Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In the Borough of Chambersburg, Franklin County, building permits are a two-step process: the Land Use & Community Development Department at Borough Hall, 100 South Second Street (717-251-2417), approves a free Land Use Permit, and then Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance (PMCA), the borough’s state-certified third-party code agency (717-496-4996), issues the UCC permit, plumbing permit and certificate of occupancy. Electricians and plumbers must hold borough licenses, and PMCA’s fees are those Town Council approved in its Master Fee Schedule on May 11, 2026.

What requires a building permit in Chambersburg?

The borough’s Land Use Permit is the entry point for almost every project. It is needed to build, remodel or demolish a structure, to put up a sign or billboard, to build a parking lot, or to change the use of a building or lot, and the borough lists it for new buildings, additions, remodeling and changes in the use of commercial buildings.

PMCA’s 2026 residential fee sheet shows the small projects it prices individually, which gives a practical list of work it inspects at houses: decks, fences and retaining walls, small prefabricated sheds under 500 square feet, demolition, above-ground and in-ground pools and electrical service upgrades. A new driveway on a state route also needs a PennDOT permit, and digging in a state route may need one.

What Chambersburg decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows the borough opted in to the UCC on June 28, 2004 with local amendments, and the borough has appointed PMCA as its certified third-party agency. Town Council sets the Master Fee Schedule, including PMCA’s rates, appoints the Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Hearing Board and Building Code Board of Appeals, and licenses electricians and plumbers through its examining boards. Because Chambersburg runs its own electric, gas, water and sewer utilities, several utility departments sign off on each Land Use Permit.

Chambersburg building department: who handles permitting

The Land Use & Community Development Department covers planning, zoning, community and economic development and the building, health and property maintenance codes. Its Planning and Zoning Office processes Land Use Permits and Zoning Hearing Board appeals, and its Codes Office handles property maintenance and rental housing. The Uniform Construction Code itself is enforced by PMCA, whose staff also enforce the rental property code with the Codes Office’s support. The department is led by Phil Wolgemuth, Deputy Borough Manager and Land Use and Community Development Director.

Chambersburg permit types

The 2026 Land Use Permit Application asks for the address, owner, contractor, project type (new, addition, demolition, interior commercial or sign), land use, lot size, parking spaces, building dimensions, height and estimated cost, signed by the owner. A site plan must show all property lines, the distance to the work and every existing building. Borough staff from customer service, electric, gas, public works, planning and zoning, stormwater and water and sewer review it and mark which further approvals are needed, such as a new utility account, a borough electric permit, a net metering application, a drainage plan, a DEP sewage planning module or PMCA’s UCC permit and certificate of occupancy.

Residential permits

• New houses go through PMCA’s standard inspection set, from footings to final, and the final must be ready within a year or a processing fee applies.
• Decks, fences, sheds, pools and demolition are priced by PMCA as small projects by the number of inspection trips, from one for a shed or demolition to four for an in-ground pool (footer, bonding, underground plumbing and final).
• Plumbing inside a house needs a PMCA plumbing permit, pulled by a borough-licensed plumber; service lines outside the house are permitted by the Borough Service Center.
• Gas appliances on the borough’s gas system use the residential gas appliance installation form.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings and changes of use must include electric and plumbing plans with the Land Use Permit, and a change of use also needs a floor plan showing doors, windows and restrooms. PMCA prices commercial inspections from the construction cost (0.2% up to $2 million), the expected project length and the number of trades, plus an $80 application charge; changes of occupancy are $170 under 8,000 square feet and $200 above. Restaurants also need a borough retail food facility license, and signs need a plan with dimensions, graphics and location.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The Land Use Permit is the zoning check. Relief from setbacks, parking and other rules goes to the Zoning Hearing Board for a $250 appeal fee.
• Land development. Plans creating lots or developing land go to the Planning & Zoning Commission and then Town Council for approval.
• Stormwater. Where a drainage plan is needed, the borough invoices the review costs of its staff and consulting engineers under Chapter 251 of the borough code; the borough’s storm water consultant reviews development drainage plans.
• Water and sewer. Connection permits are paid at Borough Hall, and the signed receipt is taken to PMCA to obtain the plumbing permit.
• Streets. Excavations, curbs, sidewalks and driveway ramps need borough permits, and new driveways on state routes need PennDOT permits.

Chambersburg permit costs and fees

Town Council adopted the current Master Fee Schedule on May 11, 2026. The Land Use Permit is free; PMCA’s 2026 residential, commercial, electrical and supplemental fee sheets are attached to the schedule, and PMCA notes that its listed fees cover inspections only, not plan review, the state fee, the application fee or any municipal fee.

