Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, one form starts every project: the Application for Building and Zoning Use Permit, handed in at the township office at 265 Akron Road (717-733-1044). Township Manager and Zoning Officer Steven A. Sawyer signs off on zoning, while the Uniform Construction Code side goes to an outside agency named each January: Associated Building Inspections (ABI) for houses, and ABI, Code Administrators or Commonwealth Code Inspection Service for commercial work. The 2026 fee schedule charges $25 for the first $1,000 of construction value and $5 for each further $1,000, and the agency’s own review and inspection fees come on top.

What requires a building permit in Ephrata Township?

The township’s zoning ordinance (Section 704) is broad: nobody may dig for, build, move, alter, rebuild, demolish or repair a building, sign or structure, accessory structures included, or change or extend a use, until the Zoning Officer has issued a permit or decided none is needed. The same form carries the UCC building permit. The ordinance also bars issuing a permit before any needed sewage permit and Labor and Industry approval are in hand.

Zoning limits shape many small projects. Accessory buildings may be 15 feet high and must sit 10 feet from lot lines, except that a shed of up to 200 square feet on a single-family lot may sit 5 feet from a side or rear line. Pools need a filter, a 4-foot fence with a self-closing gate (an above-ground pool with a 4-foot wall and a retractable ladder is excused), and a 15-foot setback from every property line, and may not sit in front of the house. Fences are capped at 6 feet, and a closed fence over 3 feet may not stand in the required front yard.

What Ephrata Township decides and what the state holds

Ephrata Township opted in to enforce the UCC on April 20, 2004, and L&I records local amendments. The three-member Board of Supervisors of this second-class township picks the code agencies each January, sets the fee schedule, and adopts the zoning, stormwater, subdivision and road ordinances. Its latest zoning change, Ordinance No. 290, was adopted on May 5, 2026 at the close of its public hearing, adding rules for data centers (lot size, setbacks, water and sewer feasibility studies, noise limits and buffering) and revising animal rules; for backyard chickens the manager described a 10-foot setback for the coop and fence and 50 feet from any neighbor’s house. The ordinance took effect five days after the hearing. The township is a separate municipality from Ephrata Borough, which has its own code official.

Ephrata Township building department: who handles permitting

The township office takes the application, collects the fees and issues the zoning permit; the certified agency reviews plans and inspects. At the January 5, 2026 organization meeting the supervisors appointed Associated Building Inspections as the residential building inspectors and the residential building code official, and named ABI, Code Administrators Inc. and Commonwealth Code Inspection Service, Inc. as the three commercial building inspection companies for 2026. The contact page lists ABI as the township building inspector.

Public sewer belongs to the Ephrata Township Sewer Authority, reached through the township office number, and public water to the Ephrata Area Joint Water Authority (717-738-9222). HRG inspects water and sewer laterals for the township in 2026.

Ephrata Township permit types

The Applications and Forms page carries a residential and a commercial building and zoning permit application, the three commercial agencies’ own forms, a road occupancy permit, the stormwater permit and exemption forms, the Zoning Hearing Board application, a well permit application and a Right-to-Know form.

Residential permits

The residential form asks for the owner, contractor and applicant with contact details, the zoning district (RLD, RMD, RHD, commercial, industrial or agricultural), the subdivision and lot, the type of work, the building height, any change of use, a detailed description, the total project cost and the start and finish dates. Section 704 adds a plot plan drawn to scale showing the work, its distances from lot lines and street right-of-way lines, and parking where required. ABI prices most house jobs per review and per inspection, with packages for new homes, pools, demolition, solar and new mobile homes; for a new single-family house it expects all rough-in work to be ready at one time.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applicants choose one of the three appointed agencies and use its forms. ABI’s guide asks for three complete sets of plans signed and sealed by a registered design professional, covering structure, site, electrical, energy, plumbing, mechanical and fire systems, with the code editions and design loads on the cover, plus its UCC-3 application and UCC-2 plan review checklist; plans go to the township first. ABI also has forms for signs, special inspections and in-home day care.

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

• Zoning relief. Variances, special exceptions, interpretations and appeals go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($600); a validity challenge costs $1,000. Conditional uses go to the supervisors ($600).
• Subdivision and land development. Plans under the subdivision and land development ordinance (updated in 2025) pay an administrative fee and an escrow, for example $200 plus $15 per lot with a $1,000 plus $50-per-lot escrow for a residential subdivision.
• Stormwater. The 2014 Storm Water Management Ordinance needs a minor plan ($150) for a single-family project on an existing lot outside the floodplain disturbing no more than 10,000 square feet, and a major plan ($300 plus a $500 escrow) for anything larger, any non-residential development or any subdivision. Improved lots may add up to 1,000 square feet of impervious surface under a free exemption, which the supervisors must approve before work starts.
• Floodplain. Ordinance No. 258 replaced the zoning ordinance’s Floodplain District section to meet FEMA’s revised maps.
• Sewage and water. On-lot septic systems go through the township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer; public sewer connections follow the Sewer Authority’s specifications, and new wells need the township well permit.
• Roads. Work in a township road right-of-way needs a township highway occupancy permit; state roads need PennDOT’s.

