Engineering Great Communities

The Committee’s input will help ensure that the future vision for Gateway considers all the essential components of an innovation district.

The Bureau of Utilities administers and maintains Howard County's public water and wastewater systems. Serving more than 85% of the County's population with an average demand of over 22 million gallons of water each day, the Bureau provides County homes with the most comprehensive public water related services available.

The Finance Department ensures that the County’s financial resources are collected, protected, invested and distributed in a fiscally responsible manner, and provides optimal financial services to a wide range of constituents, including citizens, taxpayers, businesses, agencies and County employees.

Howard County Government and Arcadis, are hosting a series of in-person and virtual community meetings.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced the formation of a commission to solicit and recommend new designs for the official Howard County flag. The Commission will solicit designs and feedback from the public, and present three of the top five submissions to the County Executive.

The Committee’s input will help ensure that the future vision for Gateway considers all the essential components of an innovation district.

Offering resources and employment services to help business and job seeker customer in Howard County, MD.

The Office of Community Partnerships promotes collaboration among Howard County’s human service providers to support individuals seeking to attain self-sufficiency; administers Howard County’s Community Services Partnership Grant program; coordinates the County’s response to homelessness; manages the MultiService Center; and supports initiatives of the Howard County Board to Promote Self- Sufficiency.

The Office of Public Information guarantees that residents, employees and the public at-large, are kept accurately informed of county government services, activities and programs in a timely, effective and efficient manner.

The Office of Disability Services strives to promote the self-sufficiency and well-being of people with disabilities through information, referral, advocacy and education. The goal of the Office is to serve as a critical link to a network of community services focused on ensuring that those living with disabilities who reside and/or work in Howard County have the supports they need to be successful.

Under Director Robert J. Frances, P.E., the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits is the clearinghouse for processing licenses and permits, reviewing construction documents, and inspecting buildings and structures for code compliance.

We are a combination system of nearly 900 career and volunteer providers operating from 13 stations across Howard County. The department is located between Baltimore City and the District of Columbia and provides and receives automatic aid to and from our surrounding partners in Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Montgomery and Frederick counties. The department is statutorily responsible for the administration of the affairs for the county in fire suppression and prevention, fire training, arson investigation, rescue services and emergency medical services.

The County Executive is the head of the executive branch of government in Howard County and is elected to a four-year term.

The Howard County Office of Agriculture is dedicated to preserving Agriculture in Howard County as a viable industry. The Office provides the agricultural industry with business support, technical assistance, promotion and acts as a liaison between farms and other county agencies.