Butler, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In the City of Butler, permits come from the Office of Business and Community Development in City Hall. Its Residential Building Division reviews plans and inspects houses itself, except for electrical work, while its Commercial Building Division sends commercial plans to the third-party agency Professional Code Services. Under the 2026 permit fee chart, a building, electrical, plumbing or HVAC permit costs $100 for a project of $10,001 to $11,000 and $5 more for each further $1,000, with the occupancy permit included.

What requires a building permit in the City of Butler?

The city’s residential page says some building, demolition and home improvement projects require a permit and puts the duty to get one before work starts on the owner or contractor. One application covers building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, demolition and fire protection permits, and a separate $60 zoning permit covers small accessory structures.

A plot plan or a survey is required for sheds, garages, additions, fences, carports and anything else that enlarges the building footprint or has to meet a setback. Under the city’s fence rules (sections 260-10 and 260-89.1 of the codified ordinances), a screening fence or wall may be up to 6½ feet high in side and rear yards but only 4 feet in a front yard or any yard along a street, and the Zoning and Code Management Officer can lower that height where it would block drivers’ sight lines. Schools, playgrounds, parks and commercial or industrial side and rear yards away from homes may have 10-foot fences. Barbed and razor wire are banned in the R-O, R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1 and C-2 districts unless approved as a conditional use, and the city recommends setting fences 6 inches inside the property line. Pools follow section 260-88: anything deeper than 24 inches or with 150 square feet of surface counts as a pool, it may go only in a side or rear yard at least 5 feet from property lines and 15 feet from houses on neighboring lots, and it needs a fence 4 to 8 feet high with a lockable gate, unless an above-ground pool has a deck at least 3 feet up all around with a 3-foot fence on its edge. An occupancy permit is required to install any pool, and the owner must show how it drains to a storm inlet.

What Butler decides and what the state holds

The building rules are the statewide Uniform Construction Code; L&I lists the City of Butler as an opt-in municipality since April 28, 2004, with pre-1999 amendments. Butler Township is a separate municipality with its own code official. The city sets its zoning ordinance (Chapter 260, with a zoning map dated July 14, 2021), floodplain (Chapter 144) and stormwater (Chapter 231) rules, the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code it adopted for code enforcement (Chapter 203), and its fee schedules.

Butler building department: who handles permitting

The Building Permit Office within the Office of Business and Community Development has two divisions. The Residential Building Division checks plans for new homes, additions and remodels against the building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and energy codes and makes the field inspections with city staff, except electrical inspections. The Commercial Building Division receives commercial drawings, forwards them to Professional Code Services, Inc. (PCS) for plan review and inspection, tracks the review, keeps the project file and hands out certificates of occupancy; it also reviews land development and inspects for zoning, parking and stormwater. The Zoning Officer handles permitting for all commercial projects.

Butler permit types and applications

Residential work uses the city’s 2026 application for a building or zoning permit (revised January 7, 2026), with Addendum 1 for sole proprietors claiming a workers’ compensation exemption and Addendum 2 for religious exemptions. Commercial work uses the 2026 commercial application together with PCS’s Non-Residential Construction Document Review Application, which names the 2021 International Building Code as adopted in Pennsylvania.

Residential permits

The application allows one contractor per permit and asks for the owner, the contractor and any engineer or architect. Workers’ compensation certificates must name the City of Butler, 140 W North St, as the certificate holder, and subcontractors must show their own coverage. By accepting a permit, the contractor and every subcontractor agree to register and pay the city’s Business Privilege and Mercantile Tax, and the application tells owners to ask about any tax abatement program in effect. The city posts sample plot plans for an addition, garage or shed and for fences, and separate pool handouts covering zoning, property maintenance and building code rules.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

The commercial flow chart (revised February 19, 2026) sets the order. Zoning approval comes first. Then one digital set of sealed drawings and calculations goes by email to the Office of Business and Community Development with the PCS application and the city’s commercial application; the cover sheet must show the full street address, the use group, the construction type and the occupant load. PCS reviews to the UCC and emails approved drawings to the design professional, who prints three color copies for the city, which keeps one, gives one to the owner and sends one to the Bureau of Fire. Commercial permits are picked up in person, by appointment only (extension 213).

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Variances go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($600 for an owner-occupied home, $700 commercial or industrial) and conditional uses to the Planning Commission at the same rates.
• Sewer. For new construction, a change of use or an enlargement that adds restrooms or a kitchen, call Pennsylvania American Water and ask for Butler Wastewater (1-800-565-7292); no building permit is issued without its permit or a letter saying none is needed. DEP’s Act 537 sewage facilities planning module, or the exemption mailer, is also required for new construction, major renovation and changes of use; the city’s module flow chart still sends project engineers to the Butler Area Sewer Authority (BASA), which the fee sheet also names for sewer disconnections.
• Land development, floodplain and stormwater. Land development drawings, floodplain review under Chapter 144 and stormwater review under Chapter 231 come before the permit; excavating 5,000 square feet or more needs a city grading permit, and disturbing more than an acre needs erosion and sedimentation review by the Butler County Conservation District (724-284-5270).
• Food service. Projects with food service need a health license; the City Clerk’s office explains how to get one.
• Driveways. Curb cuts and street openings are city permits; a state road needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.