Ephrata Township permit costs and fees

The supervisors set the 2026 fee schedule by a unanimous motion on January 5, 2026, “as presented by staff”; the minutes record a motion, not a numbered resolution. The township charges its own building and zoning fee on construction value, and the schedule makes the applicant responsible for every plan review and inspection fee the code agency charges. The agencies’ 2026 schedules are attached to it, and ABI notes that its fees may be raised or lowered for the simplicity, complexity or length of a project.

Worked example: a $40,000 addition to a house pays the township $25 for the first $1,000 and 39 × $5 = $195 for the rest, or $220, before ABI’s review and inspection charges and the $4.50 state fee. On a $350,000 new house the township fee is $25 plus 349 × $5, or $1,770, and ABI’s new-house package adds $596. Code Administrators bills larger commercial jobs at 1.5% of cost up to $1 million, taking a non-refundable 25% review deposit that is credited to the permit. ABI collects all of its fees before the permit issues and will not complete a final certificate until they are paid.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The township’s forms list no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit; trade work rides on the building and zoning use permit and is checked by the code agency, whose inspection list includes electrical rough-in and final, plumbing and tie-down or bonding. Its pages and fee schedule show no local contractor registration or trade license; contractors list their name and phone on the application, and home improvement contractors carry their own HICPA registration.

• Electrical: reviewed and inspected by the agency on the permit; for commercial electric-only jobs ABI prices the service by size, $105 for one up to 400 amps.
• Plumbing and laterals: plumbing is inspected under the permit; new water and sewer laterals are inspected by HRG for the township, and the application carries a water lateral inspection line.
• Mechanical and fire: commercial plans must show mechanical, fire detection and fire suppression systems; ABI has a separate special inspection form.
• Solar: ABI’s house solar inspection is $199; commercial solar is priced by system size.

How to apply for an Ephrata Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Plan review runs under the UCC’s deadlines of 15 business days for houses and 30 for commercial applications. An application left without a permit for six months is treated as abandoned, though the Zoning Officer may grant 90-day extensions, and an issued zoning permit expires one year after issue unless extended for up to one more year. ABI warns that changes to approved drawings, extra reviews and added inspections are billed at its standard rates, and commercial drawings must carry the seal of a Pennsylvania-registered design professional.

Inspections in Ephrata Township

The permit form sets the rule: give 24 hours’ notice for building inspections and book them by calling the township office at 717-733-1044. Stages listed on the form are pre-construction, footer, tie-down or bonding, foundation, framing, electrical rough-in, plumbing, insulation, wallboard, electrical final and final. ABI’s new-house package covers up to 8 inspections, and extra or repeat visits cost $59 each.

Nothing built or changed under a permit may be used until the Zoning Officer issues a certificate of use and occupancy; the zoning ordinance has the officer inspect within seven days of being told the work is finished. A copy of the permit must stay on site for the whole job. The township’s pages and fee schedule list no resale inspection or resale use and occupancy certificate for homes being sold.

Pennsylvania building code in Ephrata Township

The application states that all construction must conform to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Ephrata Township (community 421208) among participating communities, with flood maps effective April 5, 2016.

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

Ephrata Township permit search and official resources

The township posts no online permit lookup. Ask the township office about a property’s permit history, or file the Right-to-Know request form posted with the applications; the Township Manager is the appointed Right-to-Know Officer, and copies made at the township cost 25 cents each. Supervisors’ agendas and minutes are posted for every meeting, held on the first Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the third Tuesday at 7 a.m. Lancaster County’s role is summarized in the Lancaster County permit guide.

• Ephrata Township applications and forms
• Residential building and zoning use permit application
• 2026 fee schedule with agency fee schedules
• ABI commercial permit information guide
• Township contacts and office hours
• Zoning ordinance, map and amendments
• Ordinance No. 290, data centers and animals (2026)
• Storm water management page and forms
• Township highway occupancy permit application
• Well permit application
• Supervisors’ agendas and minutes
• Right-to-Know request form
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Ephrata Township building permit FAQs

Who inspects my house project in Ephrata Township?

Associated Building Inspections of Stevens, appointed for 2026 as the township’s residential building inspectors and code official.

How much is the township permit fee?

$25 for the first $1,000 of construction value and $5 for each further $1,000, so a $40,000 addition pays $220 to the township, plus the agency’s fees and $4.50.

Can I apply online?

No. The forms are posted online, but completed applications go to the township office at 265 Akron Road.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the township office at 717-733-1044 at least 24 hours ahead.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes, accessory buildings are on the application. Sheds up to 200 square feet on a single-family lot must stay 5 feet from side and rear lines.

Do I need a stormwater permit for a patio or garage?

On an improved lot, up to 1,000 square feet of new impervious surface can go on the free exemption form, approved by the supervisors; larger work needs a minor or major plan.

Who handles septic systems?

The township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer (717-826-2283), with Rettew Associates as alternate.

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