Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services to Host Hybrid Stakeholders Forum on Wednesday, Feb. 12 in Wheaton
For Immediate Release: Friday, January 31, 2025
The Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) will host a hybrid Stakeholders Forum from 9 a.m. to noon (doors open at 8:30 a.m.) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, in the second-floor auditorium of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) building. The M-NCPPC building is located at 2425 Reedie Drive in Wheaton.
The DPS Stakeholders Forum is tailored to architects, builders, contractors, designers, developers, engineers, land use attorneys, permit expediters and other professionals. It offers an opportunity to learn about new programs and services at DPS, network with staff and provide feedback on the permitting process. The agenda is available on the DPS website .
“The Department of Permitting Services’ work is critical to the local and regional economy,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “The DPS Stakeholders Forum will spotlight the Department’s focus on excellence for customer satisfaction, and safety and sustainability by highlighting new building codes, programs, resources and enhanced services. Most importantly, the Forum will provide stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback about ways to continue to improve the permitting process for residential, small business and commercial development. I am looking forward to it.”
Those interested in attending in-person are encouraged to register in advance, as space is limited to 200 seats in the auditorium. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be available via a link to the Microsoft Teams platform, however registration is required to receive this link.
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“The permitting Stakeholders Forum provides a great opportunity to share vital information on new regulations, policies, procedures and systems,” said DPS Director Rabbiah Sabbakhan. “In addition, the Forum will include breakout sessions and key opportunities for stakeholders to ask questions and provide feedback during a questions and answers session. Our goal is to continuously improve our customer service as we strive to become a world-class permitting department and enable projects and compliance cases to effectively go through the permitting process. To do that, it is important to keep our DPS stakeholders informed and engaged, and this Forum is an opportunity to listen and learn what is working and what needs to improve.”
In 2024, DPS issued 39,000 permits, completed 169,855 inspections and helped resolve 52,115 service requests.
County Executive Elrich will welcome attendees to the event, and Director Sabbakhan will deliver a “Montgomery County State of Permitting” address. Other DPS staff will provide updates on operational changes, code adoption, small business initiatives and special events. Additional updates will be presented by other County departments and external agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Breakout sessions will cover a range of topics, including commercial building, customer support and outreach, fire code compliance, land development, residential building, sustainability and zoning and code compliance.
For questions about the DPS Stakeholders Forum, contact Leah Ortiz at [email protected] or call 240-777-6364.
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DPS customers can apply and pay for permits, submit construction plans, request records, file property complaints and schedule inspections online anytime.
For questions or more information about the application process, customers can contact MC 311 (240-777-0311) or visit DPS offices. No appointment is required for in-person assistance. The customer service lobby, located at 2425 Reedie Drive (7th floor) in Wheaton, is open from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information about the permitting process, visit the DPS website .
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Release ID: 25-052
Media Contact: Sonya Burke 240-855-9813
Categories: Public Works
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46508