Doylestown Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Doylestown Township (Bucks County; not the separate Doylestown Borough) the Code Enforcement Department, headed by Director of Code Enforcement Sinclair Salisbury, reviews and issues building, zoning, plumbing, mechanical and fire permits at the township building, 425 Wells Road (215-348-9915). Applications are fillable PDF forms filed with two site plans and two sets of drawings. The 2026 fee schedule, last revised by Resolution 2806 on April 14, 2026, charges $2,000 for the first 2,000 square feet of a new house.

What requires a building permit in Doylestown Township?

The township sorts work into two permit families. A building permit covers new houses, additions, alterations and the larger structures; a zoning permit on its own covers many smaller items that still need township approval and an inspection. The application forms and guidelines draw the line as follows.

Trade work has its own forms: an electrical permit whenever wiring is run (including to a shed or deck lighting), a mechanical permit for natural gas piping, and a plumbing permit for fixtures. The deck guideline notes that propane gas piping needs no mechanical permit. Fences may reach 8 feet in side and rear yards and 6 feet in a front yard, never in the street right-of-way, on the property line or in an easement, and walls over 4 feet need a sealed engineered plan.

What Doylestown Township decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows the township opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code on June 27, 2004, with no local amendments, so the technical rules are the state’s; the township’s code page says the 2021 ICC editions apply, with 2018 accessibility rules for non-residential buildings. What the Board of Supervisors does control is the zoning ordinance (Chapter 175), the land development ordinance (Chapter 153), the stormwater ordinance (Chapter 148), the septage management ordinance and the fee schedule. A voluntary Green Points program, updated in October 2026, refunds 1% of the permit fee per point (up to 25 points) for green building features once the final certificate of occupancy is issued.

Doylestown Township building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Department handles plan review, permits and inspections for building, zoning, plumbing and mechanical work, and the township Fire Marshal sits in the same department. Electrical work is different: plans must be reviewed and the rough and final inspections made by a Pennsylvania L&I certified third-party agency, and the township only files those reports for a $55 fee. Doylestown Borough is a separate municipality with its own permits; township parcel numbers all begin with 09-.

Doylestown Township permit types

The township posts a condensed and a complete building permit application (both revised January 2026), a zoning permit application, and separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical and grading forms. Every application must be signed by the property owner and carry two site plans and two sets of construction documents; contractors also file an insurance certificate showing workers’ compensation and $1,000,000 of general liability cover naming the township as additional insured.

Residential permits

• New houses follow the New Home Construction Application Guidelines: the Conservation District and township grading permits, a township or PennDOT highway occupancy permit for the driveway and utility connections, the well or water agreement and the septic or sewer agreement, an energy compliance statement, third-party-approved electrical plans, and the “Offer to Install Sprinklers” form.
• Additions and alterations: drawings not prepared by an architect or engineer must be signed and dated by the owner on every page and state that the PA UCC is the code followed; additions also need a REScheck or similar energy statement.
• Sheds, accessory buildings and fences: two site plans (hand-drawn or an aerial print is acceptable) showing setbacks, easements and any septic field; accessory buildings over 144 square feet must meet the main building setbacks and include the impervious coverage worksheet.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial drawings must be signed and sealed by a Pennsylvania architect or engineer, with COMcheck, the accessibility plan review requirements and copies of any outside approvals (DEP asbestos permit for demolition, PennDOT highway occupancy permit, sewer and water). All subcontractor applications, including sprinkler, alarm and road occupancy, go in with the building application. A new tenant, owner or use in an existing commercial space needs a Commercial Certificate of Compliance ($300), valid for 90 days, and a zoning permit for any change of use.

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 Hearing Board. Variances, special exceptions and appeals of the zoning officer go to a three-member board that meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday and fourth Thursday as needed; a residential application costs $750 plus an $800 escrow.
• Earth disturbance. The Bucks County Conservation District requires a permit from 1,000 square feet of soil disturbance; the township grading permit starts at 5,000 square feet ($300 per lot plus a $1,000 escrow). Impervious increases of 1,001 to 5,000 square feet must show stormwater mitigation under Chapter 148, and a $175 stormwater permit covers small projects.
• Historic district. The Historical Architectural Review Board advises the supervisors on building permits for exterior work visible from a public street inside the township’s historic district.
• Sewer, septic and water. Public sewer belongs to the Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority; on-lot systems and wells are permitted by the Bucks County Health Department; public water comes from the Doylestown Township Municipal Authority or BCWSA.
• Driveways. A township highway occupancy permit ($100 residential, $250 commercial) covers a driveway onto a township road; a state road needs a PennDOT permit.

Doylestown Township permit costs and fees

The 2026 fee schedule has been revised five times since May 2025; the current text is Resolution 2806, revised April 14, 2026. The $4.50 state UCC fee is added to each construction permit, and card payments carry a 2.65% processing fee.

