Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

Every permit in Elizabeth Township comes from the township’s own Code Enforcement Department at the Municipal Building, 522 Rock Run Road (412-751-2880, option 2), which serves Elizabeth Borough as well. A zoning permit must be issued before any building permit, applications can be emailed as PDFs or dropped off, and nothing is paid until the permit is ready: a house addition, for example, costs $150 plus $0.35 per square foot under the township fee schedule.

What requires a building permit in Elizabeth Township?

The township asks owners to call Code Enforcement before improving or altering a home, property or business so staff can say which permits apply. Its fee schedule and forms show the line it draws: work governed by the Uniform Construction Code takes a building permit, and accessory items regulated only by zoning take a zoning permit, with a zoning permit needed first in every case.

Inside an identified floodplain the rule is stricter: every piece of work needs a floodplain review and permit, including fences, sheds and detached garages, no fill may be placed, storage is restricted, and many projects need an appeal and variance heard by the Zoning Hearing Board. A building project in the floodplain also carries an extra $75 fee.

What the township decides and what the state holds

Elizabeth Township elected in May 2004 to enforce the statewide Uniform Construction Code with no local amendments, according to the Department of Labor and Industry’s municipal list, so the building standards are the state’s. The township’s own rules are its zoning ordinance and map, the floodplain ordinance it adopted to take part in the National Flood Insurance Program, the International Property Maintenance Code it adopted for existing buildings, its sewer, street opening, grading and oil and gas rules, and the fee schedule. Elizabeth Borough keeps its own zoning ordinance, so borough projects use the borough’s applications even though the same office handles them.

Elizabeth Township building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Department, part of the township’s Code Enforcement, Planning and Zoning office, is responsible for all permits in Elizabeth Township and in Elizabeth Borough. Its Building and Code Official also carries out the occupancy inspections at the time of sale. The township posts separate building, electrical, mechanical, zoning and occupancy applications and charges its own plan review and electrical inspection fees.

Elizabeth Township permit types

The township’s application list for its own territory covers commercial building, commercial electrical, decks, fences, grading, clearing and excavating, mechanical and plumbing, occupancy, permanent signs, rental registration, rental occupancy and residential building. Borough property owners have a parallel list with residential electrical, pool, wall, zoning certificate and Zoning Hearing Board forms. Each application opens with an instruction page: incomplete applications are not reviewed and must be resubmitted, electronic copies must be PDFs, and the contractor’s Pennsylvania registration number and insurance (or a signed exemption form) are essential.

Residential permits

The residential checklist asks for the signed application with contact and contractor information, a detailed description and the estimated total cost, the contractor’s certificate of insurance or the exemption form, a detailed plan with the materials to be used, and a zoning certificate application. Fees for houses and other residential use groups are mostly by square foot: an addition is $150 plus $0.35 per square foot, a new home $75 plus $0.35 per square foot of gross floor area (which counts basements, garages, roofed patios and attics with 6 feet 6 inches of headroom), and decks and porches $150 up to 400 square feet. Owners doing their own work write “same as above” on the contractor line.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits start at $200 plus $0.50 per square foot and add a plan review fee based on construction value, with the same zoning-first rule. Commercial and multi-family plan review is 0.157% of valuation up to $1 million, with lower rates on the amount above that; each separate discipline reviewed adds 25% of the building plan review fee, and accessibility review is $152 up to $500,000 of value. A commercial occupancy permit costs $200 per unit plus the zoning fee.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning permit. Required for every accessory structure and before any building permit. A site plan showing setbacks must come with it; the Allegheny County real estate portal gives approximate lot lines, and the township may require a survey.
• Zoning Hearing Board. Five members appointed for four-year terms hear variances from the zoning and floodplain rules and appeals from the Zoning Officer, on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm. A residential variance appeal costs $300 and a commercial one $600.
• Planning Commission. Reviews subdivisions, rezoning and ordinance changes on the third Wednesday at 7:00 pm before the Board of Commissioners votes.
• Floodplain. Every project in an identified floodplain needs its own review and permit.
• Sewer tap-in. New connections pay $2,000 per equivalent dwelling unit and a $75 inspection at the main; the township posts tap-in specifications.

Elizabeth Township permit costs and fees

The fees below come from the Township Fee Schedule on the township’s Applications and Administration pages. The posted copy does not print an adoption date or resolution number. No payment is due until the permit is approved; the office calls with the amount when it is ready to collect.

