If you had pulled the proper permits before doing your work on the house, it would have cost a little extra on the job, but saved a lot of grief later.
As a master electrician that did lots of business in Baltimore City, I have seen several cases where the homeowner ends up screwed when the National Electrical Code violations involve BGE.
Be nice, be cooperative. This will serve you better than getting angry and frustrated with BGE. Generally, I have found BGE to be reasonable to a point, but the clearances are required for safety. Both for the homeowner/tenant, and especially for technicians that may have to work on it in the future.
I have refused to work on things when I did not feel it was safe. An electrician or plumber working on the gas, needs room to access the equipment with tools and must have a means of safe egress in the event of an emergency.
Good luck.