Gross floor area for a new house counts basements, garages, roofed patios, covered decks and attics with 6 feet 6 inches of headroom; crawl spaces and attics count at half. The schedule also lets the township require a compliance escrow ($4,000 per new dwelling, $500 for a pool), refunded when the certificate of occupancy or completion issues. Work begun without the required permits pays double, and a permit is valid for five years, after which renewal costs 25% of the original fee. Worked examples: a 2,600-square-foot house is $2,000 plus 6 × $100, or $2,600, plus $4.50; a $30,000 kitchen remodel is $200 plus 29 × $15, or $635, plus $4.50 and any trade permits.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township’s pages show no local contractor license or registration. Instead, every application asks for the contractor’s state registration number (the Attorney General’s home improvement registration where HICPA applies) and the insurance certificate, and a change of contractor mid-job is filed on a separate form with new certificates.

• Electrical: two copies of an electrical plan stamped by an L&I certified third-party agency go with the application, and that agency makes the rough and final inspections and sends its reports to the township. The township posts a list of agencies, noting it is not complete.
• Plumbing: priced per fixture or trap; on a new house the plumbing, mechanical, electrical and sprinkler applications are filed together with the building application.
• Mechanical: furnaces, heat pumps, natural gas piping, sprinklers and alarms; a standby generator needs mechanical and electrical permits ($100 + $55 + $9 in state fees).
• Energy: new houses need blower door and duct test reports before the certificate of occupancy, and the township lists third-party energy inspection agencies.

How to apply for a Doylestown Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Both application forms warn that partial or incomplete applications will not be accepted, so a missing trade form, energy statement or insurance certificate stops the file at the counter. The township also publishes a checklist of commonly missed items that have failed inspections, from rebar on wire chairs to sealed duct joints and shielded exterior lighting. Under state rules the township has 15 business days to decide a complete residential application and 30 for commercial work.

Inspections in Doylestown Township

Call the township at 215-348-9915 at least 24 hours ahead to book a building, plumbing or mechanical inspection; electrical inspections are booked with the third-party agency. The commonly missed items list asks for an exterior wall covering inspection while the weather barrier and flashing are still visible. Before a certificate of occupancy, every other agency that issued a permit must give written final approval, re-inspection fees must be paid, and a new house needs its signed stormwater maintenance agreement and energy test reports.

The township’s forms list no resale inspection for houses. New residents, owners or tenants, file a Move-In Registration under Ordinance 417, and new owners file a Deed Registration. Commercial space changing tenant, owner or use needs the $300 Commercial Certificate of Compliance inspection, which the applicant schedules before occupancy.

Pennsylvania building code in Doylestown Township

Doylestown Township enforces the UCC itself under its 2004 opt-in, without local amendments, and has a UCC Board of Appeals (residential appeals $750 plus an $800 escrow). FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the township (community 420185) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 21, 2017; building in a floodplain is its own box on the permit application. On-lot septic systems fall under the township’s septage management ordinance: pumping and inspection every three years by an approved hauler, plus a well water test where the lot also has a well.

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

Doylestown Township permit search and official resources

Monthly building statistics reports (redacted versions for 2026) are posted on the Code and Zoning pages, and property files, permits and Zoning Hearing Board decisions are requested under the township’s open records policy, Resolution 1440, on its Right to Know form, by mail, fax or email. The township’s buyer guide suggests that route before purchasing a property, since a new owner inherits any violations.

• Doylestown Township Code and Zoning
• Permit applications and guidelines
• 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2806, April 14, 2026)
• Building permit condensed application (January 2026)
• Zoning permit application (January 2026)
• New home construction application guidelines
• Third-party electrical agencies list
• Commercial certificate of compliance application
• Septic, sewer and water
• Septic management program
• Zoning Hearing Board
• Right to Know requests
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Doylestown Township building permit FAQs

How much does a building permit for a new house cost in Doylestown Township?

$2,000 for the first 2,000 square feet of gross floor area and $100 for each additional 100 square feet, plus $4.50 and the trade permits; the township may also hold a refundable $4,000 compliance escrow.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes. A shed of 144 square feet or less needs an $80 zoning permit and must sit at least 7 feet from the property line; from 145 to 999 square feet it is an accessory building on a zoning permit, and 1,000 square feet or more needs a building permit.

Does a deck need a building permit?

A deck 30 inches or more above grade, or attached to the house, goes on the building permit application. A lower, free-standing deck needs a zoning permit.

Who inspects electrical work?

An L&I certified third-party agency reviews the plans and makes the rough and final inspections; the township charges $55 to file its reports.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 215-348-9915 at least 24 hours in advance.

Is Doylestown Borough covered by the township?

No. The borough is a separate municipality with its own permits; township parcels have numbers beginning with 09-.

Who permits a septic system?

The Bucks County Health Department’s sewage enforcement officer; the township then requires pumping and inspection every three years.

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