EEOC Baltimore Field Office: Intake, Deadlines, and Filing

The EEOC Baltimore Field Office handles federal workplace discrimination charges for most of Maryland and parts of Delaware and West Virginia. It sits inside the G.H. Fallon Federal Building at 31 Hopkins Plaza, Suite 1432, Baltimore, MD 21201, and you can reach it at 410-801-6685 or the national line, 1-800-669-4000.¹ Staff are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office email is BFOContact@eeoc.gov.

How to Get an Intake Appointment

The fastest way in is through the EEOC Public Portal at publicportal.eeoc.gov. You can book a phone call, a video meeting, or an in-person visit at the Baltimore office. People with appointments get priority and are seen at their scheduled time.¹

Walk-ins are accepted but handled first-come, first-served. The office prioritizes anyone facing an imminent filing deadline.¹ If you’re close to running out of time and can’t get an appointment scheduled, showing up in person is worth the wait.

The Deadline You Can’t Miss

Maryland workers generally have 300 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file a charge. The baseline federal deadline is 180 days, but it extends to 300 days where a state or local agency enforces a law covering the same type of discrimination.² The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights enforces state anti-discrimination laws, so Baltimore-area workers typically get the longer window.

Age discrimination claims under the ADEA are the exception. The 300-day extension only applies if a state law specifically prohibits age discrimination and a state agency enforces it. A local ordinance alone won’t stretch the deadline.²

These deadlines are firm. An employer cannot shorten them through an employment agreement or arbitration clause. Once the clock runs out, the EEOC loses authority to act on the claim and you lose the ability to sue in federal court under these statutes. Count from the exact date the discrimination occurred.

What to Have Ready Before You Contact the Office

The intake goes faster if you’ve pulled the basic facts together ahead of time. The EEOC needs enough detail to identify the correct employer and figure out whether federal law covers your situation.

The company’s full legal name, business address, and a reasonable estimate of how many people work there.
A description of what happened, with dates, locations, and the names of supervisors or managers involved.
The protected characteristic at issue, such as race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
Any financial or professional harm you’ve suffered, like lost wages, a denied promotion, or a demotion.

The employee count matters because it determines which laws apply. Title VII, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, covers employers with 15 or more employees.³ The ADEA requires at least 20 employees. If your employer falls below those thresholds, the EEOC can’t investigate under those statutes, though state law may still protect you.

Filing the Charge

Filing starts with an online inquiry through the EEOC Public Portal. The portal walks you through fields for dates, names, and a narrative of what happened. After you submit, the EEOC schedules an intake interview to review the details and decide whether your allegations fall within the agency’s legal authority.⁴

The interview can happen by phone, by video, or in person at the Baltimore office. If the EEOC determines it can proceed, a formal Charge of Discrimination is prepared for your signature, electronically or on paper. You can also file by mailing a signed letter to the office that includes your contact information, the employer’s name and address, the number of employees, a description of the events, and when they occurred.⁵ If you mail it, keep a copy and use a delivery method that gives you proof it arrived. The filing date is what stops the clock.

What Happens After You File

Federal law requires the EEOC to notify your employer within ten days of the charge being filed. That notice includes the date, place, and circumstances of the alleged discrimination.⁶ The agency then requests a written response and assigns a unique charge number for tracking.

Investigations can take several months to well over a year depending on complexity and caseload. The EEOC gathers evidence from both sides, which may include document requests, witness interviews, and on-site visits. When the investigation ends, one of three things happens.⁷

If the EEOC cannot establish that discrimination occurred, you receive a Dismissal and Notice of Rights. You then have 90 days to file your own lawsuit in federal court.
If the EEOC finds reasonable cause to believe discrimination happened, both sides get a Letter of Determination and are invited to resolve the matter through conciliation.
If conciliation fails, the EEOC can sue the employer itself. If it decides not to litigate, you get a Notice of Right to Sue and have 90 days to file your own case.

That 90-day lawsuit window cannot be extended. If you filed under Title VII or the ADA and the investigation is dragging, you can request a Notice of Right to Sue after 180 days have passed, even if the investigation isn’t finished.⁸ Requesting that notice ends the EEOC’s involvement and puts the case entirely in your hands, so don’t do it unless you have an attorney lined up or are ready to litigate on your own.

Mediation as a Faster Alternative

The EEOC offers mediation as an alternative to the full investigation. It’s an informal, confidential meeting where you and the employer sit down with a trained neutral mediator to try to work out a resolution. A successful session can close the case in a single day rather than months of investigation.⁹

Confidentiality is strict. Nothing said during mediation can be disclosed to anyone, including other EEOC staff. If mediation fails and the case returns to the investigation track, the investigator has no access to what was discussed.¹⁰ You don’t risk weakening your position by participating.

If both sides reach a deal, it’s put in writing, signed, and enforceable in court like any other contract.⁹ Settlements can include monetary payments, policy changes, reinstatement, or a neutral job reference. Participation is voluntary for both sides, and refusing or walking away from mediation carries no penalty or negative inference.¹⁰

Which Laws the Baltimore Office Enforces

The Baltimore office enforces the same federal anti-discrimination statutes as every other EEOC office. Knowing which one applies helps you name the right legal basis when filing.¹¹

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Covers employers with 15 or more employees.
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects workers 40 and older. Covers employers with 20 or more employees.¹²
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Covers employers with 15 or more employees.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act makes it illegal to use genetic information, including family medical history, in employment decisions.¹²
The Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for equal work regardless of sex.

All of these laws also prohibit retaliation. If you file a charge, participate in an investigation, or oppose discriminatory practices, your employer cannot legally punish you for doing so. A retaliation claim can stand even if the underlying discrimination claim doesn’t succeed.

1
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Baltimore Field Office
2
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits For Filing A Charge
3
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
4
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Filing A Charge of Discrimination
5
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination
6
GovInfo. 42 USC 2000e-5
7
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What You Can Expect After a Charge is Filed
8
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What You Can Expect After You File a Charge
9
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Mediation
10
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Questions And Answers About Mediation
11
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Equal Employment Opportunity Laws
12
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What Laws Does EEOC Enforce