Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Derry Township, Westmoreland County, building permits for residential and commercial projects are issued by the township’s Building Code Official, Merle Musick, who works with American Building Inspection Services in Latrobe. Applications go to the Derry Township Municipal Building at 5321 Route 982 (724-694-8835) or can be faxed to the agency at 724-423-2217, and the official holds evening hours at the township building every Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. Residential applications are processed in up to 15 working days and commercial ones in up to 30.

What requires a building permit in Derry Township?

The township gives two lists. Its general list says permits are required for, among other things, building construction or alteration, swimming pools, driveways, street openings, signs and fences, and use and occupancy of every new building and of all commercial and industrial properties. The building permit packet then sets out which residential work needs a permit under the Uniform Construction Code.

Utility and miscellaneous structures such as sheds, carports and detached garages under 1,000 square feet fall outside the residential permit list, although the packet’s attachment list still has its own line for sheds and storage buildings: two sets of plans, which may be hand drawn, and a scaled survey. For commercial buildings the packet quotes the state rule that construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, demolition or a change of occupancy needs a permit first, and asks commercial applicants to contact the Building Code Official for their requirements.

What Derry Township decides and what the state holds

The construction rules are the statewide Uniform Construction Code. The township says it opted in on July 1, 2004; L&I’s list gives June 1, 2004 and shows the township with local amendments. Township Ordinance 114 governs how UCC applications are filed. The Board of Supervisors controls driveways, street openings, road bonding, house numbering, stormwater under the township’s MS4 program and approvals such as solar projects. Derry Borough, which the township surrounds, is a separate municipality with its own offices and code official, and this Derry Township is a different place from the Derry Township in Dauphin County.

Derry Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Code Official reviews each application and issues building permits for both commercial and residential projects. The township’s packet names American Building Inspection Services, Inc. of Latrobe as the place applications may be sent or faxed and the number to call with questions about whether a job needs a permit. The township office issues the driveway and road occupancy permits, and Bove Engineering serves as the township’s certified Sewage Enforcement Officer for 2026.

Derry Township permit types

The township’s forms page offers a building permit application (with its requirements and contact sheets), an above-ground swimming pool application, a demolition permit application and a driveway and road occupancy application. A building permit application needs two sets of construction documents that are legible, drawn to scale and show the work in enough detail to prove it meets the code, plus a contractor’s workers’ compensation certificate or waiver.

Residential permits

The attachments depend on the project. A new house needs two copies of the building plans, a copy of the sewage or septic permit, a survey (professional or hand drawn, but to scale) and a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit if the driveway meets a state road. Additions, garages, porches, patios, decks and sheds need two copies of the plans, which may be hand drawn, and a scaled survey; remodeling needs the two sets of plans. A pool application gives the cost of the pool itself (not installation), a site plan and the manufacturer’s specifications. A mobile home needs foundation plans, a survey, the manufacturer’s specifications, the sewage or septic permit and any highway permit. The plan checklist covers energy values, wall and foundation details, footers, window sizes, wall bracing, truss specifications, smoke and carbon monoxide detector locations, the trades, stairs, crawl spaces, framing and any chimney or fireplace, and the plot plan must show existing buildings, property lines and gas wells.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial plans must be prepared and stamped by a Pennsylvania registered engineer or architect, and commercial applicants should contact the Building Code Official for the submittal list before filing. Use and occupancy approval is required for every commercial and industrial property. Any LERTA or other tax abatement form must be filed together with the building permit application; filing it is the applicant’s job.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Subdivisions and lot changes. Subdivision and consolidation plans are approved by the Westmoreland County Department of Planning and then accepted by the Board of Supervisors; streets on a plan are not taken over until built to township specifications.
• Sewage. A new house or mobile home needs its sewage or septic approval first: the packet asks for a copy of the sewage or septic permit, and on-lot systems are permitted through the township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer.
• Driveways and roads. A township driveway permit costs $25; any work in a township road right-of-way needs three copies of the road occupancy application and three copies of a sketch, and road bonding is $12,500 per mile. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, and encroachment permits follow PennDOT’s fee schedule.
• Floodplain. The application asks whether the site is in an identified flood hazard area and, if so, requires the National Flood Insurance Program and Flood Plain Management Act rules to be met.
• Large projects. Solar farms have gone through public hearings and supervisor approval tied to a developer’s agreement: the Pandora project was approved on January 5, 2026 and the Livermore project on June 3, 2026.