Worked example: a deck at a house costs PMCA’s $195 inspection charge (footer, framing and final at $65 each), plus the $50 application fee, at least $50 for one hour of plan review and the $4.50 state fee, or $299.50 at the minimum. Return trips for failed or incomplete work cost at least $75, and a 1.5% late fee applies to PMCA accounts unpaid after 30 days. Tap fees are charged per equivalent dwelling unit, defined as 226 gallons a day for sewer and 163 gallons a day for water, and a standard 5/8- or 3/4-inch water meter costs $400.

Land development plan review costs $100 for the first acre, $50 per acre up to 10 acres and $35 per acre beyond, and subdivision review $100 for the first lot and $50 for each additional lot. A plan proposing development also needs an escrow: $1,000 plus $50 per lot or dwelling unit for residential plans, and $2,000 plus $500 per acre or per 10,000 square feet of building area for non-residential plans; if review costs exceed the deposit, the developer adds enough to bring the balance back up to 25% of the original amount.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Chambersburg licenses its own electricians and plumbers. Only a borough-licensed electrician may do regulated electrical work and only a borough-licensed plumber may do plumbing in the borough; applications for the exams and for one-time-a-year special licenses are available at Borough Hall and online, and are approved by the Electricians Examining Board or the Plumbing Examining Board. Home improvement contractors also register with the Attorney General under HICPA.

• Electrical: the master electrician exam is offered in June and December. License fees are $60 for the first exam including the license, $60 to renew, $60 for a limited license and $360 for a special license. For every job the electrician files the borough’s free Electric Permit Application and Service Request with the Service Center, and proves compliance with an inspection report or cut-in card from a borough-approved inspection agency. Meter sockets must be Milbank unless the Electric Department approves another make.
• Plumbing: the plumbers’ exam is held in April and October, with the same $60 and $360 fee levels. Work inside a building needs a PMCA plumbing permit; outside service lines are permitted through the Service Center or the borough plumbing inspector (717-262-5471), with a $75 minimum inspection fee and $100 re-inspections.
• Mechanical and fire: PMCA inspects mechanical rough-ins under the UCC and issues fire, sprinkler and alarm licenses.

How to apply for a Chambersburg building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Missing site plans, or missing electric and plumbing plans on a commercial job or change of use, hold up the Land Use Permit before PMCA can begin. PMCA bills plan review by the hour, so revisions add cost. Once PMCA has a complete application, state rules allow 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for commercial.

Inspections and certificates in Chambersburg

PMCA performs the UCC inspections. For a new house its schedule runs through footings, foundation, framing, plumbing and mechanical rough-ins, electrical service and rough, energy, wallboard and final, with an under-slab or sprinkler inspection where needed. PMCA issues the certificate of occupancy after the final, and temporary or provisional certificates for $125. Electrical work is also inspected by a borough-approved inspection agency, whose report or cut-in card the electrician supplies to the borough as proof.

Rental housing has a separate program: every residential rental unit must be inspected at least once every three years, PMCA staff carry out the rental code enforcement, and owners pay $75 per three-year cycle, collected as $25 a year. Construction code appeals go to the Town Council-appointed Building Code Board of Appeals, for a $250 fee.

Pennsylvania building code in Chambersburg

Chambersburg opted in to the UCC in 2004, with local amendments, and enforces it through Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance as its third-party agency. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Chambersburg (community 420469) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective January 18, 2012.

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

Chambersburg permit search and official resources

Borough records, including Land Use Permits, are requested under the Right-to-Know Law on the borough’s request form or the state form, sent to the Open Records Officer by mail to 100 South Second Street, by fax to 717-264-0224 or by email to the Borough Secretary’s office; questions go to 717-251-2437.

• Chambersburg applications and permits
• Land Use Permit Application (2026)
• Master Fee Schedule, May 11, 2026 (includes PMCA fees)
• Land Use & Community Development
• Borough plumbing work process
• Borough electrical work process
• Electric permit application and service request
• Plumbers exam application
• Electricians exam application
• Borough documents and forms
• Public records (Right-to-Know)
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Chambersburg building permit FAQs

Where do I get a building permit in Chambersburg?

Start with a free Land Use Permit from Planning and Zoning at Borough Hall; once it is approved, PMCA issues the UCC permit.

How much are inspections for a new house?

PMCA charges $665 for the standard set without sprinkler or under-slab inspections, plus the $50 application fee, plan review and $4.50.

Can an out-of-town electrician work in the borough?

Only with a borough license: pass the master electrician exam (June or December) or obtain a one-time-a-year special license for $360.

Who issues plumbing permits?

PMCA for plumbing inside a building; the Borough Service Center or plumbing inspector for outside service lines. Plumbers must be borough licensed.

Does a deck need a permit?

Yes. It needs a Land Use Permit and a PMCA permit; PMCA’s deck inspections cost $195.

How often are rentals inspected?

At least once every three years, for $75 per cycle billed at $25 a year.

Do I need a permit to dig in the street?

Yes, a borough excavation permit: $45 on a borough street or $75 on a state street, where PennDOT may also require a permit.

Simplify Chambersburg 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 Chambersburg permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.