Franconia Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Franconia Township, building, electrical and plumbing permits are issued from the township building at 671 Allentown Road, Telford (215-723-1137). Township code enforcement officers inspect building and plumbing work, and Code Inspections, Inc. reviews and inspects all electrical work, commercial projects and new developments. Applications must be delivered in person, mailed or left in the lock box; email is not accepted. Under Resolution 24-01-15-01 a new house costs $550 plus $0.35 per square foot including the basement and garage, plus the $4.50 state fee, and no use and occupancy permit is needed to resell a home.

What requires a building permit in Franconia?

Franconia’s fee resolution and submission checklist show the work it permits. The checklist tells applicants to mark fences, sheds, patios, porches, decks, pools, gazebos and generators as “Other” on the building permit application, so those small projects go through the same form as an addition.

Fences must sit at least 6 inches off the property line unless the neighbor agrees in writing to a closer line. Properties in a homeowners’ association need the association’s written approval with the permit. Above-ground pool walls must be 48 inches high, and no pool may be filled until the underwriter’s final electrical inspection, the township’s final inspection and a fence at least 4 feet high are all complete.

What Franconia decides and what the state holds

The building standards are the statewide Uniform Construction Code. Franconia opted in to enforce it on July 8, 2004, and L&I lists the township with local amendments. The Board of Supervisors sets zoning (Chapter 145), subdivision and land development (Chapter 122), sewers (Chapter 112), stormwater and grading rules and the fee resolution. Recent zoning ordinances added data center rules (434-26) and a residential living for older adults overlay district (435-26) in 2026, and amended stormwater management standards (418-23) in 2023.

Franconia building department: who handles permitting

The township’s two building inspectors and code enforcement officers, reappointed by the supervisors on January 5, 2026, inspect job sites for building and plumbing approval; Gerald Rittenhouse is listed by L&I as the township’s building code official. Code Inspections, Inc. handles all electrical reviews and inspections and reviews commercial projects and new developments under its own fee schedule, with a 10% township administrative fee added.

Franconia permit types

Building, electrical and plumbing permits each have their own application. Every permit needs two copies of a plot plan showing the house, all structures and the distance from the project to the side and rear property lines, two copies of plans or specification sheets, and two copies of the quote or estimate; fences and sheds also need two pictures of the proposed type.

Residential permits

Owners and contractors are both named on the application. A contractor who gives the Pennsylvania number the township’s checklist calls a “PA Builder’s License Number” (Pennsylvania has no state builder’s license; home improvement contractors hold an Attorney General registration number) does not have to supply insurance; one who cannot must provide an insurance certificate naming Franconia Township as additional insured. A homeowner doing the work alone signs the workers’ compensation form stating that no contractors or employees are involved. The permit conditions sheet requires interconnected smoke detectors with battery backup on every level and in every bedroom, heat detectors in the garage and attic, safety glazing near doors and tubs, and fire-rated drywall and doors between a house and garage, and it must be handed to any later owner of the lot.

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

Commercial permits

All commercial, industrial, institutional and shopping-center projects are reviewed by Code Inspections, Inc. and priced on its schedule plus the 10% administrative fee. A business needs a $150 use and occupancy permit for a new building and again for any change in use, ownership or occupant. Fire and code inspections cost $100.

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. Variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board, which costs $1,800 for a residential appeal and $2,000 for a non-residential one. Conditional uses go to the supervisors ($1,000).
• Land development. The Planning Commission reviews plans first, then the supervisors grant preliminary and final approval by resolution; minor subdivisions can get both at once.
• Grading. A grading permit is priced by volume moved: $250 up to 250 cubic yards, $360 to 500, $385 to 1,000, and $440 plus $45 per additional 1,000 above that, with a $4,000 residential escrow or $10,000 for non-residential sites; the plan goes to the township office in three paper copies and to the township engineer electronically.
• Public sewer. The Franconia Sewer Authority serves just over 3,300 customers and sends wastewater to its own plant or to plants in Hatfield Township, Lower Salford Township, Souderton and Telford. The capacity (EDU) charge ranges from about $4,524 to $9,967 depending on the plant, laterals have their own permit application, and the fee resolution charges $500 for a sewer lateral connection inspection, while the authority’s cost-to-connect page says the township engineer’s lateral inspection for an existing residence, $250, is included in the EDU cost; ask the township which applies. Residential sewer customers are billed $195 a quarter.
• On-lot septic. The township’s Sewer Management Program inspects and tracks on-lot systems; new systems need Montgomery County health department approval.
• Driveways. A new driveway is $95 and paving an existing one $50; a driveway onto a state road needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.

Franconia permit costs and fees

Township fees come from Resolution 24-01-15-01, adopted January 15, 2024, which repealed all earlier fee resolutions; no newer fee resolution appears in the supervisors’ 2026 minutes. The $4.50 state fee is added to every permit, and permits reviewed by Code Inspections, Inc. carry a 10% administrative fee on top of the agency’s charge. Traffic and park impact fees are set by separate resolution.

