Falls Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Falls Township, Bucks County, the Code Enforcement Department, led by Chief Code Enforcement Officer and Zoning Officer Matthew Takita, issues building, zoning, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and earth disturbance permits from the township building at 188 Lincoln Highway, Fairless Hills (215-949-9000). Every permit is applied for online through BS&A, with plans uploaded as a single PDF. Under the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-8, adopted January 29, 2026) residential work costs $100 for the first $1,000 of cost, and a house cannot be occupied by a new owner without a resale use and occupancy certificate.

What requires a building permit in Falls Township?

Falls splits residential work into zoning-only permits and building permits, and lists both on its code enforcement page and in its BS&A instructions. Every building and zoning permit needs a site plan and the maximum impervious surface calculation sheet.

Accessory structures need a permit whatever their size; detached ones may be up to 500 square feet and 16 feet high, at least 4 feet from side and rear lines, 10 feet from other buildings and from a pool, and never in a front yard. The department page prints the zoning-only limit as 555 square feet, while the BS&A notice and the handout use 500. Since November 17, 2025 a chimney relining needs a mechanical permit only, with an NFPA 211 Level 2 certification at the final inspection.

What Falls Township decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows Falls opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code on May 23, 2004 and keeps local amendments. The township’s codes page lists the 2021 ICC codes from January 1, 2026 (with the state’s six-month phase-in for contracts signed earlier), the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 Property Maintenance Code, which Section 138 of the township code applies to dwellings and rental units. The Board of Supervisors sets fees, the zoning ordinance (Chapter 209), floodplain rules and business licensing; on October 29, 2026 the township posted a draft Chapter 209 amendment adding data center regulations.

Falls Township building department: who handles permitting

The Code Enforcement Department handles zoning, building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits, use and occupancy certificates, rental licenses and business licenses, and the Fire Marshal reviews and inspects fire suppression and detection plans. Questions about registering in BS&A or about an online application go to the Licenses & Inspections desk; land development and zoning verification go to Planning and Zoning.

Falls Township permit types

All permits are filed in BS&A Online. Homeowners register an account without a web PIN; contractors obtain a PIN from the township first. The application asks for a detailed scope of work, the construction value and the owner’s details; a homeowner names the contractor and license number or states that the owner is doing the work. Plans go in as one PDF, or the application is rejected, and the final email of the review is the payment request.

Residential permits

• Additions, garages and covered porches need a building permit plus an earth disturbance permit; deck post footings are exempt from the earth disturbance rule.
• Electrical and plumbing applications carry the township’s fixture-count form (outlets, panel size, fixtures, sewer pipe length), filled in inside BS&A or attached.
• Floodplain work uses the Flood Hazard Area Permit Application and, for improvements to existing buildings, the FEMA substantial improvement calculation form.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial jobs pay a $125 plan review for each code review needed (zoning, building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire), due when the application is filed. Alterations to an area with a primary function must spend 20% of the alteration cost on the accessible route, listed on the township’s alterations form, and a special inspection statement is posted for engineered work. A new tenant or owner of a non-residential space needs a use and occupancy inspection ($100 to $250 by floor area), and most commercial uses also hold an annual fire prevention permit.

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 Hearing Board. Variances, special exceptions and appeals from the zoning officer; 2026 hearings have been held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month. A residential dimensional variance costs $300.
• Earth disturbance and stormwater. Required for the residential items above; $750 for residential work, $1,500 for a new single-family house, and $1,000 plus a $5,000 escrow for non-residential projects.
• Floodplain. Development in a special flood hazard area pays the same application fees and follows the township floodplain ordinance.
• Historic district. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Architectural Review Board is needed before work starts; file the application at least ten calendar days before the HARB meeting.
• Land development. Plans are accepted electronically as PDFs, with paper sets requested before the Planning Commission meeting.
• Curbs, aprons and road openings. Engineering review costs $300 up to 60 feet and $2,000 beyond.

Falls Township permit costs and fees

The Board of Supervisors adopted the 2026 fee schedule on January 29, 2026 by Resolution 2026-8 (copy last updated April 10, 2026). Plan review fees are paid when the application is submitted and are not refunded; the $4.50 state UCC charge is added to each permit, and fees double when work starts before a permit is obtained.

