Severe Weather Closing Policies

GENERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES

When general government offices are closed or operating under an altered schedule, information will be posted on the Severe Weather and Closings page and on the home page of Baltimore County's website. Be sure to select your reload or refresh button at the top of your browser to ensure you are viewing the most current closing information.

If you are a Baltimore County Government employee, please review the Employee Inclement Weather Policy.

ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS AND CODE ENFORCEMENT HEARINGS

If Baltimore County Government offices are closed as announced on radio or TV stations, all hearings are automatically canceled and new dates will be set and mailed.

If Baltimore County Government offices are opening one or two hours late as announced on radio or TV stations, morning hearings will also begin one or two hours later than scheduled. The afternoon schedule will not be affected.

Code Enforcement hearings follow the Baltimore County Circuit Court schedule: if the Circuit Court is closed, all hearings are canceled and will be rescheduled. In the case of delayed opening, all cases will be heard when the Circuit Court is scheduled to open.

BOARD OF APPEALS

Hearings and public deliberations scheduled before the Board of Appeals are subject to the Inclement Weather Policy of the Board of Appeals.

COUNTYRIDE

During inclement weather or other emergencies, listen to radio station WBAL-1090 AM for the updated status of the CountyRide transit service.

DISTRICT AND CIRCUIT COURTS

If courts are:

  • Closed—No jurors should report and you will not need to reschedule, your name will go back into the juror pool for random selection the next year.
  • Delayed By One or Two Hours—Reporting time for jurors is delayed in the same manner.

The authority and decision to close the Circuit Court, including the Clerk’s Office, rests with Judge Jakubowski and likewise, the decision in the District Court remains with Judge Wilson. Courts are closed only if the safety of citizens and court personnel would be seriously endangered were the courts not to close. In making the decision to close, the administrative judge is mindful of the heavy burden of cases and the disruption that closing would cause to litigants, witnesses, victims and other interested parties. Before making a decision, information about latest road conditions and weather forecasts are taken into consideration.

JURY DUTY

In the event of inclement weather, Baltimore County jurors should listen to local news stations for Baltimore County Circuit Court closings and delays. Do not follow closings and delays for Baltimore County Public Schools or Baltimore County Government.

If courts are closed: No jurors should report and you will not need to reschedule; your name will go back into the juror pool for random selection in the following calendar year. If courts have a one- or two-hour delayed opening, reporting time for jurors is delayed in the same manner.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Baltimore County Public Schools publish general and individual school closing information on its website.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Refer to the Baltimore County Public Library website for updated library closing information.

SENIOR CENTERS

During inclement weather or other emergencies, listen to radio station WBAL-1090 AM for the updated status of County senior centers. Note: Baltimore County Senior Centers are not announced with the list of schools. They are included in the list of other closings which WBAL makes at approximately 20 minutes after the hour and again at 10 minutes before the hour. If the inclement weather announcement indicates senior centers are opening on a two-hour delay, they will open at 10:30 a.m.

RECREATION CENTERS

When public schools are closed by snow, most of the Recreation and Parks programs will be canceled. School recreation centers (SRCs) may resume when the snow emergency plan has been lifted and local staff has received approval to reopen a specific site.  Programs may also be canceled due to road conditions, power outages, high winds, flooding, etc. Contact your local recreation and parks community office to find out whether your program is operating. 

TRASH, RECYCLING AND YARD MATERIALS COLLECTIONS

Even in inclement weather, collection generally will occur on the day scheduled, although not necessarily at the "usual" time. The purpose of this inclement weather policy is to clarify what residents should do when inclement weather prevents or interrupts collection of a material on the day scheduled. You may find more information about collection changes and additional weather-related links on the Trash and Recycling Collection changes page.

SNOW PLAN

When the Snow Emergency Plan is in effect for Baltimore County:

  • Vehicles traveling on the roads must be equipped with snow or all-weather radial tires or chains.
  • No parking is permitted on designated snow emergency routes.

DURING SNOW EMERGENCIES

Follow Real-Time Weather, the Winter Storm Operations page, to find the latest snow updates and plow routes.