Franchise Agreements

Pursuant to Title 9, Subtitle 2, Article 3 in the County Code, Baltimore County Code, as amended, a franchise agreement must be executed with Baltimore County in order to install, construct, operate, maintain, repair, replace and remove any permanent or semi-permanent personal property or fixtures listed below within the public road rights-of-way:

  • Fiber optic or other telecommunications cable or infrastructure
  • Irrigation systems
  • Private sewer pipes
  • Other similar property

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION 

  • Engineered drawings
  • Advertisement draft, copies (as printed in the newspaper and certifications of advertisement
  • Certificate of Insurance
  • Original Executed Agreement
  • Written description with survey information
  • Business governance documents (if applicable)
  • Check for Base Compensation made payable to Baltimore County, Maryland

ABOUT THE FRANCHISE PROCESS 

The franchise process is outlined below.

Submit engineered drawings of the proposed work, including the name of a business contact who can serve as the single point of communication throughout the process, to lawrealestatecompliance@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Drawings will be reviewed by any County departments that may have information or interest in the area of proposed work. Departments are requested to provide comment within 10 business days.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to run an advertisement, which must be approved by the County prior to running, in two newspapers of general circulation for three weeks. Complete the advertisement form.

Prior to any work, an original executed franchise agreement along with a check made payable to "Baltimore County, Maryland" for the total amount of associated Base Compensation (as shown in Exhibit C must be received and accepted by the County.  In addition, the following attachments and back-ups must be provided and reviewed for sufficiency by the County before the County will execute the agreement:

  • Certificate of Insurance, per Exhibit D
  • Written description of franchise area with survey information for a legally sufficient property description for recording in the Land Records of Baltimore County, per Exhibit A.
  • If franchisee is a business entity—Business governance documents must also be provided and indicate:
    • That the franchisee is authorized to enter into the franchise agreement
    • That the individual signing on behalf of the franchisee is authorized to bind and obligate the franchisee. This documentation should be provided prior to execution for review and verification by the County of the signature block on the agreement, acceptable examples include:
      • Corporate by-laws
      • Operating agreement
      • Resolutions
      • Certifications by an attorney indicating the necessary information

No franchise agreement is valid until it is executed by the County. The franchisee will receive notice when the agreement has been executed and a copy of the agreement will be provided thereafter. Terms and conditions of renewal and revaluation shall be as stated in the agreement and as governed by the County Code.