In an effort to prevent deck collapses and injuries, the county is offering free deck inspections during May as part of Building Safety Month.
The Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) focuses on building safety all year long. During May, they run a campaign informing residents about the importance of building codes. This year the theme, “Building Safety Starts with You,” aims to raise awareness about building safety and the importance of adopting modern and regularly updated building codes.
Residents who want to have their deck inspected may submit a request by calling or completing an online form. Call MC311 or 240.777.0311 and ask for an appointment. Or, submit a service request online using the DPS complaint form. In the description section of the online form, residents should note they are requesting a deck maintenance inspection. And include the property address and their contact information at the top of the form. Requests must be requested by the homeowner and may not be anonymous.
The program is limited to 300 appointments which may be made starting Monday, May 1.
An inspector from the DPS will visit the resident’s home and conduct the inspection. The inspector will check the support structure of the deck, fastener conditions, ledger attachment, and overall condition of the deck. The inspection only takes about 15 minutes to complete.
The county does not provide free deck inspections in the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville because the municipalities have their own permitting departments and protocols.
Homeowners may find the “Guidelines to Residential Decks” document on the DPS website a helpful resource.
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