Two examples using the square-foot rows: a 300-square-foot family-room addition costs $150 plus 300 × $0.35, or $255, and a 520-square-foot deck costs $150 plus 120 × $0.25 for the area over 400 square feet, or $180. Neither figure includes the zoning permit, the electrical permit, the ACHD plumbing charge or the $4.50 state fee. A residential solar array up to 20 kW adds a $140 electrical inspection fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: issued by the township on its residential or commercial electrical application, with the electrician’s registration number and insurance or exemption form, and paid when the permit is picked up. Fees follow the township’s electrical inspection schedule: $160 for a new single-family service up to 200 amps, $107 for alterations and additions with up to 25 outlets, $80 for a locked, not-ready or failed visit, and separate rates for pools, signs, alarms and solar.
• Mechanical: the township’s combined mechanical and plumbing form covers furnaces, boilers, water heaters, gas piping, fireplaces and other equipment; mechanical work in an existing house is $125 and commercial mechanical work $200 plus plan review.
• Plumbing: in Allegheny County the Health Department issues plumbing permits, approves the plumbing plan before work begins and makes the inspections; the township’s schedule passes on the Plumbing Division’s plan charge at ACHD’s cost.
• Dye tests: done by a plumber licensed to work in Allegheny County, with township sanitary staff present.

The township’s forms ask for each contractor’s Pennsylvania registration, the home improvement registration kept by the Attorney General; no separate township trade license appears on its pages.

How to apply for an Elizabeth Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township says reviews are often held up by applications that lack detail or documents, and an incomplete application is not reviewed at all. Floodplain sites add a separate review and often a Zoning Hearing Board hearing, which meets once a month. Starting work before the permit is paid for and picked up is a violation that can bring fines. The state code allows 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for a commercial one.

Inspections in Elizabeth Township

The township’s pages do not publish an inspection booking line or cut-off time; inspections are tied to the issued permit and handled by Code Enforcement (412-751-2880, option 2), and the electrical schedule charges $80 when an inspector finds the work locked, not ready or failing. Re-inspecting an existing electrical service on request costs $125 for one trip. Permanent signs are priced separately at $40 plus $2 per square foot of sign area, and may also need building, electrical and zoning permits.

Occupancy permits, sales and rentals

An occupancy permit is required before anyone moves into an apartment, home or business, and at the time of sale it is issued after a township home inspection: $100 per unit for one- and two-family homes, $50 per unit for apartments on the property-sale page, and $200 per unit plus the zoning fee for commercial space, with $50 for each extra re-inspection. Every property transfer or sale also needs a dye test and a $40 sewer lien letter, unless the property is on a septic system that is not tied into the township sewer; refinances are exempt. The plumber is paid directly, must be licensed in Allegheny County, and must test with a member of the township’s sanitary staff present (book at 412-751-8180, option 1). A $40 municipal lien letter completes the package, and the township releases all the documents together once every item is approved. Rental units are inspected once a year and whenever the tenant changes, at $30 per unit.

Pennsylvania building code

Elizabeth Township has enforced the Uniform Construction Code since its opt-in on May 3, 2004, without local amendments. In FEMA’s Community Status Book, Elizabeth Township (community 420033) appears among the communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated September 26, 2014.

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

Elizabeth Township permit search and official resources

There is no online permit lookup; Code Enforcement keeps the permit records, and a $75 zoning certificate or letter confirms a property’s zoning. Other records are requested on the standard Right to Know form, by email, fax, mail or in person to the Open Records Officer. The township answers within 5 business days, sends any notice of a 30-day extension within the same 5 days, and a denial can be appealed to the state Office of Open Records within 15 business days. Standard photocopies cost $0.25 a page and 11-by-17-inch copies $1.

• Code Enforcement, Planning and Zoning
• Township applications
• Township fee schedule
• Residential building permit application
• Residential electrical permit application
• Property sale information
• Sewage, dye testing and sewer lien letters
• Stormwater management (MS4)
• Administration and office hours
• Information requests (Right to Know)
• Allegheny County Health Department plumbing permits
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Elizabeth Township?

Most house permits are priced by area: an addition is $150 plus $0.35 per square foot, a new home $75 plus $0.35 per square foot, with a $75 minimum. Electrical, plumbing and zoning are extra.

Do I need a zoning permit too?

Yes. The township issues a zoning permit before any building permit, and sheds, fences, walls and other accessory structures need a $75 zoning permit on their own.

Can I email my application?

Yes. Electronic submissions are preferred and must be PDFs; paper applications can be dropped off at 522 Rock Run Road.

When do I pay?

Only when the permit is approved; the office calls with the fee, and work cannot start until the permit is paid for and picked up.

What is required to sell a house in Elizabeth Township?

A township occupancy inspection ($100 per unit for a one- or two-family home), a dye test with sanitary staff present, and municipal and sewer lien letters at $40 each.

Who handles permits in Elizabeth Borough?

The township’s Code Enforcement Department, using the separate borough application forms.

Can I build in the floodplain?

Only with a floodplain review and permit; no fill is allowed, and many projects need a variance from the Zoning Hearing Board.

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