Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Cranberry Township, the township’s own Code Administration staff review, issue and inspect building, zoning, sign and fire prevention permits, and residential applications are filed only through the online portal, with no paper plans. Under Fee Resolution 2025-79, enacted on December 11, 2025, a new house or addition is $50 for the first $1,000 of construction value and $7 for each $1,000 after that, with the value based on the International Code Council cost table.

What requires a building permit in Cranberry Township?

Cranberry splits house projects between a Residential Building Permit, which gets UCC plan review and inspections, and a Residential Zoning Permit for smaller structures. The township also asks owners to check with their homeowners’ association before applying for either.

The township regulates residential fence height only within the front yard setback, and it does not regulate which side of a fence faces the neighbors; the building permit is still required for any fence over 6 feet. The fence guideline (updated January 22, 2020) adds the front-yard limits: no fence in the road right-of-way, nothing over 3 feet within 6 feet of the back of a sidewalk or 14 feet of a curb, whichever is greater, and no front-yard fence over 6 feet or solid above 3 feet. A pool must be surrounded by a fence or wall at least 4 feet high, with gaps no wider than 4 inches and self-closing, self-latching gates, unless it is an above-ground pool with sides over 4 feet. Deck footers must reach 36 inches below grade, and the design submitted must show material sizes, spacing and how the deck is fastened to the house. The fee resolution also prices electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, signs, fire protection systems, grading, driveways and road openings, and on-lot sewage permits are handled through Customer Service.

What Cranberry decides and what the state holds

The building code is the statewide Uniform Construction Code; L&I lists Cranberry as an opt-in municipality since May 1, 2004, with pre-1999 amendments. The township’s codes page still says it follows the 2018 International Codes adopted on October 1, 2018, but the statewide UCC moved to the 2021 codes on January 1, 2026. Cranberry writes its own zoning (Chapter 27), property code (Chapter 5), grading, stormwater, recreation and transportation impact fee rules, and the Board of Supervisors adopts the fee resolution.

Cranberry Township building department: who handles permitting

Code Administration, part of Planning & Development Services, handles building, zoning, sign and fire prevention permits from review through inspection and enforces the building and zoning codes and the Property Code. The team is led by Connor Mack, Manager of Development & Code Services, with a code administrator and administrative staff. The township runs its own water and sewer systems, so tap fees are also township charges.

Cranberry permit types and applications

Residential permits are applied for in the online portal: log in or create an account from the township’s Apply for a Permit button. The township states that no paper applications or paper plans are required; drawings and surveys are uploaded as files.

Residential permits

For a deck over 30 inches, an un-enclosed porch or a shed over 1,000 square feet, use the “Residential Building Permit – Modifications to existing” application. A utility shed under 1,000 square feet or a low deck uses the Residential Zoning Permit. Either way, the township wants a copy of the lot survey or plot plan with the structure drawn in and its distances to the property lines, and a design or manufacturer’s brochure giving every dimension; the township asks for that design or brochure rather than hand-drawn sketches. The PA UCC allows up to 15 working days for review of residential plans, and every issued deck or pool permit must have its final inspection to be closed.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications carry a plan review fee of 0.2% of the estimated construction value, at least $100, paid with the application before review starts. Where a certified plan review agency is used, the applicant also pays its full cost when the permit is issued. Places of assembly, schools, hazardous uses, mercantile buildings over 12,000 square feet, apartment common areas and repair garages also pay an annual fire prevention premises inspection license of $50, $100 or $150 by floor area. Developers are encouraged to book a conceptual meeting with Planning and Development Services before a land development application.

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. Residential zoning approval and use is $10, a residential accessory zoning permit $50 and a front yard fence permit $50. Variances go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($275 residential, $550 for all other applications, plus any transcript), but the township asks applicants to talk to Planning & Development Services before filing. Conditional uses are $550, special exceptions and special encroachment permits $250 each, and registering a nonconforming use $100.
• Land development. Plans are $2,200 plus $220 per acre above 2 acres, with a $2,700 review deposit, and new development pays a transportation impact fee of $2,275 per p.m. peak hour trip (approvals after June 5, 2025) and a recreation fee of $1,022 per new home.
• Water and sewer. Public connections are made to the township’s own systems, which send wastewater to the Brush Creek treatment plant; tap fees are set per EDU in the fee resolution.
• On-lot sewage. Septic permits are reviewed, issued, inspected and enforced with a third party involved; applications come from Township Customer Service, under PA DEP rules.
• Driveways and road work. A driveway opening onto a township road is $50 for a home and $250 for commercial, and a commercial or utility road occupancy with a road opening starts at $450 plus $75 per 100 feet, capped at $5,000; a separate fee is charged for each opening when several are made at once. A state road needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.

