From approved plans to a completed ADU
Your next job after feasibility and bids is to turn the project into an approved, inspectable scope of work. This guide walks you through application preparation, review comments, construction inspections and final handover.
Use this as a homeowner’s planning sequence. Your county or municipality supplies the actual permit checklist, inspection order and occupancy requirements. Stages may overlap or repeat when the design changes.
Process sources reviewed September 14, 2026. This is planning guidance, not a permit determination.
Go straight to the printable construction checklist →
1. Confirm your permit route before paying for final plans
Start with the Jurisdiction Finder and your local rules guide. Ask the reviewing office which application fits your proposed ADU: an interior conversion, an addition, a garage conversion or a separate building. Confirm zoning and building-permit responsibilities separately.
Your task: write down the office, application type, official checklist and any questions that require a written answer. An ADU being allowed in zoning does not establish that a specific design is approved.
2. Turn your feasibility findings into an application package
Use your property checklist to organize the survey or plat, existing conditions, proposed layout and unresolved utility questions. Ask your designer which drawings and professional certifications the office requires. Use the office’s current checklist rather than treating this article as a submission checklist.
Local example: Anne Arundel’s residential single-family permit page describes scaled construction plans and a site plan identifying features such as property lines, easements, wells and septic systems. It also says some listed documents do not apply to every project. Confirm that permit type fits your ADU before using its checklist. Read the county’s application requirements.
Your task: assign each required document to an owner—homeowner, designer, contractor or reviewing office—and mark it ready, missing or awaiting confirmation.
3. Submit, track review comments and coordinate responses
Agree who submits the application, monitors the portal and responds to reviewers. Keep the application number, submission date, fee receipts and a dated copy of every submission in one project folder.
Use a simple comment log: reviewer’s question → person responsible → drawing ordocument revised → resubmission date → resolution. A submitted application or paid fee is not the same as an issued permit. Ask the office how to confirm that the permit is ready and what conditions remain.
Your task: maintain one current drawing set so the designer, contractor and owner are working from the same information.
4. Confirm the approvals needed before work starts
Before scheduling construction, ask the permit holder to identify the issued permits and any conditions that must be met first. Discuss whether separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical, utility, grading or other approvals apply. The combination depends on the project and reviewing authorities.
Local example: Montgomery County’s residential-alterations process describes building to approved documents, keeping the permit on site and applying for revisions when the work changes. Municipal permission may also be relevant. See the county’s alterations process.
Your task: agree who holds each permit, requests inspections and handles changes. Record these responsibilities in the project scope using the builder comparison guide.
5. Coordinate construction, inspections and changes
Ask for the inspection sequence for your actual permits before the contractor schedules work that will cover foundations, framing, services or insulation. Do not assume another project’s inspection list applies. Keep inspection results and correction notices with the approved plans.
If a change affects the approved design, have the permit holder ask whether revised approval is needed before carrying it out. Record both the construction price change and its effect on permits and timing. Update your project budget when scope changes.
Local example: Anne Arundel places responsibility for requesting stage inspections on the permit holder. Its guidance requires associated trade final inspections to pass before the final building inspection is scheduled, and warns of reinspection fees when work is unready or violations remain. Read its building-inspection guidance.
Your task: confirm the next inspection, who books it and which work must remain accessible.
6. Confirm final approval and permission to occupy
A contractor saying “finished” is not the same as the reviewing office authorizing use. Ask the office which final inspections, closeout records and occupancy document apply to this ADU. Obtain confirmation before arranging a move-in. Do not assume a completed building inspection also settles every licensing or utility requirement.
Ask separately whether your intended use requires an ADU or rental license. For example, Montgomery County publishes a distinct Class 3 ADU licensing process. That example is not a statewide license requirement; confirm the current local route and any applicable exceptions.
Your task: save the final approvals and any conditions or renewal dates in your permanent property records.
7. Collect the handover records and plan ongoing ownership
Request the final approved drawings, inspection records, equipment instructions, warranties and contractor contact details. Walk through the completed work with your contractor and document any remaining contract items. Ask how to operate and maintain the systems you are receiving.
Revisit property taxes, insurance questions, utility costs and any applicable license renewals as part of ownership planning. Keep the budget’s ongoing costs separate from the construction total.
Your task: leave the project with a usable home, a clear maintenance plan and a complete record of the approvals—not just a final invoice.
