John Domen | [email protected]

October 3, 2024, 10:24 PM

Right now, it’s hard to get fined $1,000 in Prince George’s County. It’s the maximum civil fine allowed, and it’s typically saved for those who repeatedly break the rules in the Maryland county. But soon, that price is going to spike.

This week, the Prince George’s County Council made it clear that a bill to raise the maximum fine from $1,000 to $5,000 will easily pass later this fall, after the council approved a preliminary vote on the measure on Tuesday. There wasn’t much discussion about the matter after all of the lobbying of state lawmakers to get the authority to increase those fines.

“The state gave us the authority to raise our fines up to $5,000 and we’re going to do it,” said council chair Jolene Ivey. “It doesn’t mean that fines begin at $5,000, but it does give, for example, DPIE (the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement) the opportunity, if a $1,000 fine has not been working, to increase it up to $5,000.”

Over the last two years, DPIE has issued a total of 619 fines worth $1,000. A spokeswoman for the agency said common infractions that garnered those fines included unpermitted parties and the operation of an illegal or unlicensed business.