Cranberry permit fees

Fee Resolution 2025-79 was enacted by the Board of Supervisors on December 11, 2025. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing fees are based on the estimated cost of construction, which the township takes from the International Code Council’s permit fee schedule and construction type factor table, updated twice a year; for alterations, the fee follows the estimated cost of the work.

If the township sets a new house’s construction value at $350,000, the building permit is $50 plus 349 × $7, or $2,493, before the $4.50 state fee; the electrical permit for a 200-amp house adds $158. A single-family connection to township water and sewer adds $2,606 and $2,686, except that the distribution and collection parts are not charged where the line was installed by a landowner, dedicated to the township and serves that owner’s land. A failed or missed inspection costs $100 to rebook.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: issued and inspected by Code Administration, with a $20 administration fee on every electrical permit plus the flat residential rates or the non-residential schedule; a house with a spa or hot tub adds $33.60 per item.
• Plumbing and mechanical: township permits priced on estimated construction cost, with the 0.2% plan review on non-residential work.
• Fire protection: residential sprinkler installation is $150; non-residential systems follow the cost-based schedule and their own review fee, and Code Administration also handles fire prevention permits.

Plumbing permits are township permits under the fee resolution, not county permits. The township’s pages list no local contractor license, and home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General under HICPA.

How to apply for a Cranberry permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township reminds residents that the PA UCC allows up to 15 working days to review residential plans, and commercial reviews can take up to 30 business days. Missing pieces slow things down: a design without material sizes, spacing, attachment details or the 36-inch footer depth will not be approved, and non-residential review waits until the 0.2% review fee is paid with the application. A permit lapses if work does not begin within 180 days.

Inspections in Cranberry Township

All inspections are scheduled through the online portal, which takes requests around the clock. Inspectors work Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, except holidays. A request must be in by 3:30 pm the business day before, or by 3:30 pm on the last business day of the week for a Monday inspection. Put the inspection type and an AM or PM preference in the notes, along with a contact name and phone number; inspectors try to meet time requests, especially concrete pour times, but if they cannot make the requested day the inspection moves to the next available business day. Several inspection types can be booked for the same visit.

Every deck and pool permit stays open until its final inspection is done. A building certificate of compliance costs $20 for residential work and $25 for commercial, and is already included in the $75 fee for decks, porches, roofs and pools.

Pennsylvania building code in Cranberry Township

Cranberry enforces the Uniform Construction Code with its own Code Administration staff. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Cranberry Township (community 421217) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its current flood map effective August 2, 2018.

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

Cranberry permit search and official resources

Applicants track their own permits in the online portal. Copies of other permit records are requested under Resolution 2017-59, on the township’s Right to Know form or the state standard form, delivered to the Open Records Officer in person (7:30 am to 5 pm on weekdays), by mail, by email to OpenRecords@CranberryTownship.org with the form attached, or by fax to 724-776-5488; questions go to extension 1103.

• Cranberry Township permits
• Online permit portal
• Building & Zoning Codes
• Residential building permits: decks, sheds, pools, porches, fences
• Fence guideline
• Inspections
• Fees, codes and ordinances
• Fee Resolution 2025-79 (December 11, 2025)
• Land development
• Building and Fire Codes Appeals Board
• Sanitary sewer
• Right to Know requests
• L&I municipal UCC election list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Cranberry Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Cranberry Township?

For a house, addition or garage, $50 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $7 per $1,000 after that; a $350,000 house is $2,493 plus the $4.50 state fee.

Do I need a permit for a deck?

Yes. A deck over 30 inches needs a residential building permit ($75 if attached); a lower deck needs a residential zoning permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not for a fence up to 6 feet outside the front yard setback. A front-yard fence over 3 feet, or any fence over 6 feet, needs a building permit.

Can I apply on paper?

No paper applications or plans are needed for residential permits; everything goes through the online portal.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Through the online portal, by 3:30 pm the business day before.

What are the sewer and water tap fees?

$2,686 for sewer and $2,606 for water with a 3/4-inch meter, per equivalent dwelling unit.

Who handles septic systems?

On-lot sewage permits are applied for through Township Customer Service; review, inspections and enforcement involve a third party.

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