Home › Blog › Commercial roof replacement in Prince George's County, MD — the 2021 codes, the DPIE walk-through permit and the town hall question
Commercial roof replacement in Prince George's County, MD: the 2021 codes in force since March 2026, the DPIE permit route, municipal and historic steps.
A commercial roof replacement in Prince George's County, MD now falls under a newer code than it did at the start of the year. The county moved from the 2018 to the 2021 International Codes, and every commercial permit application filed on or after 1 March 2026 has to meet them. If your capital plan or a contractor's proposal was written against "the 2018 code", it needs a second look before it goes to the board.
This post covers what changed, what the 2021 rules say about tear-off versus recover and insulation, which permit DPIE (the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement) lists for a roof replacement, and the two extra approvals that catch people out: the town you're in and the county's historic preservation rules.
DPIE's Bulletin 2025-03 (revision dated 7 August 2026) sets out the change. The County Council passed CB-047-2025 (building) and CB-053-2025 (electrical) in autumn 2025. Together they bring Subtitle 4, the county building code, and Subtitle 9, the electrical code, into line with:
The bills took effect on 12 December 2025 and 11 November 2025. DPIE allowed a grace period for applications filed up to 28 February 2026. Any building or trade permit application filed on or after 1 March 2026 must comply with the new codes and county amendments. The extended grace period in the bulletin applies only to builders' master plans for single-family, townhouse, two-over-two and duplex/triplex units. It does not cover a commercial or multifamily reroof.
DPIE's codes page confirms the same list as "effective March 1, 2026". The county amendments sit in Subtitle 4. Have your roofer or designer check them against your scope, because the section summaries below are the 2021 model text as published for Maryland.
Reroofing is Section 1512 in the 2021 IBC. (It was §1511 in the 2018 edition the county used until March, so older specifications may still cite the old number.) The Maryland 2021 IBC text works like this:
| Question | 2021 IBC section | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| What counts as a roof replacement? | §1512.2 | Removing all existing layers down to the deck |
| When can you recover instead? | §1512.2.1 | When the new covering is installed to the manufacturer's approved instructions |
| When is a recover not allowed? | §1512.2.1.1 | The existing roof is water-soaked or too deteriorated to be a base, is slate or tile, or already has two or more coverings |
| Must a reroof meet ¼ in. per foot slope? | §1512.1, Exception 1 | No, if the roof has positive drainage |
| Must you add secondary drains? | §1512.1, Exception 2 | Not on a roof with positive drainage, but you cannot remove existing overflows without replacing them |
Two questions decide most budgets. Is the existing roof wet? That takes a moisture survey or test cuts, not a look at the surface. How many roofs are already up there? A lot of the county's 1970s and 1980s office, flex and garden-apartment stock has already had one recover. If so, the next job is a tear-off whatever the membrane looks like. Our Montgomery County post walks through the same sections in more detail, because both counties now use the 2021 Maryland text.
The 2021 IECC for existing buildings is where scope grows. Under §C503.2.1, a roof replacement on a building whose insulation sits entirely above the deck has to meet the current envelope requirements, and it can never lower the existing R-value. A roof recover is excepted under §C503.1, provided the building's energy use doesn't go up.
So a tear-off on a building with thin, old insulation usually means adding thickness. That affects parapet and flashing heights, curb heights under rooftop units, door thresholds onto the roof and edge metal. Ask every bidder to state the target R-value, the board thickness that achieves it and what it does at curbs and thresholds. Our bid comparison guide shows how to line those up side by side.
DPIE's Commercial Exterior case types list "Roof Replacement" and "Rooftop Units" under Commercial Exterior — Walk-Through. "Roof (change in pitch or configuration)" is listed under the standard Commercial Exterior case, which needs sealed architectural and structural drawings. Applications go through the county's Momentum portal, and plans are uploaded through ePlan (ProjectDox).
In practice, a like-for-like replacement is normally a walk-through. Re-sloping with tapered insulation, adding crickets, raising curbs or changing the roof's shape may push the job into the full case. Ask your roofer which case type they will file under, and why.
Two cautions:
Questions about the code go to DPIE's Building Plan Review Division at 301-636-2070.
The county has 27 municipalities, and DPIE says permit requirements vary between them. Its municipal responsibilities matrix splits commercial permits like this:
| Where the building is | Commercial permits, per DPIE's matrix |
|---|---|
| Laurel | The city |
| Hyattsville, Upper Marlboro | The county (DPIE) |
| Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt and most other towns (e.g. Bladensburg, Cheverly, District Heights, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, Riverdale Park, Seat Pleasant) | Both the municipality and the county |
| Unincorporated county | The county (DPIE) |
The matrix is dated November 2014, so confirm it with the town before you set a date. DPIE's own checklist says customers must meet municipal requirements before starting construction. To check whether a parcel is inside a town, use the Municipal Boundary layer on PGAtlas.
If the building is a designated historic site, sits in its environmental setting or is in a county historic district, the Historic Preservation Commission is involved. The county's quick guide to Historic Area Work Permits lists "replacement, alteration, or the addition of roofs" among the projects that always need a HAWP, on top of county and municipal permits. In-kind replacement can often be signed off by staff instead of going to a full commission hearing. There is no application fee. Call the Historic Preservation Section on 301-952-3680 before you set a start date.
None of this needs anyone on the roof.
| Task | Where to look | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm the town, if any | PGAtlas Municipal Boundary layer | Decides whether you need one permit or two |
| Check historic status | PGAtlas Historic Property layer, or 301-952-3680 | A HAWP is always needed for a historic roof replacement |
| Pull past permits and drawings | DPIE permit search, building files | Hints at how many roof layers exist |
| Find any moisture survey, core cuts and the warranty | Building files, previous roofer | Answers "is it wet?" before the bids |
| List rooftop units and who owns them | Leases, service contracts | Tenant units need their own trades and notice |
| Note when the last application was filed | Proposal date vs 1 March 2026 | A pre-March design may need updating to the 2021 code |
If someone does need to look at the roof, follow the OSHA low-slope rules (29 CFR 1910.28(b)(13)) and the edge table in our fall roof maintenance checklist. Stay at least 15 ft back from any unguarded edge, treat skylights as holes and stay off the roof when it is wet, frosty or windy.
See commercial roof replacement for how we scope a tear-off, and our Prince George's County page for local building types and timelines.
Plan on yes. DPIE lists "Roof Replacement" as a Commercial Exterior walk-through case in Momentum. If you're in Laurel, Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt or another town, check whether the town wants its own permit as well.
The 2021 IBC, IECC and IEBC, as amended by the county's Subtitle 4. Applications filed on or after 1 March 2026 must comply. Those filed by 28 February 2026 could use the 2018 codes.
Only if the 2021 IBC allows it. Section 1512.2.1.1 bans a recover over a wet or deteriorated roof, over slate or tile, or where there are already two or more coverings. Someone has to test for moisture first.
Yes. The county's HAWP guide says roof replacement always needs a Historic Area Work Permit in addition to other permits. Simple in-kind work can often be approved by staff. Call 301-952-3680 early.
Planning a Prince George's County reroof and want the code and permit questions answered before the bids come in? Book a free 30-minute consultation at https://dmvcommercialroofing.com/#book or call 202-798-7663.
Header image: AI-generated illustration (Magnific).
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