Natalie’s Library
Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation in Chevy Chase?
Natalie’s answer
“Most bathroom renovations in Chevy Chase require a permit from Montgomery County when the work involves plumbing, electrical, structural, or mechanical systems, while purely cosmetic updates like repainting typically do not. MOSS handles the entire Montgomery County permitting process for you as part of our design-build service, including drawings, applications, and inspections.”
In Chevy Chase, most meaningful bathroom renovationwork does require a permit from Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services. Cosmetic updates, swapping a light fixture on an existing circuit, repainting, or replacing a mirror, generally fall below the threshold. But the moment your project touches structural elements, electrical wiring, plumbing rough-in or re-routing, mechanical ventilation, or egress considerations such as window sizing, a permit is required. Montgomery County's standard plan review runs 15 to 20 business days, and an expedited five-day review path is available for homeowners who want to keep the schedule moving.
As your design-build partner, MOSS handles the entire permitting processon your behalf. Our team prepares the construction drawings, stamped by licensed architects or engineers where structural work is involved, completes the required DPS-1 application forms, submits the full package to Montgomery County, and schedules all required inspections at the appropriate construction milestones. You never have to navigate the county portal or coordinate with an inspector directly; that is part of what our comprehensive service covers.
Permitting does more than satisfy a legal requirement, it ensures every trade on your project performs work that has been reviewed against current code, protecting your family's safety and your home's insurability. A properly closed permit also travels with the property, giving future buyers and their agents a clean record that the work was done right. If your home falls within the Chevy Chase Village Historic District, there is an additional layer of review: the Town's Board of Managers and Montgomery County's Historic Preservation Commission must approve exterior modifications to protect the neighborhood's early 20th-century Colonial Revival character. MOSS has direct experience navigating those requirements alongside standard county permitting, so both tracks move forward in coordination rather than in sequence.