Step 1: Check who issues your permits
- Bethesda, Potomac and most of Montgomery County: the county’s Department of Permitting Services (DPS).
- Chevy Chase: several sections are incorporated municipalities. The Town of Chevy Chase says a project that changes the shape of your house needs a permit from both the Town and the county (Town of Chevy Chase, building permit guidance), and the Village of North Chevy Chase lists new construction among the work that needs a Village permit (Village of North Chevy Chase, building permits).
Step 2: Demolition
Before Montgomery County issues a residential demolition permit (Montgomery County DPS, demolition information):
- Each utility confirms in writing that service is disconnected and sealed
- A private well, if there is or was one, is abandoned by a Maryland-licensed driller
- Asbestos and other hazardous materials are removed under Maryland Department of the Environment rules
- A licensed pest company signs an affidavit that the property is pest-free
- Sediment control is in place if you disturb 5,000 sq ft or more
- A bond or letter of credit covers the estimated demolition cost
- Neighbors get at least 10 days’ notice, by mail from DPS or by a sign posted on the lot
Step 3: Check the builder’s license
Montgomery County licenses new home builders through its Office of Consumer Protection and publishes the list of active licenses (Montgomery County open data, licensed new home builders). Builders who work elsewhere in Maryland register with the Attorney General’s Home Builder Registration Unit and must print their MHBR number on contracts and ads; builders who build only in Montgomery County are exempt from that state registration (Maryland Attorney General, new home builder registration).
Builders that work in Montgomery County
Alphabetical, not ranked:
- Ambition Custom Homes, Potomac
- August Homes, Tysons
- Bespoke Builder, McLean, Potomac and DC
- Botero Homes, Reston
- Bowers Design Build, McLean
- Cabin John Builders, Cabin John, MD
- Classic Homes, Chantilly
- Classic Homes of Maryland, North Bethesda
- Douglas Construction Group, Potomac
- Dunhill Builders, Vienna
- Foxhall Homes, Bethesda
- JEFFCO Development, Rockville
- Kader Construction, Bethesda
- Laurence Cafritz Builders, Bethesda
- Meridian Homes, Bethesda
- Park Bradley Homes, Fairfax
- Sandy Spring Builders, Bethesda
- WINN Design + Build, McLean
Several have homes honored in the Maryland Building Industry Association’s custom builder awards (MBIA, 2026 Montgomery County Custom Builder Awards; MBIA, 2025 Montgomery County Custom Builder Awards).
