# Division 10. Employee Status

Codified through Bill No. CB-018-2026, adopted May 12, 2026, effective July 24, 2026. Source: Municode, Supplement 2026 Update 2. Editorial notes and legislative history omitted.

## Division 10. Employee Status

### Sec. 16-174. Employee status upon appointment

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-174 (2026)

(a) Probationary Status Employee. A probationary status employee shall mean any employee who is newly appointed or reappointed to a position in the classified service and who is required to complete a probationary period unless otherwise provided under this Subtitle. All probationary status employees shall be entitled to the rights and benefits specifically granted to permanent status employees under the provisions of this Subtitle except as provided under Section 16-173 with respect to appeal and grievance rights and under Section 16-188 with respect to retention rights under a separation-reduction-in-force action.

(b) Permanent Status Employee. A permanent status employee shall mean any employee who has satisfactorily completed a probationary period in accordance with personnel procedures developed pursuant to this Subtitle. All permanent status employees shall be entitled to all the rights and benefits granted under the provisions of this Subtitle to classified service employees.

### Sec. 16-175. Employee status upon reallocation

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-175 (2026)

When the Director of Human Resources Management reallocates an incumbered, classified service position to a higher or lower grade of work, the incumbent of the position will remain a permanent status employee in accordance with applicable personnel procedures.

### Sec. 16-176. Employee status upon reclassification

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-176 (2026)

Whenever an established class of work in the Classification Plan is revised through reclassification by assigning a different grade to said class, such reclassification shall be applicable to all incumbents of positions allocated to said class, as revised.

### Sec. 16-177. Employee status upon classification

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-177 (2026)

Whenever the Classification Plan is amended through classification by abolishing an established class of work, such classification shall abolish all positions allocated to said class. All incumbents of positions which are abolished through such classification action shall be separated from their positions in accordance with the separation-reduction-in-force procedures set forth in Section 16-188.

### Sec. 16-178. Limited-term employee status

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-178 (2026)

(a) A limited-term status employee shall mean any employee who is competitively or noncompetitively appointed, reassigned, transferred, or competitively or noncompetitively promoted to a classified service position, where said position:

  (1) Has been vacated by the incumbent for an extended period of time by virtue of an approved grant of sick, administrative, or disability leave; leave without pay; or military leave without pay;

  (2) Has been vacated by virtue of the separation of the incumbent from said position under adverse action proceedings initiated and taken against the incumbent, and said action is pending, on appeal, before the Personnel Board or a court of law;

  (3) Has been vacated by an employee who has been reassigned, transferred, or promoted to a position where the incumbent thereof is absent from said position under the circumstances cited in subparagraphs (a)(1) or (2), above;

  (4) Is one which is created exclusively for use as part of an internship program developed to provide work experience for students enrolled in, or recently graduated from, post-secondary educational institutions, or to provide citizens with experience in governmental affairs;

  (5) Is one which is created exclusively for use as part of an established program for the employment of senior citizens or persons with disabilities, students, trainees, interns, and similarly situated persons, for which there are inadequate training opportunities in private industry; or,

  (6) Is one which is created exclusively for use as part of a program which is implemented pursuant to a grant from, or other financial agreement with, the Federal or State government or other private funding source, where such grant or agreement does not provide sufficient funding for full employee benefits or permanent employment.

(b) Any appointment, reassignment, transfer, or promotion effectuated under the circumstances cited in Subsection (a), above, shall be deemed to be a limited-term appointment, reassignment, transfer, or promotion, as appropriate.

(c) Any employee occupying a classified service position under the terms of a limited-term appointment, as defined in Subsection (b), above, shall only be entitled to those benefits as are specifically granted under Section 16-179 to exempt status employees occupying classified service positions under the terms of a temporary/provisional or temporary/emergency appointment. Any such limited-term status employee shall be removed from the position occupied upon the effective date of the return of the incumbent to said position as provided under Section 16-187. However, if the position the limited-term status employee occupies becomes permanently vacant because the incumbent does not elect to return to or is not entitled to be reinstated in the position, then, and in such event, the limited-term status employee shall be converted to probationary status and, by virtue thereof, shall be subject to the provisions of Article IX for the purposes of determining said employee's right to be converted to permanent status; provided however, that the aforesaid probationary period shall not be applicable to any such limited-term status employee in any case where such employee had occupied the position giving rise to the limited-term appointment for a period equal to the length of the probationary period established for the class of work applicable to the position; in such event, such employee shall be converted to permanent status, as appropriate, and shall be retroactively credited for the period of the limited-term status appointment for purposes of annual and sick leave accrual under the provisions of Sections 16-220 and 16-221, respectively.

