE family remains committed to providing you the best service we can.

The mandate was to simplify a series of processes that had proven daunting to citizens by dismantling one agency and uniting sections from others to form a new department.

The new agency, named the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement, DPIE for short, opened its doors with a bold mission on July 1, 2013. It has improved its delivery of services every year since by focusing on expediting processes from permit filing to fee payment to violation notice adjudication, said Gary Cunningham, the first Deputy Director of DPIE.

“The creation of DPIE occurred in less than a year,” Cunningham said. “It was an amazingly short time to establish a new department comprised of multiple sections of existing agencies merged into one functioning entity. It was an aggressive and challenging initiative.”

Prior to DPIE, services were spread over several locations. Citizens and business owners complained about the difficulty of navigating not only the permitting and licensing processes but also the number of agencies involved.

“The purpose of DPIE was to put everything in one place and to streamline operations,” said Cunningham, who came to DPIE after a career in the Prince George’s County Police Department. “DPIE has improved the processes and shortened wait times.”

Today, the agency is home to about 300 employees divided among seven divisions.

“DPIE’s functions and responsibilities are many,” Cunningham said. “We inspect residential and commercial developments to make sure they are safe and in compliance with codes. We issue professional licenses. We issue licenses for restaurants and convenience stores. And, we are the agency responsible for helping to maintain the County’s aesthetic value through property standards enforcement.”

He said initiatives established by Director Bolling have led to upgraded technology, improved inspection times, stricter code enforcement and faster permitting, plan review and licensing for customers.

“And we have a dedicated staff that enthusiastically goes about the agency’s work every day. We are all committed to fulfilling DPIE’s mission,” Cunningham said.

Significant Dates in DPIE’s History

DPIE Deputy Director Dawit Abraham, who oversees the Permitting and Licensing, Building Plan Review and Site/Road Plan Review divisions, said DPIE is among the top County agencies involved in economic development by working with developers and construction companies building projects in the County. DPIE works to verify projects are built according to the highest safety standards and assists companies interested in building in the County with permitting and licensing requirements.

“Burgeoning economic development increases employment opportunities and tax revenue for the County,” Abraham said. "DPIE is one of Prince George's County's top revenue-generating agencies.  Director Bolling came to DPIE with a focus on upgrading DPIE's response to commercial developers, as well as small businesses and entrepreneurs interested in starting small companies."

The largest development projects constructed in Prince George’s County since DPIE’s inception in 2013 include:

• The MGM National Harbor Resort and Casino, Oxon Hill

• The Hyattsville Arts District

• The University Towers student housing and retail development, College Park

• Children’s National Hospital Center, Largo

• The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, Largo

• One Town Center, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, 
  Camp Springs

• PSEG Keys Energy Center, Brandywine

• Smith Farm residential development, including the Westphalia community, Upper Marlboro

• Kaiser Permanente and Metro offices, New Carrollton

• The University of Maryland Conference Center, College Park

“If I had to add a couple more to the list, they would be the U.S. Route 1 Corridor development of hotels and multi-family dwellings in College Park, the Whole Foods Cafritz development in Hyattsville and, of course, the Purple Line Transit Development by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT),” Abraham said.

Associate Director Valerie Cary

Code Enforcement Division

Q: What are your major responsibilities?
A: The Enforcement Division is responsible for enforcing the County’s housing and zoning codes.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE? 
A: I was a Prince George’s County Police officer.

Q: How did you envision the agency? 
A: DPIE was designed to be a "one-stop shop" for development projects in the County, from small home improvement projects to large-scale projects such as MGM National Harbor. It was also created to provide stricter enforcement of property maintenance codes, which is my division’s priority.

Q: Has it fulfilled what you believed it would be? 
A: I believe it has. You can come into the building, move from station to station and eventually leave with permits to move forward with your project. Previously, you had to run around the County to several locations.

Q: What are the most important contributions DPIE has made to the County? 
A: The expedited permitting process has helped the continued commercial growth of the County. The increased property standards enforcement is directly responsible for lowering the crime rate and improving property values, both of which bolster economic development.

Q: What do you think should be a priority for the agency moving forward?
A: DPIE should continue to find innovative ways to expedite the permitting process while always maintaining high standards for safety for the community.

Associate Director Bellur Ravishankar

Permitting & Licensing Division
and Building Plan Review Division

Q: What are your primary responsibilities?
A:  As the Associate Director of the Building Plan Review Division and the Permitting and Licensing Division, I oversee day-to-day operations of both divisions and provide guidance to staff, as well as customers. I conduct project meetings on large projects in association with other County agencies. I manage the budgets of both divisions and direct training for staff. I am currently working with our IT team to implement the new permitting and licensing system.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE?
A:  I worked at the District of Columbia’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) for almost 30 years before retiring as a division chief.

