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How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Structural Engineer in Baltimore? [2025 Data]
Normal Range: $421 - $789
Hiring a structural engineer in Baltimore, MD costs $558 on average, or between $421 and $789, depending on the exact services you need from a pro.
How we get this data
Cost Insights
Structural engineer costs in Baltimore, Maryland, increase with project complexity, especially for foundation evaluations, which cost $600 to $1,200.
Inspection type affects pricing, with structural reports running $400 to $700 and advanced diagnostics reaching $900 or more.
Older Baltimore rowhomes require more labor and detailed plans, raising fees for load-bearing changes and $1,000 to $5,000 engineering drawings.
As a historic East Coast city with aging rowhomes and diverse soil conditions, homeowners in Baltimore, Maryland, should budget carefully when hiring a structural engineer. Structural engineer costs in Baltimore average $558, with most homeowners spending $421 to $789 depending on project complexity.
Many homes in neighborhoods like Federal Hill, Canton, and Hampden require evaluations for foundation settling, changes to load-bearing walls, or renovation planning. Humid summers, older brick construction, and tight urban lots can all affect the scope of an inspection. Below, explore what you can expect to pay when hiring a structural engineer in Baltimore.
Structural Engineer Cost Factors
Understanding structural engineer cost factors in Baltimore, Maryland, helps homeowners see where project dollars go—from fee structure to inspection type and engineer plans—especially when assessing renovations or investigating signs of structural damage in older rowhomes.
Fee Structure
When hiring a structural engineer in Baltimore, you will pay per project, per hour, or per square foot. If your engineer charges by the project, they may either charge a flat fee or a percentage of the entire renovation cost or the cost to build a house. The type of billing depends on the professional and the exact scope of work requested.
| Price Structure | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Per project (fee) | $1,000–$6,000 |
| Per project (%) | 1%–10% |
| Per hour | $130–$160 |
| Per square foot | $1.50–$6 |
Project Complexity
The cost of a structural engineer for a home inspection will also vary based on the complexity of your project. If you’re just building an add-on to your existing home, your engineer will have minimal work to do to ensure the addition is safe.
If you’re instead altering your roof structure, replacing standard beams with more supportive steel I-beams to open up your space, or removing load-bearing walls, your engineer will have more work to do and will charge more accordingly. Custom new construction projects are the most involved and will be the most expensive.
Type of Inspection
When working with a structural engineer, an inspection is the first step—and may also be the only step, depending on why you’re hiring them. A structural engineer charges a flat fee for inspections, including checks during the sale of a home. The cost of a structural report sits at $450, but prices can range from $400 to $700, depending on the size and complexity of your home.
Your structural engineer inspection cost will likely reach $900 or more if you’re having your professional perform a foundation inspection for foundational cracks, bowing foundation walls, wavy rooflines, or sagging or squeaky floors.
| Type of Inspection | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Beams/joists/trusses | $400–$700 |
| Buying or selling a home | $550–$650 |
| Foundation damage | $600–$1,200 |
| Home remodel | $700–$1,500 |
| Load-bearing walls | $450–$700 |
| New construction | $500–$900 |
| Storm damage | $600–$1,300 |
Engineer Plans
Engineer plans are the drawings that detail the construction project, and in the case of new construction, they’re the plans that an architect and builder will work off of to construct your home safely.
The engineer plans themselves, and the process to produce them will cost you anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the scope of the project. The cost can be much higher for more complex, large-scale projects, sometimes reaching 45% of the engineering budget. It’s a good idea to budget an additional $300 to $700 for revisions in case you want to make changes after the first round of drafting. Additional revisions after that point will cost the same amount.
Below, we've included some average pricing for standard drawings you might request from a structural engineer:
| Drawing Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Commercial construction | $7,000–$90,000 |
| Home add-on or bump-out | $3,000–$6,000 |
| Major home renovation | $2,500–$7,000 |
| New construction | $3,000–$12,000 |
| Outbuilding construction | $800–$10,000 |
Additional Structural Engineer Costs
Homeowners in Baltimore, Maryland, may see their total project cost rise due to labor rates, permitting requirements, and the level of documentation required for local construction. Older rowhomes, tight urban lots, and Baltimore City permitting rules can all influence what you ultimately pay.
Labor
Labor rates for a professional structural engineer inspection in Baltimore range from $130 to $160 per hour, with total fees increasing when engineers must access tight crawlspaces, navigate multi-story brick rowhomes, or evaluate aging foundations common in neighborhoods like Canton or Federal Hill. Travel to surrounding suburbs, such as Towson or Catonsville, can also slightly increase labor charges.
PE Stamps
A PE stamp in Baltimore costs $150 to $400, but fees may rise on projects requiring wind-load calculations, steel-beam sizing, or foundation reinforcement drawings for older masonry homes. Baltimore City often requires stamped plans for structural alterations, which can add time and coordination with permitting officials.
Permits
Structural engineer services themselves do not require a permit, but any construction using the engineer’s plans does. In Baltimore, homeowners—not engineers—must pay permit fees, which range from $50 to $300 for minor structural changes and can exceed $500 for larger additions or foundation work that requires multiple inspections and plan reviews.
Taxes
Maryland charges sales tax on certain engineering-related services, but most residential structural engineering work, such as inspections and stamped drawings, falls under professional services, which are not taxed. Permit fees, however, are subject to the city's standard surcharges, and homeowners are responsible for paying them at the time of application.
Tipping
Tipping is not customary for structural engineers in Baltimore, and licensed P.E.s do not expect it. Homeowners who want to show appreciation leave positive reviews or referrals, which is more common in the local engineering and construction community.
Can a Structural Engineer Add Value to Your Home?
Hiring a structural engineer doesn’t offer a direct return on investment (ROI); instead, the value comes from the project you complete after their assessment. In Baltimore, homeowners who bring in a structural engineer for a home addition—especially in older rowhomes—may see an ROI of 20% to 50%, depending on neighborhood demand and build quality. If you’re hiring a structural engineer for a pre-purchase inspection or to evaluate post-storm foundation settling, the financial return is less direct, though the risk reduction and negotiation leverage can still be significant.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
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