Commercial Fire Code Permits Go Through the County One Stop Permit Shop

Montgomery County has adopted the 2024 International Fire Code as its county fire code, and it applies in unincorporated Montgomery County plus the cities that have chosen to use the county code. Commercial projects in those areas need fire-code review as part of getting a permit.

The county runs a One Stop Permit Shop: you submit your documents to the Permit Department, and the Fire Marshal's Office picks up the fire-code portion to review. Before a covered building can be occupied, the county requires a final inspection and a Certificate of Compliance from the Fire Marshal.

Before you lease or remodel a commercial space, ask early whether the use, build-out, building size, fire-protection system, or a change of occupancy triggers fire-code review. A city business registration, a sales tax permit, or a landlord's okay is not the same thing as a Montgomery County fire-code approval.