Derry Township permit costs and fees

The building permit fee is calculated for each project and printed on the permit; it is paid by check made out to Derry Township when the permit is collected. The township sets its own municipal charges each January at the supervisors’ reorganization meeting.

The penalty for starting early is the one most likely to matter: the township’s notice warns that work begun before the permit is approved, issued and paid for may result in the building permit fee being doubled.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Plumbing, mechanical and electrical: listed on the building permit application as types of improvement and inspected under the township permit. The rough plumbing, mechanical and electrical inspections are done together with framing unless the Building Code Official agrees otherwise.
• Electrical: the inspection request form lists temporary service, rough-in and final electrical inspections and warns that additional fees may be required.
• Fire protection: commercial alarm and suppression systems are inspected once installed and working; shop drawings not filed with the application must reach the Building Code Official at least five working days before installation, and the official may accept the installer’s test certificates instead of witnessing the tests.
• On-lot sewage: permits come through the Sewage Enforcement Officer.

The township’s pages set no local license for electricians, plumbers or general contractors. The application asks for the principal contractor’s details and a workers’ compensation certificate or waiver; home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General under the state’s home improvement law.

How to apply for a Derry Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township’s notice says residential applications are processed within 15 working days and commercial ones may take up to 30, the state code’s timeframes. Incomplete, substandard or illegible applications are rejected, and the applicant is told by mail, fax or email; every blank on the form must be filled or marked N/A. A new house application also needs the sewage or septic permit and, where the driveway meets a state road, the PennDOT permit before it can be approved.

Inspections in Derry Township

Every inspection is booked on the township’s inspection request form, and the request must arrive at least five working days before the date wanted; inspections are scheduled as time permits. The form can be faxed to 412-202-0503, emailed to the Building Code Official or sent to American Building Inspection Services. The standard stages are:

• Footing: once the footing is dug and any reinforcing is in place, before the pour.
• Foundation: before framing or backfill, with drains, coatings, anchor bolts and underground piping still exposed.
• Framing, plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough-in: one combined inspection before insulation, after the roof, fire-blocking and bracing are in place.
• Fire protection (commercial): after alarm and suppression systems are installed and working.
• Final: after all permitted work, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, egress, grading, site plan compliance, accessibility and energy items, is complete.

A failed inspection brings a stop work order on the affected work until a new inspection passes, and may cost $50. Occupancy permits are issued only after every required inspection has passed: the applicant submits the occupancy request form to the township after the final, and issuance can take up to five business days.

Pennsylvania building code in Derry Township

Derry Township opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code in 2004 and administers it through its Building Code Official. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Derry Township in Westmoreland County (community 421205) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 17, 2011.

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

Derry Township permit search and official resources

Derry Township has no online permit lookup. Copies of permits and other township records are requested on the township’s Right to Know request form, available on its forms page, and lien letters cost $25. The supervisors set their 2026 meetings for the first Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. at the Municipal Building (the home page lists the December meeting for Wednesday, December 2), and their minutes, which record plan approvals and fee settings, are posted in the meeting minutes archive.

• Important information for township residents: UCC and permits
• Official forms
• Building permit application and requirements (PDF)
• Above-ground swimming pool application (PDF)
• Demolition permit application (PDF)
• Driveway and road occupancy permit (PDF)
• Right to Know request form (PDF)
• Township phone and address directory
• Supervisors’ minutes, January 5, 2026 (2026 fees and appointments)
• Meeting minutes archive
• MS4 stormwater program
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Derry Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Derry Township, Westmoreland County?

The township’s Building Code Official, Merle Musick, for both residential and commercial projects, with applications accepted at the township building or by fax to American Building Inspection Services (724-423-2217).

Do I need a permit for a deck?

Yes if it is more than 30 inches above grade. The township’s attachments list asks for two sets of plans and a survey for porches, patios and decks.

Does a fence need a permit?

The township’s general list includes signs and fences among the work that needs permits, and its UCC list adds a building permit for fences over 6 feet. The township office at 724-694-8835 says which applies to your fence.

How much is a driveway permit?

$25 for a township driveway permit, set at the January 5, 2026 meeting. A driveway off a state highway also needs a PennDOT permit.

How far ahead do I book an inspection?

At least five working days, on the township’s inspection request form.

What happens if I start work before the permit?

The township warns that work started before approval may double the building permit fee.

Is Derry Borough covered by the township?

No. Derry Borough is a separate municipality inside the township, with its own office at 114 East Second Street (724-694-2030).

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