As the temperatures drop and COVID restrictions continue, many of us are staying closer to home. DPIE is now open for limited appointments and we continue to serve you with expanded virtual services. Please keep reaching out to let us know how we can better assist you. I am pleased to announce that my IT staff has successfully expanded the Momentum online system to include processing environmental and food health permits and licenses. We also have a new process for scheduling inspections. There will be more about both programs below.
We are also responding to an uptick in neighbor complaints – calls to 311 reporting residents who are violating code, creating nuisances and engaging in activities that negatively impact the peace and aesthetic value of communities. Next month, we will feature information about the County Nuisance Abatement Board, which operates from within DPIE, and how it is addressing problem properties.
As we prepare for cold weather, ensure your property and its activities are code compliant.
Be safe!
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 Inspector David McLaurin confers with Brentwood Code Enforcement Officer Martha Aguilar about problem properties.
Three years ago, Enforcement Division Inspector David McLaurin noticed that his colleagues in some of the municipalities sometimes had difficulty closing property standards cases. They had fewer resources and often lacked expertise in gathering evidence to document cases for presentation in court.
McLaurin approached his supervisors about offering training and assistance to inspectors in the municipalities. Since that time, he and his colleagues have assisted in hundreds of property standards, multifamily and zoning cases. Recently, McLaurin worked with Town of Brentwood Code Enforcement Officer Martha Aguilar on an investigation of a property owned by an elderly man who may be a hoarder. The yard of the single-family home is strewn with trash and debris and open storage. The case against the property owner had been thrown out of court because Aguilar had not adequately documented problems on the property. She sought an order to allow the town to clean the property.
“I really enjoy working with the staff in the municipalities, and I think our assistance has been valuable to them,” McLaurin said. “We do a lot of these cases, so it doesn’t take much time for us to become well versed in what needs to be done to be successful in court. We are always happy to share our knowledge and investigative techniques and to assist wherever we can.”
The program has been successful for the County and for the municipalities they’ve assisted, said Enforcement Division Assistant Director Val Cary. “Any kind of cooperative effort between the County and the municipalities benefits all the citizens of Prince George’s County. A seamless integration of our processes and systems with theirs helps us to be more successful in bringing properties countywide into compliance.”
Code Enforcement Officer Ronnie Twine, who supervises property standards inspectors, including McLaurin, said DPIE has also assisted in the towns of Capitol Heights and Morningside. “If their inspectors come up against something they are not able to handle, we will either assist them or, in some cases, take the matter over ourselves,” Twine said.
In the case of the suspected hoarder, McLaurin also worked with Aguilar to contact social services and veterans’ officials to assist with his living conditions. He helped her prepare for court by reviewing her documents and making suggestions for changes. He also taught her field investigation techniques and how to best compile photographic evidence. Multifamily Unit Inspector Calvin Saunders assisted Aguilar with using online resources to determine ownership of properties.
Zoning Inspector Larry Long said DPIE also assists the municipalities with zoning issues. “Sometimes they just don’t have the resources the County has,” Long said. “They sometimes think we have more pull since we are the authority having jurisdiction.”
For more information, email dpiepio@co.pg.md.us.
 DPIE Inspector David McLaurin helped a Brentwood inspector investigate a property strewn with debris and open storage.
DPIE manages government operations in permitting, business licensing, plan review, inspections and property maintenance enforcement. There are several ways to access helpful information about the agency.
- Dial 3-1-1 (inside the County) or 301-883-4748 (outside the County), or visit the 3-1-1 website to file a complaint and check for updates.
- See Director Melinda Bolling’s agency overview on YouTube.
- Visit the DPIE website at dpie.mypgc.us. The index on the left will help you find our divisions and sections.
- DPIE, DoE and DPW&T collaborate on three Community Partners’ meetings annually to provide information on programs. Email dpiepio@co.pg.md.us to be added to the invitation list. See the latest presentation at Fall 2021 Virtual Community Partners’ Meeting Presentation.
- Visit DPIE Publications for DPIE-related documents, flyers, booklets and guides. Share the links or print and distribute the documents to your networks.
- DPIE offers a ready-to-print flyer in English (and en español) of our most frequently-requested publications with a QR code to access them.
- Visit the DPIE YouTube page for information, seminars and webinars.
- To search for property information, visit PGAtlas.com. To search for permits by address, visit DPIE Status - Permit History by Street Address.
- File a request for information through the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) Processing at DPIE.
- You can access information in Spanish or other languages by going to the Google Translate button at the bottom right of the main page at dpie.mypgc.us and selecting Spanish or another language. To view special information for residents and community groups, click Resources on the left side of this page, then click Publications.
- Puede acceder a información en español u otros idiomas yendo al botón Google Translate en la parte inferior derecha de la página principal de DPIE en dpie.mypgc.us y seleccionando español u otro idioma. Para español, haga clic en Recursos, haga clic en Información traducida a otros idiomas, haga clic en Información en español.
- Email dpiepio@co.pg.md.us for more information.
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All Prince George's County environmental and food health permits and licenses are now processed in Momentum, the online system. The new process allows customers to submit applications, upload documentation and make payments online. Although the previous online system has been disabled, your licenses will be available and visible on the Momentum platform. Paper applications are no longer accepted for health permits and licenses. When the applications have been reviewed and approved, customers will be able to print their licenses at work or at home. For more information, visit the DPIE main page at dpie.mypgc.us or the Momentum page.
- For more information about Momentum, registration, step-by-step instructions, and "how to" videos, click Momentum information.
- To go straight to the application, click the Momentum portal.
The following Health permit and license applications must be submitted in the new Momentum system:
- Food service facility permits/farmers market/mobile unit/temporary food service/vending machine
- Food service manager certification and training
- Percolation testing (innovative and alternative)
- Percolation testing contractor
- Public swimming pool/spa licenses
- Pool operator licenses
- Scavenger company and vehicle licenses
- Agricultural well certifications
- Open land burning permits
- Sewage contractor
- Bay Restoration Funds applications
- Plat review
Email environmentalhealth@co.pg.md.us or call 301-883-7605 for more information.
DPIE has a new phone number and system for scheduling inspections. The new number, 301-755-9000, replaces the number for the old AIRIS process. The new system — Interactive Voice Response or IVR — allows customers to schedule, reschedule and cancel appointments. It also allows inspection results to be checked.
 
  
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