The contractor must be licensed with the State of Maryland and the Montgomery County DPS. The applicant must complete a fire protection system permit application online using DPS's eServices. Please see the ePlans submittal requirements for information regarding electronic plan submission. The applicant may request a free screening on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The screening assesses whether the submittal is complete and conforms to the fire codes (see screening limitations). ePlans may be submitted anytime using DPS's eServices.

Please see our fee schedule for information concerning costs associated with this permit.

The fire protection permit turnaround time varies with workload. Our goal is two weeks of processing time for regular system plans. Plans qualifying for our fast-track process should be reviewed within 24 business hours of application and submittal.

Fire protection plans that are a single floor of not more than 5,000 square feet and do not involve calculations are eligible for our fast track review program. Revised or corrected plans are not eligible for fast track review if they were not originally submitted as a fast track project. The review should occur within 24 business hours of plan submittal. Fast track permits can be applied for at any time. Please view our Fast Track Policy prior to submitting plans.