Q: How did you envision the agency when you came to DPIE?
A: I came to DPIE because it was at the infant stage thinking I could use many of the programs I had successfully implemented previously to make DPIE a shining star in the County.

Q: What are the most important contributions DPIE has made to the County?
A: Through facilitating economic development, DPIE has contributed to employment opportunities, better housing and an improved school system for County residents.

Associate Director Yvette Gayles

Technology Business Systems and Operations

Q: What are your major responsibilities?
A: I manage technology operations for the agency which include enterprise business systems, hardware/software, data and customer support.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE?
A: I worked in both the public and private sectors managing technology and fiscal operations. Prior to coming to the County, I was deputy CIO for a similar agency.

Q: How did you envision DPIE?
A: I envisioned the journey to be exciting to work with Director Bolling on fulling her strategic goals, one of which is to use technology to improve operations and decision making.

Q: Has it fulfilled what you believed it would be?
A: Yes, the Director has hefty goals underway, and I am confident we will scale new heights by the end of 2022. The people are great. Both internal and external customers have been a joy to work with.

Q: What do you think should be a priority for the agency moving forward?
A: Increasing technology should be a priority, allowing greater transparency, efficiency, improving customer experience and allowing the public to “skip the trip” by accessing data and doing business with DPIE online.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: I’m excited to be part of an organization committed to continuous improvement.

Associate Director Mary Giles

Site/Road Plan Review Division

Q: What are your primary responsibilities?
A: I manage Site/Road, which is responsible for permit review and processing to ensure code compliance for land development, including site grading, development, roadways, stormwater management, storm drain, drainage, floodplain, traffic systems, bridges, major culverts, retaining walls, etc.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE?
A: I was an engineer for DPW&T managing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) road projects. Prior to County employment, I managed County-based land development firms’ engineering operations and land development projects.

Q: How did you envision the agency?
A: I envisioned DPIE would provide timely, streamlined and accurate code compliance review for land development projects to ensure the County’s success in achieving economic development and improvement of Prince George's County facilities necessary to maintain a vibrant jurisdiction. 

Q: Has it fulfilled what you believed it would be?
A: DPIE has been very successful in improving the permit process, ensuring that projects are designed responsibly to meet the goals of County and State codes.

Q: What are the most important contributions DPIE has made to the County?
A: The agency has been part of delivering permits for many important projects and has developed improved permitting systems, fully automating the customers’ ability to file permits and plans online. We have updated codes periodically to ensure compliance with State-delegated programs such as stormwater management, floodplain and water/sewer planning. 

Q: What do you think should be a priority for the agency moving forward?
A: Continuous hiring of talented employees, developing a new electronic permitting system, including DPIE’s role in the major revisions to the Zoning and Subdivision codes, and developing a digital file repository for all permit documents.

Associate Director Behdad Kashanian

Inspections Division

Q: What are your primary responsibilities?
A: I supervise code enforcement for building, electrical, mechanical, energy, fire, zoning, road construction, SWM facilities, bridge construction,
site development and accessibility. I supervise
75 employees who work to ensure structures comply with applicable safety codes.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE?
A: I was an Associate Director at the Department
of Environmental Resources (DER), the precursor
to DPIE.

Q: How did you envision the agency when you came to DPIE?
A: The Inspections Division would manage the building and site/road inspections by overseeing the effective, fair and safe enforcement of the County’s building, housing, electrical, mechanical, fire and site/road codes, along with disability access regulations.

Q: What are the most important contributions DPIE has made to the County?
A: The life safety of our citizens is the most important contribution. We play a critical role in reducing the risk of fire, electrical, and other life safety hazards for citizens. Actions like enacting and enforcing building codes and carrying out fire inspections are examples of DPIE efforts that have contributed to the reduction in fires and associated losses in the County.

Q: What do you think should be a priority for the agency moving forward?
A: Building a culture of mutual trust, focusing on employee strengths, continuing with extensive training and developing employees’ careers.

Associate Director Kimberly Smith

Administrative Services Division

Q: What are your major responsibilities?
A: I am responsible for directing Human Resources activities, vendor contracts, budget, procurement, accounts payable, County-assigned vehicles, facility operations and more.

Q: What position did you hold prior to coming to DPIE?
A: I was the manager of the Administrative Services Division at the Prince George’s County Health Department.

Q: How did you envision the agency?
A: I was excited to work with a newly established agency and accepted this as an opportunity to flourish personally and professionally while growing with the Department.

Q: Has it fulfilled what you believed it would be?
A: Definitely, yes. New services have been established, as well as significant enhancements with technology software and systems, to better serve our employees and the community.

Q: What are the most important contributions DPIE has made to the County?
A: DPIE employees take pride in their work to ensure our internal and external customers’ needs are met. Services DPIE staff members perform daily contribute to the County’s economic development, maintain property standards and ensure code compliance.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: DPIE staff are dedicated and committed to achieving the mission and goals of the agency. It has been a pleasure working with everyone!