Butler permit fees

Two documents set the fees. The 2026 permit fee schedule chart, dated January 1, 2026, prices building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire, demolition, driveway, parking lot, sidewalk and sign permits by the cost of the project, with the occupancy permit fee included. Zoning, board and miscellaneous fees are in Resolution 2025-12-18, revised January 1, 2026.

A kitchen remodel costing $35,500 falls in the $35,001 to $36,000 band, so the building permit is $225; the $4.50 state fee brings it to $229.50, and the occupancy permit is already included. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits for the same job are priced separately on the same chart by their own cost, without the state fee. Commercial projects also pay PCS directly for plan review, and the city does not release plans or permits until that invoice is paid. Payment to the city is by cash or check only.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: a city permit priced on the chart; residential electrical inspections are the one part of house work the city does not do in-house, and pools always need an electrical permit.
• Plumbing: a city permit on the same application, reviewed by the Residential Building Division for houses.
• Mechanical: HVAC permits on the same application and chart.
• Fire protection: sprinkler and alarm permits on the chart; commercial plans also go to the Bureau of Fire.

Each permit lists one contractor, who must register for the city’s Business Privilege and Mercantile Tax. The city’s pages do not set out a local trade license; home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General under HICPA.

How to apply for a Butler permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

State law allows 15 business days for residential and 30 for commercial decisions. The commercial flow chart names what holds a permit back: no Butler Wastewater permit or letter, no occupant load stated on the drawings, an unpaid PCS invoice, or drawings that not every party has signed off on as the same set. A permit lapses if work does not begin within 180 days.

Inspections in Butler

For houses, request an inspection by email to bcce1@cityofbutler.org; the Residential Building Division inspects every permit it issues, and electrical inspections are handled outside the division. Commercial inspections are made by Professional Code Services, and the Commercial Building Division issues the certificate of occupancy after all final inspections are complete. The approved PCS drawings must be kept on site during construction.

Occupancy is built into the fee: the permit chart includes the occupancy permit, and where no building permit is needed, an occupancy permit for a house is $60. A building that was never certified can get a certificate of occupancy for $400 up to 5,000 square feet. The city’s code enforcement program, under the 2012 property maintenance code, can require a certificate of occupancy before a repaired dwelling is reoccupied.

Pennsylvania building code in Butler

The City of Butler enforces the Uniform Construction Code with its own residential staff and Professional Code Services for commercial work. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Butler (community 420212) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its current flood map effective August 2, 2018; the city charges $75 for a residential floodplain review.

Pennsylvania has one Uniform Construction Code for the whole state, based on the 2021 International Codes since January 1, 2026. Most municipalities enforce it themselves or through a certified third-party agency; where a municipality has opted out, the Department of Labor and Industry handles commercial work and home owners hire a certified agency. Counties do not issue building permits. Pennsylvania rules

Butler permit search and official resources

Butler has no online permit search. Ask the Building Permit Office about a permit, or request copies of permit records with the city’s Right To Know request form under its open records policy; the miscellaneous fee sheet charges $50 an hour plus 25 cents a copy for document retrieval.

• Building and Zoning, Office of Business and Community Development
• Residential Building Division
• Commercial Building Division
• Residential permit application 2026
• 2026 permit fee schedule chart
• 2026 zoning and miscellaneous fees (Resolution 2025-12-18)
• Fence regulations
• Commercial flow chart (February 19, 2026)
• PCS non-residential construction document review application
• Zoning office and zoning map
• Code enforcement office
• Right To Know request form
• L&I municipal UCC election list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

City of Butler building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Butler?

It depends on project cost: $100 for $10,001 to $11,000, then $5 for each further $1,000, so a $50,000 job is $295, plus the $4.50 state fee. The occupancy permit is included.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes, a $60 zoning permit with a plot plan or survey. Fences may be 6½ feet high in side and rear yards and 4 feet in front yards.

Can I pay by credit card?

No. The city accepts cash or checks only.

Who reviews commercial plans?

Professional Code Services, Inc., the city’s third-party agency, which bills its review fee directly.

What do I need before a commercial permit is issued?

Zoning approval, a Butler Wastewater permit or letter, the Act 537 sewage module or exemption, and PCS-approved drawings showing the occupant load.

How do I book a residential inspection?

Email bcce1@cityofbutler.org.

Is the City of Butler the same as Butler Township?

No. They are separate municipalities, each with its own code official and permits.

Simplify Butler permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Pennsylvania. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Butler permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.