Worked from the resolution: a new house of 2,400 square feet, counting the basement and garage, is $550 plus 2,400 × $0.35 ($840), or $1,390, plus the $4.50 state fee. A 300-square-foot deck is $125 plus $105, or $230, and a 250-square-foot shed is $110 plus $30, or $140. An addition’s fee stops at $750 however large it is. Each extra inspection appointment caused by incomplete work or delays costs $35, according to the township’s permit conditions sheet.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: Code Inspections, Inc. reviews and inspects all electrical work; the electrical permit form tells applicants to call the agency at 215-672-9400 for inspections. Before an occupancy permit, the contractor gives the township inspector the underwriter’s inspection certificate (cut card).
• Plumbing: the township building inspector conducts plumbing inspections. Residential plumbing is a $60 inspection plus $20 per new or replacement fixture; commercial is $110 plus $30 per fixture.
• Sewer laterals: a separate lateral permit application, with the township engineer inspecting the connection.
• Fire sprinklers: residential systems are $48 for the first $1,000 and $30 per additional $1,000; commercial systems $510 plus $5 per head.

Franconia’s pages set no local electrician, plumber or contractor license. Contractors give their Pennsylvania number on the application or supply insurance, and home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General under the state home improvement law.

How to apply for a Franconia building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

State rules give the township 15 business days to decide a residential application and 30 for a commercial one. Applications sent by email are not accepted. The checklist asks for two copies of each document, photos for fences and sheds, HOA approval where one exists and, for a fence closer than 6 inches to the line, the neighbor’s letter; commercial work also waits on Code Inspections, Inc.’s review. Following the inspection schedule matters: the township warns that skipping stages can delay the certificate of occupancy.

Inspections in Franconia

Call the office of Code Enforcement at 215-723-1137 with at least 24 hours’ notice; inspections run Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The township’s instruction sheet sets the stages:

• New homes, garages and commercial buildings: footing before the pour, backfill after damp-proofing, framing and firestopping before insulation and before mechanical rough-ins are covered, insulation before drywall, and a final for the certificate of occupancy.
• Decks and patios: footing, framing where applicable, and final.
• Sheds: footing where applicable, and final.
• Fences and signs: final only.
• In-ground pools: steel inspection, then a final after the electrical underwriter’s approval.

The permit fee covers the standard inspections; each extra appointment costs $35. A use and occupancy permit is required for new houses ($115) and commercial buildings, and again when the tenant of an in-law suite changes. Franconia does not require a use and occupancy permit for a residential resale or a change of rental tenant.

Pennsylvania building code in Franconia

Franconia has enforced the Uniform Construction Code since its July 8, 2004 opt-in, with township inspectors for building and plumbing and Code Inspections, Inc. for electrical and commercial work. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Franconia Township (community 422494) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 2, 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

Franconia permit search and official resources

The township has no online permit search. Under its Right-to-Know policy, written requests go to the Open Records Officer at 671 Allentown Road on the township’s request form, and the officer responds within five business days; copies are $0.25 a sheet. The supervisors’ agendas and minutes are on the Meetings page. County-level septic, well and land development review is described in the Montgomery County guide.

• Building and Zoning
• Fee Schedule Resolution 24-01-15-01 (PDF)
• Documents required for a building permit (PDF)
• Building inspection instruction sheet (PDF)
• Building and plumbing permit conditions (PDF)
• Electrical permit application (PDF)
• Commercial use and occupancy application (PDF)
• Grading permit application (PDF)
• Sewer lateral permit application (PDF)
• Franconia Sewer Authority: cost to connect
• Subdivision and land development
• Ordinance 434-26, data centers (PDF)
• Right-to-Know policy (PDF)
• Right-to-Know request form (PDF)
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Franconia building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Franconia?

$550 plus $0.35 per square foot, counting the basement and garage but not a crawl space or attic, plus the $4.50 state fee. A 2,400-square-foot house is $1,394.50 in all.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes: $90 for a new fence and $65 for a replacement. It must sit at least 6 inches off the property line unless the neighbor agrees in writing.

Can I email my permit application?

No. Building, electrical and plumbing applications are accepted in person, by mail or in the lock box at the front of the township building.

Who inspects electrical work?

Code Inspections, Inc.; call 215-672-9400 to schedule.

Do I need a use and occupancy permit to sell my house?

No. Franconia requires one only for commercial buildings and new homes, not for a resale or a change of rental tenant.

What does a shed permit cost?

$110 for up to 200 square feet and $30 for each additional 200 square feet, plus the state fee.

Do I need insurance to pull a permit as a homeowner?

No. A homeowner doing all the work signs the workers’ compensation form stating that no contractors or employees are involved.

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