Solar, wind and other alternative energy installations get a 75% reduction on the part of the building permit fee that covers the installation itself. Worked examples from the residential scale: a $15,000 job is $100 plus 14 × $32, or $548, plus $4.50 and the plan review fee; a 300-square-foot deck is 300 × $0.50, or $150. The commercial rate is printed as $110 per $1,000 on both 2026 copies of the schedule, so confirm it with the department before budgeting a commercial job.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Contractors apply through BS&A with a township-issued PIN, and every business working in Falls needs a business license under Chapter 145 of the township code ($75 a year); contractors from outside the township file the out-of-town business license form with a liability certificate of at least $50,000 per occurrence naming the township as certificate holder. The township’s pages show no separate local trade license. Home improvement contractors also register with the state Attorney General under HICPA.

• Electrical: issued and inspected by the township under the Part 4 electrical fees (administrative fee, rough and final inspections by outlet count, service size); a resale needs a panel certificate from an L&I approved electrical underwriter instead.
• Plumbing: priced per fixture, with separate building sewer and water supply fees; a failed sewer lateral at resale needs a plumbing permit before it is replaced.
• Mechanical: furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning, wood and gas stoves, commercial cooking hoods and tank installation or removal.
• Fire: the Fire Marshal reviews and inspects fire suppression and detection plans, priced on the building permit scale.

How to apply for a Falls Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township rejects uploads split into several files, and revised plans after an approval cost $50 per page to review. A missing scope description, impervious sheet or fixture count also sends an application back. State rules give the township 15 business days for a complete residential application and 30 for commercial work.

Inspections and resale certificates in Falls Township

The fee schedule prices rough and final electrical inspections and a $30 residential re-inspection; a chimney relining final needs the NFPA 211 Level 2 certificate as well as the mechanical inspector’s approval. A use and occupancy certificate is required for new or altered buildings, changes of use, and home occupations, including the rental of homes. A rented single-family house also needs an annual rental license ($50 per dwelling), with a $100 inspection every three years and another at each change of tenant; a new house or change of use pays $50 for the occupancy permit and $50 for its electrical inspection.

Falls requires a resale use and occupancy certificate before a new owner occupies a house, condominium or mobile home. File the $100 application a month before settlement, with four certificates dated within six months of settlement: an electrical underwriter’s panel certificate, a heating system certificate from a licensed contractor, an NFPA 211 Level II chimney and flue certificate, and a sewer lateral checklist and mp4 video from a master plumber. Allow 30 days. A property may transfer before lateral repairs, but no one may move in until they are done (a temporary certificate of access covers the gap), and a lateral inspection stays valid for six months.

Pennsylvania building code in Falls Township

Falls enforces the UCC with its own Code Enforcement Department under its 2004 opt-in, with local amendments, and hears code appeals ($200 residential, $300 non-residential). FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Falls Township (community 420188) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 21, 2017; the township’s own FEMA page still refers to the maps that took effect in March 2015.

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

Falls Township permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their own permits in BS&A Online. Other permit and property records are requested under the township’s open records policy (Resolution 2008-35) on its Right-to-Know form or the state uniform form, by fax, email, mail or in person to the Open Records Officer at the municipal building; the township answers within five business days. A zoning verification letter has its own application.

• Falls Township Code Enforcement & Zoning
• BS&A Online permit portal
• BS&A online permit instructions
• 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-8)
• Building and plumbing codes
• Earth disturbance permits
• Documents, forms and permits
• Residential resale use and occupancy application
• Sewer lateral information for resales
• Residential accessory structures handout
• Zoning Hearing Board meetings
• Right to Know (open records)
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Falls Township building permit FAQs

Can I apply for a Falls Township permit in person?

The township says all permits are submitted online only, through BS&A Online; homeowners can register without a PIN.

How much is a residential building permit?

$100 for the first $1,000 of cost, $32 per $1,000 up to $20,000 and $12 per $1,000 above that, plus a $25 or $125 plan review and $4.50.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Yes. A shed under 500 square feet and a fence without a pool need a $50 residential zoning permit; a fence around a pool needs a building permit.

What do I need to sell my house in Falls Township?

A resale use and occupancy certificate: a $100 application filed a month before settlement with electrical panel, heating, chimney and sewer lateral certificates.

When is an earth disturbance permit required?

For first floor additions, concrete patios and walkways, covered porches, garages, retaining walls, ramps, accessory structures over 500 square feet and in-ground pools; deck post footings are exempt.

Do contractors need a township license?

Every business working in Falls needs a township business license; out-of-town contractors file the out-of-town form with proof of liability insurance.

Does a chimney relining need a permit?

Yes, a mechanical permit, with an NFPA 211 Level 2 certification at the final inspection.

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