Facility & Property Management in Maryland

In Maryland, the state writes most of the rules for a commercial building and a county or city enforces them. Montgomery County adds its own energy program. A two-county water utility runs the backflow program, the state certifies boilers, and the assessor revalues the property every three years. Each office keeps its own dates, and an owner who knows only the DC or Virginia version of a rule will miss some.

Levaru provides facility management services and commercial property management for Maryland buildings, from Bethesda out to Frederick, Annapolis and Baltimore. We have no Maryland office. Our one office is at 5510 Cherokee Ave Ste 300, Alexandria, VA 22312, in Fairfax County, Virginia. This page covers our Maryland services and cities, how Maryland rules differ from DC and Virginia, how to compare providers, and what affects price.

What does Levaru do for Maryland buildings?

We run the physical building and, if you want it, the business side of the asset, under one contract:

• Building operations: preventive maintenance, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, janitorial, grounds, snow removal, pest control, security, emergency response and compliance inspections.
• Property management: office and other commercial buildings, retail centers, industrial sites, apartments and associations, with lease administration and tenant relations.
• Projects: tenant improvements, construction management, space planning, moves and capital planning.
• Real estate and sustainability: tenant and landlord representation, LEED, EV charging, energy management and ESG reporting.

Our own technicians do the routine maintenance layer. Licensed professionals do the licensed trades (plumbing, electrical, elevator, fire protection, backflow testing and similar) under Levaru’s supervision. Everything is recorded in our in-house CMMS, which is part of the service: a client portal, photo-documented work orders, PM schedules, QR asset tags and 360° photo walkthroughs. Owners download the asset register and work-order history on their own, and we provide vendor and parts lists on request.

Which Maryland cities and counties do we serve?

Our building maintenance and management work in Maryland covers office, retail, industrial and flex, multifamily, medical and association property in nine cities, each with its own page. Numbers in parentheses are approximate miles from our office.

• Montgomery County: Bethesda (13), Silver Spring (15), Rockville (19) and Gaithersburg (23). Office and medical office near Metro, high-rise residential, and office and flex parks along I-270.
• Prince George’s County: Bowie (25). Shopping centers, office and flex buildings, and residential communities.
• Howard County: Columbia (32). A planned community of village centers, office parks and apartments.
• Anne Arundel County: Annapolis (38). Historic downtown buildings, plus office and retail outside the center.
• Frederick County: Frederick (44). A historic downtown, plus office, flex and distribution space near the I-70 and I-270 junction.
• Baltimore City: Baltimore (45). Older masonry and mid-century office, converted industrial buildings and newer towers near the harbor.

All nine are within about 45 miles. Annapolis, Frederick and Baltimore are the outer edge of the area we serve from Alexandria, and the drive shapes scheduling there. We serve the private buildings around federal campuses such as NIH in Bethesda, not the federal installations themselves. For buildings across the river, see our Northern Virginia and Washington, DC pages.

MTA’s 16-mile Purple Line light rail, from Bethesda through Silver Spring to New Carrollton, was in vehicle testing in September 2026. MTA expects it to open to passengers in late 2027, although the concessionaire’s own schedule update in early 2026 showed March 2028. Owners near the new stations should watch for changes in access, parking and foot traffic.

Who enforces the rules for a Maryland building?

Usually the county, and sometimes a city. Maryland’s Building Codes Administration adopts the Maryland Building Performance Standards, and state law requires local jurisdictions to enforce them, with some local amendments allowed. Maryland’s main local governments are its 23 counties and Baltimore City, which is not part of any county.

Bethesda, Silver Spring and Columbia are not cities. They are census-designated places with no city government, so Montgomery or Howard County handles permits and code enforcement there. Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Annapolis and Frederick are incorporated cities inside their counties. Ask whether the city or the county issues your permit.

Fire codes follow the same pattern. The State Fire Prevention Code adopts NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (2024 editions), enforced by the State Fire Marshal or the local fire official. Except for buildings named in state law, it does not apply in Baltimore City, which has its own Building, Fire, and Related Codes.

Water splits the region again. WSSC Water serves Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and runs the backflow program there. Part of Rockville is on the city’s own water system, which takes test reports itself, and Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works has its own rules. Put the permit office, fire official and water provider on the first page of each building’s compliance file.

How does Maryland compliance differ from DC and Virginia?

Maryland and DC require energy reporting for private buildings; Virginia does not. Montgomery County adds its own program.

• Energy. Under the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, the Maryland Department of the Environment requires commercial and multifamily buildings with 35,000 or more square feet, not counting parking garage area, to benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager by June 1 each year. Performance standards start in 2030. Montgomery County runs its own benchmarking and BEPS for most buildings of 25,000 gross square feet and up, also due June 1, and since October 1, 2025, county buildings follow the county program instead of the state’s. DC covers buildings over 10,000 square feet, with a May 1 deadline. See the benchmarking guide and the DC and Maryland BEPS guide.
• Boilers. Under the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety program of the Maryland Department of Labor, power boilers need a certificate inspection every year. Other boilers, including heating boilers, and most pressure vessels are on a two-year cycle. DC requires an annual inspection. See the boiler inspection guide.
• Backflow. In WSSC’s area, only WSSC-licensed journeyman or master plumbers who are also certified cross-connection technicians may test or repair assemblies, and testable assemblies are tested every year. COMAR 09.20.04 sets the 32-hour certification program. See the WSSC Water backflow page and our backflow testing guide.
• Generators. Emergency power is tested and maintained under the State Fire Prevention Code and the NFPA standards it references. MDE exempts emergency engines under 500 brake horsepower from its permit to construct; larger engines need MDE permitting. See the generator testing guide.
• Property tax. The State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) reassesses each property every three years. Increases phase in over three years, and appeals are due within 45 days of the notice.

