892                          LAWS OF MARYLAND.                 [CH. 352

to be sent to the Clerk to the County Commissioners, one to
be sent to the Supervisor of Assessments, and one to be retained
by the officials issuing the permit, and it shall be and become
the duty of the officials of any incorporated town who have
issued said permits as herein required, to make return with-
in three days after the issuance of the same to the proper
parties, of the copies of the permits herein required. That
permit blanks shall be mailed on request by the Clerk to the
County Commissioners to any person, firm or corporation
who desires to erect, contract, remodel or repair any building
or buildings as herein provided, but no such person, firm or
corporation shall actually begin the erection, construction, re-
modeling or repair of any building or buildings until the per-
mit blanks have been returned to the Clerk to the County
Commissioners, and approved by him, and the permit actually
issued. Failure to mail or receive the blank or permits herein
provided for shall in no way affect prosecutions under the pro-
visions of this Act. It is the purpose and intention of this
section to require all persons, firms or corporations who con-
template erecting or constructing, or remodeling or repairing
any and all buildings of any nature, kind or description, before
doing so, to obtain a permit as in this Act provided, but no
charge shall be made for any permit. And if any person,
firm or corporation shall proceed to erect, construct, remodel
or repair any building where the value of the same, as to new
buildings, shall be two hundred dollars ($200. 00) or more at
the time of completion, or the cost of remodeling or repairing
any building, the value of which after completion shall exceed
five hundred dollars ($500. 00), without^ first having made
application for and obtained the permit as herein provided,
it shall then be and become the duty of the County Com-
missioners, through their clerk, or the town officials, as the case
may be, to immediately swear out a warrant for said person,
firm or corporation, and have him or them taken before some
justice of the peace of said county, whose duty it shall be to
try said person, firm or corporation, who, upon conviction, shall
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to a
fine of not less than ten dollars ($10. 00) nor more than fifty
dollars ($50. 00), and shall stand committed to the Cecil
County Jail until said fine and costs are paid, not to exceed
an imprisonment of thirty days, the said fine so imposed to be
paid over to the County Commissioners of Cecil County.