(d) Any employee occupying a classified service position under the terms of a limited-term reassignment, transfer, or competitive or noncompetitive promotion, as defined in Subsection (b), above, shall retain all the rights and benefits the employee was entitled to as a permanent status employee immediately prior to any such reassignment, transfer, or promotion. Any such limited-term status employee shall be entitled to return to said employee's former position upon the return of the incumbent to the position temporarily occupied by said limited-term status employee as provided under Section 16-187, and shall be granted all rights and benefits as if the employee had remained in the former position. In the event the employee's former position had been abolished during the period of the employee's limited-term status, then, in such event, the employee shall be entitled to return to another position of the same or a comparable grade and class of work. However, if the position the limited-term status employee occupies becomes permanently vacant because the incumbent does not elect to return to or is not entitled to be reinstated in the position, then, and in such event, the limited-term status employee may elect either to remain in the position or to return to the employee's former position. In the event that the limited-term status employee elects to remain in the position as provided in the preceding sentence, said employee shall, by virtue thereof, be converted back to permanent status.

(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this Subtitle to the contrary, a limited-term status employee appointed to a position pursuant to subparagraph (a)(4) and (5), above, shall be appointed for a period of time and shall only be entitled to receive employee benefits as specifically established in the classification plan and salary plans for the particular position.

(f) Notwithstanding any provision of this Subtitle to the contrary, a limited-term status employee appointed to a position pursuant to subparagraph (a)(6), above, shall be appointed for a period of time not to exceed the term of the grant or other financial agreement providing the funding for the position, and shall only be entitled to receive employee benefits as funded by the grant or other financial agreement.

### Sec. 16-179. Status of exempt service employees

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-179 (2026)

(a) An exempt status employee shall mean any employee who has been appointed to an exempt position that is specifically defined in Section 902 of Article IX of the County Charter and as provided under this Subtitle.

(b) An exempt status employee shall only be entitled to occupy a classified service position in a permanent status through appointment.

(c) Any exempt status employee who acts in the capacity of an appointing authority shall be governed by any provision of this Subtitle which:

  (1) Establishes or requires the exercise or performance of any duty, action, or obligation by an appointing authority; and

  (2) Establishes a prohibition against the exercise or initiation of an action by an appointing authority.

(d) The provisions of this Subtitle, as applying to classified service employees, shall be limited in their applicability to exempt status employees as set forth below. All such provisions shall be in addition to any provision of this Subtitle which, within its terms, expressly applies to exempt status employees.

  (1) Except as specifically stated otherwise, the provisions of this Subtitle shall not apply to members of boards and commissions, experts or specialists performing temporary services, employees required to be covered by the State Merit System, and elected officials.

  (2) The following provisions of this Subtitle shall apply to any exempt status employee occupying a classified service position under the terms of a temporary/provisional or temporary/emergency appointment:

    (A) Section 16-110, "Political Activity;" Section 16-112, "Attendance of Employees;" Section 16-114, "Work Schedules;" Section 16-126, "Pay Periods;" Section 16-127, "Salary Rate Upon Appointment;" Section 16-135, "Salary Rate Upon Reclassification;" Section 16-139, "Salary Rates for Authorized Overtime;" Section 16-142, "Gross and Net Salary Rates;" Section 16-143(a), (b), and (d), "Effective Date of Salary Rate Changes;" Section 16-176, "Employee Status Upon Classification;" Section 16-208, "Employee Health and Safety;" and Section 16-227, "Compensatory Leave."

### Sec. 16-180. Employee status upon returning to classified service from exempt service

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-180 (2026)

(a) Whenever a permanent status, classified service employee is appointed to a permanent, exempt service position, including any temporary administrative appointment made by the County Executive pursuant to Section 505 of Article V of County Charter, any such employee shall be entitled to return to such employee's former classified service position for a period of one (1) calendar year from the effective date of any such employee's appointment to said permanent, exempt service position. Any such employee's salary rate, upon return to the employee's former position, shall be reestablished in accordance with the provisions of Section 16-131(b) as if the employee had returned to the former position following a limited-term promotion. In the event any such employee's former classified service position had been abolished during the period of such exempt status appointment, then, in such event, the employee shall be entitled to return to another position of the same or a comparable grade and class of work.

(b) Any such employee shall be considered to be on an extended period of approved leave without pay and, in the event another employee is appointed, reassigned, transferred, or promoted to the classified service position formerly occupied by any such employee, such appointment, reassignment, transfer, or promotion shall be on a limited-term basis and the employee occupying the classified service position shall be a limited-term status employee subject to the conditions of Section 16-178.

### Sec. 16-180.01. Transfer from Sheriff's office

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-180.01 (2026)

Subject to the approval of the County Executive by Executive Order, any employees of the Sheriff of Prince George's County who are afforded initial appointments to positions for which they are qualified in the Prince George's County Department of Corrections may be granted terms and conditions of employment as though they were transferring to such positions from other positions within the classified service of Prince George's County.

### Sec. 16-181. Full-time and part-time employee status

Prince George's County, Md., Code § 16-181 (2026)

(a) A full-time employee shall mean any employee who occupies any full-time position, as defined in Section 16-120(b)(1), and who, by virtue thereof, is entitled to an annually-rated salary and, where applicable, a standard work week as specifically set forth in Section 16-113.

(b) A part-time employee shall mean any employee who occupies any part-time position, as defined in Section 16-120(b)(2), or any full-time position, and who, by virtue thereof, is entitled to an hourly-rated salary and who normally works less than the prescribed number of hours in the standard work week otherwise applicable to the position occupied by the employee.