Maryland compliance at a glance

Item	Rule or regulator	Owner action	Guide
Energy	MDE BEPS (35,000 sq ft+); Montgomery County DEP (25,000 sq ft+)	Benchmark; report by June 1	Benchmarking
Backflow	WSSC Water; City of Rockville; Baltimore City DPW; COMAR 09.20.04	Annual test by a licensed, certified tester	Backflow testing
Boilers	Md. Department of Labor; COMAR 09.12.01	Power boilers yearly; most others every 2 years	Boiler inspections
Generators	State Fire Prevention Code; MDE air rules	Test, keep records, confirm air-permit status	Generator testing
Service contracts	Montgomery County Code Ch. 27, Art. X	Plan the 90-day worker transition	Cleaning scope
Property tax	SDAT three-year reassessment	Budget the phase-in; appeal within 45 days	Operating budget

Rules as of October 2026. Nothing here is legal or engineering advice; confirm your building’s rules with the agency named.

What should Montgomery County owners plan for?

Commercial property management in Montgomery County, MD carries more local rules than most of Maryland. Plan for four items:

1. Energy targets. Each covered building gets an interim and a final energy use intensity (EUI) standard. A building above its target can improve, or file a building performance improvement plan instead.
2. Service contracts. The Displaced Service Workers Protection Act can apply when a janitorial, security or building maintenance contract changes hands at a commercial or office building over 75,000 square feet, or at an apartment building with more than 30 units. The awarding party has duties at least 15 days before the old contract ends, and the new contractor must generally offer affected workers 90 days of work. Build this into the rebid timeline.
3. Water. Backflow tests go to WSSC Water unless the building is on another system. In Rockville, check the city’s water-provider map first.
4. Tax calendar. The county tax year runs July 1 to June 30. Align the budget, SDAT notices and tenant pass-throughs with it.

How does service work from an Alexandria office?

We run every Maryland building from our Fairfax County office. Every trip crosses the Potomac, on the Beltway’s American Legion or Woodrow Wilson bridges or through DC.

Keep two facts apart:

• The office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• The emergency line is answered 24/7 for building emergencies at properties we manage.

Arrival time depends on location, the hour, the trade needed, and traffic on I-495, I-270, I-95 and US 50. Ask any provider, including us, to put four things in writing: who picks up the call, who approves the spend, who is sent, and what documentation follows. We log emergency calls as work orders with photos, the same way as scheduled work. For the owner’s own planning, read the emergency preparedness guide.

How do you compare facility management companies in Maryland?

Ask every bidder, including us, the same questions:

1. Who does the work? Get a trade-by-trade list of what is self-performed, what is subcontracted, and who supervises it.
2. Are the licenses current? Check electricians, HVACR contractors, plumbers and stationary engineers on the Maryland Department of Labor license search. In WSSC’s area, also ask for the tester’s WSSC license and cross-connection certificate.
3. How far away are they? Find out where crews are based each morning and which of your buildings are far from that base.
4. Who answers after hours? Get that in writing, separate from office hours.
5. Who owns the calendar? Ask to see how they track fire inspections, generator tests, boiler certificates, backflow tests and benchmarking dates.
6. Can you leave with your records? Ask for photos on every work order, an export of assets and history, and the items in our software checklist.
7. What do the contract and insurance say? Check certificates against your COI requirements, agree maintenance KPIs, and use our RFP template to ask it all at once.

What drives facility management cost in Maryland?

A fair price needs a site visit. Facility management is usually priced in one of three ways: a fixed monthly fee for a set scope, a rate per square foot, or cost-plus with a management fee on top. What moves the number:

• Building size, type, class and equipment age.
• Service frequency: cleaning nights, day porters, PM visits.
• Coverage hours, including evenings and weekends.
• The mix of in-house and subcontracted work.
• Testing and reporting: backflow assemblies, boilers, generators, fire systems, energy reports, and data verification every five years (state) or three (county).
• Snow, priced per event or per season.
• Distance: travel time to Frederick, Annapolis or Baltimore is part of the cost of serving buildings there.

Our guides to FM cost per square foot and commercial property management fees give ranges, and the FM budget calculator builds a first estimate.

How do you get started?

Start with a short list for each building: address, county or city, water provider, size, type, major equipment, current vendors, energy reporting IDs and any open code notices. Next comes a walk-through on site, because we do not price a building we have not seen. Our proposal then spells out what is included, what is excluded and the service levels. Request a proposal, contact us, or read how we work first.