County Board of Health Regulation Portal
Updated May 18, 2021
To protect the public health and welfare within Montgomery County during the COVID-19 pandemic, the County Board of Health Regulation establishes operating requirements and guidance for activities that occur in the County.
All business and organizations operating in the County, along with all County residents, must follow the Regulation.
You do not need a Letter of Approval if:
- Your gathering is indoors with 250 or fewer people.
- Your gathering is outdoors.
- You are classified as “Businesses, Organization, Establishment, and/or Facility” and you do not plan to exceed 75% capacity, provided that you can
- maintain at least six feet of social distance at all times, and
- you are complying with all other provisions of the County Board of Health Regulation
- You are seeking to increase lane capacity at an indoor or outdoor pool.
If you need a Letter of Approval, you must submit your request:
- 6 or more days before the proposed event.
- within 6 weeks of your proposed event.
- We will evaluate your request based on the Board of Health Regulation at the time we consider your proposal.
Failure to obtain a Letter of Approval prior to proceeding with an event will be considered to be a violation of the Regulation and could subject the requestor, organizer, and venue to the appropriate fines and sanctions detailed in the Regulation.
Any person, organizer, or venue who is found to have held an event without a Letter of Approval will be automatically disqualified from receiving a future Letter of Approval.
Requests for Letters of Approval are considered each Tuesday morning. Please submit your proposal on Mondays by 5 p.m. ET if you would like it to be considered at the next day’s meeting. Otherwise, the proposal will be considered on the following Tuesday.
Submit your requestLetter of Approval
Under the County Board of Health Regulation, a Letter of Approval from the Department of Health and Human Services is required for an activity to occur.
Although the County cannot grant a Letter of Approval to an event prohibited by the Regulation, these proposals are retained and considered when leadership is contemplating changes to the Regulation.
Required to seek a Letter of Approval
- Outdoor religious services with more than 100 people
- Sporting tournaments
Encouraged to seek Letter of Approval
- Special events, such as community gatherings or fundraisers
- Organizations and businesses that are currently closed or restricted by the County Board of Health Regulation
Approved Proposal Examples
- Swim Lane Policy (PDF)
- Drive-in Movie Event (PDF) -- coming soon!
- 5K Race (PDF)
- Micro-brew Fest (PDF)
- Soccer Club Tournament (PDF)
COVID Protocol Plan
You must submit a COVID Protocol Plan for organized youth sports and summer camps.
It must include a plan for
- requiring that face coverings be worn;
- social distancing with at least 6 feet between all participants to the extent possible; and
- requiring the use of a student attestation form or COVID-19 Athlete/Coach Monitoring Form at all activities conducted.
Although voluntary, regular testing should be part of the COVID Protocol Plan.
Request for Clarification
Submit a Request for Clarification to ask a question about how the current County Board of Health Regulation are interpreted.
Clarification examples
Clarifications we've made include
School Plan Review
Montgomery County encourages schools to submit their reopening plan for review.
Resources for Schools and School Systems Intending to Re-open School Year 2020-2021
Download School Plan Review Checklist template: Word file | PDF
Drive-in Movie Nights
If you are planning a Drive-In Movie Night, submit a Letter of Approval request with your safety plan for the event at least 5 business days prior to the event date.
To be approved, the Drive-in Movie Safety Plan must demonstrate that:
- no more than 50 cars will be involved
- attendees will remain in their cars and not intermingle
- any concessions provided will be delivered in a contactless manner, in which the food is delivered to outside of a car door and dropped off (not directly handed to the consumer)
- your plan addresses restroom facilities that includes a way to prevent groups gathering or lines forming