Five questions to bring to the reviewing office
- Which permit application and current checklist fit my proposed ADU?
- Which other departments or providers need to review it?
- How are review comments and revised plans submitted?
- Who requests each inspection, and what work must remain accessible?
- What final approvals and licensing steps apply before the intended occupancy?
How long will it take?
There is no project-specific completion date established by this guide. Ask for the office’s current review expectations and the contractor’s schedule separately. Track delays from missing documents, redesign, utility work and failed inspections. A useful schedule names the next decision and who controls it.
Your Maryland ADU planning-to-construction checklist
Download printable checklist (PDF)
Free branded checklist · 2 pages · 677 KB · No signup required. Save it to your device and print it for your project meetings.
View the PDF in a new tab. If your browser opens the PDF instead of downloading it, use its download or save button.
Use this worksheet at your next meeting with the designer or contractor. Assign a person and target date to each row, and check it off only when the supporting answer or document is saved. Mark a task “not applicable” only after confirming why. The reviewing office sets the required documents and inspection order; this is a project organizer.
Property: ____________________ Reviewing office: ____________________
ADU type: ____________________ Permit/application number: ____________________
| Milestone | What to confirm and save | Person / target date / done |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm the route | Record the zoning authority, proposed ADU type, current local rules and the office’s written answers. Find your jurisdiction. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 2. Check the site | Ask whether a current survey is needed. Record boundaries, easements, setbacks, coverage, access and any environmental constraints. Check the footprint. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 3. Confirm utilities | Ask the relevant providers or professionals about electrical service capacity, water and sewer connections, or well/septic capacity and reserve areas. Review septic and well questions. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 4. Coordinate the design | Confirm required drawings and professional seals with the reviewing office. Have the design team address structure, fire safety, ventilation, heating/cooling and the applicable energy code. Prepare a design-team brief. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 5. Fund the full scope | Compare bids for the same scope. Identify design, permit, site, utility and construction allowances; record exclusions, contingency and financing conditions. Compare project budgets. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 6. Verify the contractor | Confirm the license or registration required for this project type, its current status, insurance and who holds each permit. Record the contract scope and change process. Compare builders. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 7. Obtain approvals | Use the office’s current application checklist. Track comments and revisions, then confirm issued permits and preconstruction conditions before starting the affected work. Review the approval stage. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 8. Plan inspections | Get the inspection sequence for your permits, assign the person who books each visit and identify work that must stay exposed until inspected. Plan inspection checkpoints. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 9. Confirm occupancy | Collect required final approvals and ask what occupancy document, ADU/rental license or other permission applies before the intended use begins. Confirm permission to occupy. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
| 10. Collect the handover | Save approved plans, inspection records, warranties and equipment instructions. Record remaining contract items and maintenance or renewal dates. Organize closeout records. | Person: ______ Date: ______ Done: ☐ |
Before checking off site feasibility: do not assume a statewide four-foot setback or a blanket parking exemption for interior ADUs. Maryland’s statute limits local side and rear setbacks by reference to existing accessory-structure setbacks, and sets conditions for local additional-parking requirements. It also permits local restrictions on accessory-structure conversions where the only vehicular access is from an alley; the provision does not specify alley width. Confirm the enacted local rules for your lot. Read Land Use § 4-504.
Before hiring: MHIC licensing covers home improvement work; it does not cover new-home construction. Ask which classification applies to your ADU, then verify the appropriate state registration and any local requirements. Maryland Labor’s licensing FAQ and the Attorney General’s new-home builder guidance explain the distinction.
Checklist sources reviewed September 15, 2026. Equipment choices and required professional certifications depend on the design and applicable local requirements.
Choose your next action
Still assembling your application? Prepare your design-team brief →
Already under construction? Use steps 5–7 above as your inspection and closeout discussion checklist. Return to My ADU Plan to revisit any unresolved planning stage.
What to do next
Start by finding the office that reviews your property. A mailing city or a county guide does not establish your parcel’s authority.
- Find Who Reviews My Property.
- Obtain your parcel identifier, survey, floor plans and utility records.
- Ask the reviewing office which current rules, supporting documents and approvals apply.
- Continue to your planning workspace.
Enable JavaScript to prepare a downloadable next-step brief. Planning guidance is not permit approval.