A Baltimore County Board of Appeals panel signaled it will grant an electrician’s request for an alternative electrical inspection, with two of three members voting that way during a public deliberation in case CBA-27-007. The appellant is Travis Omopariola. The board has not yet issued its written opinion, so the 2-1 position is not a final order.
The case is an appeal of a denial of Omopariola’s request for an alternative electrical inspection. The denial came in a letter from the county’s chief electrical inspector dated July 28, 2026. Three board members heard the case, including Deborah Dokin and Joseph Evans, and the chair said testimony and evidence were presented at a hearing on Sept. 23. The session on Nov. 10 was the public deliberation, and the board deliberation video is posted online.
Was the Appeal Filed on Time?
The board first took up whether the appeal was properly filed. Baltimore County Code section 35-2-302E sets a 30-day period to appeal. Evans said an earlier June 1 email from a county staffer declining the request was the final denial. He said deadlines set by statute are strict and cannot be waived, and that he would deny the appeal as untimely on that basis.
Two other members disagreed. They said the June 1 email read as informal and that the July 28 letter, which called itself the final determination and described appeal rights, was the county’s actual decision. On that reading, the appeal was filed in time.
Was the Appeal Perfected?
Members also discussed whether the appeal was properly completed. A county staffer had helped coordinate the filing for the appellant, and the board’s office scheduled the hearing afterward. One member said the appellant could reasonably rely on being told the appeal was set for a hearing. Evans said scheduling a hearing does not, by itself, perfect an appeal.
The Alternative Inspection Request
Because the board decides the matter anew, members described themselves as standing in the position of the chief electrical inspector. The request would let a private electrical testing company test the work after the walls were closed without the standard rough-in electrical inspection.
Members noted the county accepted similar testing in a past project involving a Sacred Heart basement. One member said no code provision expressly prohibits alternative testing and that the decision is within the inspector’s discretion.
Evans said no one from the testing company testified. He said the only electrician to testify was the county’s chief electrical inspector, and that he was unwilling to overrule that inspector without more direct evidence from the testing firm.
Criticism of the County’s Permitting Process
Several members criticized the county’s Permits, Approvals and Inspections department. They cited unclear communication and outdated systems. One member said the county should have modern code-compliance software that could prevent mistakes like the one that led to this case.
The Vote
At the end of the deliberation, two members said they would treat the appeal as properly perfected and grant the alternative inspection. Evans voted no on both questions and said he will write a dissent.
What’s Next
The board will issue a written opinion explaining its decision. Evans plans to file a dissent. More information about the panel is on the Baltimore County Board of Appeals page.
