Garrett County Government

What Garrett County Government does

Garrett County Government is the county government entity serving Garrett County, Maryland, the westernmost county in the state, established in 1872. The entity provides the full spectrum of municipal and county-level public services to its 28,393 residents, including public safety (911 communications, Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management), public works (roads, water and sewer utilities, solid waste and recycling, airport operations), community development (planning, permitting, business development, broadband infrastructure, attainable housing), elections administration, and regulatory functions (liquor control, zoning, watershed management). It is governed by three elected County Commissioners (Larry Tichnell, Paul Edwards, Ryan Savage) and administered by County Administrator Kevin Null, operating as a public political subdivision of the State of Maryland with no private ownership or external shareholders.

The county's technology platform centers on the Citizen Connect portal, an online gateway where residents pay property taxes, water/sewer utility bills, and trash permits; apply for residential and other permits; schedule inspections; and register for emergency alerts. Supporting systems include a Maps & GIS web service for spatial data and zoning information, a Water Quality Laboratory for utility testing, and a 911 Emergency Communications Center for public safety response. The entity also operates Garrett County Airport, a Broadband Division tasked with expanding internet access countywide, and a Vendor Self Service Portal for procurement. Distribution is delivered through three integrated channels: online self-service via Citizen Connect, in-person services at the main county offices at 203 South Fourth Street in Oakland, Maryland, and field operations covering roads, utilities, animal control, and emergency response across the county.

The revenue model is composed of property tax collections from county residents and property owners, recurring water and sewer utility billing on a monthly consumption basis, transaction-based fees across a broad catalog of permits (building, electrical, plumbing, grading, entrance, floodplain) and licenses (alcohol, business, junkyard, vacation rental, dog/cat, kennel, ATV/snowmobile, paper gaming), and annual trash collection permit fees. The General Fund Expenditures for the fiscal year July 2025 through June 2026 are $116.8 million. The customer base is segmented horizontally into registered voters, county property owners and residents (the primary segment), and local businesses and developers, with no enterprise anchor customers and a distributed long-tail revenue structure. Go-to-market is direct-to-citizen via the Citizen Connect portal and in-person at county offices, supplemented by public meeting notices, live video streaming, and email communications for civic engagement.

Name

Garrett County Government

Legal name

Garrett County Government

Website

https://garrettcounty.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Garrett County Government is the county government entity serving 28,393 residents of Garrett County, Maryland, providing public safety, public works, utilities, permitting, elections, and community development services through the Citizen Connect online portal, county offices in Oakland, and field operations across the county.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

County Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (92612)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• County government services
• Public utilities management
• Emergency communications
• Property tax administration
• Permits and licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland, MD

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Annual property tax collections from county residents and property owners
2. Water/Sewer Utility Bills: Recurring utility billing for water and sewer services provided to residents and businesses
3. Permit and License Fees: Fees collected for building permits, electrical permits, plumbing permits, grading permits, entrance permits, floodplain permits, business licenses, alcohol licenses, trash permits, ATV/snowmobile permits, dog/cat licenses, kennel licenses, vacation rental licenses, paper gaming licenses
4. Trash Collection Fees: Fees for residential trash collection services and permits

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Garrett County Government provides essential county government services to its 28,393 residents, including property tax administration, water/sewer utility services, solid waste and recycling, road maintenance, permitting and inspections, business and animal licensing, election administration, public safety (911 communications and Sheriff services), emergency management, and community/economic development. The Citizen Connect online portal serves as the unified digital gateway for residents to pay bills, apply for permits, and sign up for emergency alerts.

Product overview

Garrett County Government provides a portfolio of digital citizen services centered around the Citizen Connect portal, which serves as the unified online gateway for residents to access property tax payments, water/sewer utility billing, permitting services, and emergency notifications. Supporting this core portal are the Maps & GIS web service, departmental services for public works (roads, utilities, solid waste, airport), emergency management, community development, and the Board of Elections. The county also maintains business licensing, regulatory compliance, and procurement systems for county operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Citizen Connect Online Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• $116.8M General Fund budget managed annually for county services

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage AreaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2026Garrett County Department of Business Development partners with the Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area to administer the FY 2027 Mini-Grant Program, encouraging local nonprofits, municipalities, historical organizations, and community groups to apply for funding
• Maryland State Board of ElectionscoreOthersState agency partnership for election administration, providing voting locations, voter registration, absentee voting, and military/overseas voting services for Garrett County residents

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Howard County Government (Maryland): Maryland county government with a mature Citizen Connect–style online services platform, providing a relevant benchmark for digital service delivery evolution that Garrett County is pursuing.
• Carroll County Government (Maryland): Maryland county government of similar mid-scale size delivering the same core service bundle—public safety, utilities, permitting, solid waste, and community development—to a comparable resident base.
• Harford County Government (Maryland): Maryland county government with a similar diversified service portfolio including water/sewer utilities, solid waste, permitting, and a public airport—offering a useful scale and operating model comparison to Garrett County.
• Washington County Government (Maryland): Western Maryland county government with a similar rural-to-suburban population and comparable mix of property tax, utility, and permitting revenues. Operates an analogous set of departments including public works, elections, and emergency management.
• Queen Anne's County Government (Maryland): Rural Maryland county government of comparable population scale, with similar service breadth across public works, utilities, permitting, and community development—useful as a like-for-like operating comparison.
• Allegany County Government: Neighboring western Maryland county government of comparable rural scale and service portfolio (public safety, utilities, permits, public works). Garrett County's profile most closely mirrors Allegany's in population size, geographic setting, and economic base.
• Frederick County Government (Maryland): Maryland county government offering the full municipal-style service suite—public safety, utilities, permits, airport, broadband—serving as a larger-scale reference point for Garrett County's operating model.
• Worcester County Government (Maryland): Rural Eastern Shore Maryland county government with a comparable small population, tourism-driven economy (Ocean City), and similar reliance on property taxes, utility fees, and seasonal revenues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/garrett-county-government

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Garrett County Government