Building Plans Examiner (Engineering Specialist II) - Inspections, Licenses & Permits

Fire Protection Engineer

Howard County: Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking. We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Position Summary: Advises and assists organizations for purposes of safeguarding life and property against fire, explosion, and related hazards. Reviews plans and designs for new construction and determines if fire protection codes as well as life safety design principles have been met. Reviews commercial, residential and capital project construction drawings, site development plans, and associated structural, energy and soil analyses submitted by architects and engineers to ensure compliance with a variety of standards, including nationally recognized building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, life safety and handicapped codes.

Starting Salary Hiring Range: $41.25 - $54.03 $85,796 - $112,376

Class Description: Performs professional level engineering and/or architectural work, which may include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work includes designing engineering and/or architectural features to meet overall end-use objectives, reviewing engineering and construction plans, and assisting with preparation of planning and engineering documents. This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6)months.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Plan Review and Code Compliance:

• Reviews preliminary and final plans and drawings to ensure conformance with engineering practices and applicable codes, regulations and specifications;
• Presents recommendations and comments to internal review board; writes letters with composite recommendations and comments to developer; meets with architects, engineers and developers to discuss recommendations and solutions to problems; approves amended plans.
• Evaluates adequacy of laws, ordinances, and regulations affecting fire prevention or fire safety; prepares reports, evaluations and comments on impact of legislation, development plans and on the actions of the department; carries out special engineering projects and submits recommendations for alternative courses and solutions to problems.

Fire Protection Engineering and Technical Consulting:

• Conducts studies of industrial, mercantile, and public buildings, homes, and other property before and after construction, considering factors such as fire resistance of construction, usage or contents of buildings, and egress facilities.
• Designs or recommends materials or equipment such as protection of structural components, fire detection equipment, alarm systems, fire extinguishing devices and systems, and advises on location, handling, installation, and maintenance.
• Recommends materials, equipment, or methods to mitigate fire hazards and contributing conditions
• Advises and plans for prevention of destruction by fire, wind, water, or other causes of damage.

Program Development, Training and Research:

• Develops fire protection programs; organizes and trains personnel to carry out such programs.
• Conducts research and testing on fire retardants, safety of materials and devices, and fire cause analysis.

Public Engagement, Interagency Coordination and Customer Service:

• Represents department at public hearings, meetings and conferences as assigned
• Maintains liaison with contractors, consultants and representatives of county, state, regional and federal agencies;
• Responds to public inquiries, receives and acts on citizen complaints and suggestions.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This job currently has no supervisory responsibilities.

Minimum Required Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Architecture and two (2) years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering. Evidence of successful prior experience as a fire protection engineer (e.g. published articles or papers in the field, awards of merit or similar citations from former employers, etc.)

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is typical of a busy office work environment. Some field inspection may be required at construction sites. Language Skills, Mathematical Skills, and Reasoning Ability: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to write articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information to top management and public groups. Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Additional Information:

To apply: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.

At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services ( or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at View email address on click.appcast.io. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.