Franklin Park, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Franklin Park Borough, building and zoning permits come from the borough’s Building, Zoning and Fire Official, who takes one combined application, filled in as a PDF and emailed to the borough. Under Fee Resolution 1405-2025, adopted on December 17, 2025, the building permit fee is 0.65% of a construction cost worked out from the International Code Council square-foot table, plus a $25 initial fee for a house; electrical permits go through Code.Sys Code Consulting and plumbing permits through the Allegheny County Health Department.

What requires a building permit in Franklin Park?

The borough’s application page sets out the general rule: a permit is needed for all new construction, any renovation of a non-residential building, and any residential renovation that changes the size or the structural elements of a house. It then names the smaller projects that also need a borough permit.

If a job turns out not to need a permit, the borough says so in writing. The 2017 sheds and fences handout sets the local limits: fences may be 6 feet high in side and rear yards, but in a front yard they are limited to 4 feet, must be at least 50% open and may not be chain link or wire. On a corner lot, the side yard along the street counts as a front yard. Sheds may not sit in the required front yard and must stand at least 5 feet behind the rear wall of the house; the handout puts sheds of 144 square feet or less at least 15 feet from side and rear lines and sends larger ones to the district setbacks. Pools and hot tubs need a barrier at least 4 feet high, and where a wall of the house forms part of the barrier, every door opening onto the pool needs an audible alarm.

What Franklin Park decides and what the state holds

The construction rules themselves are the statewide Uniform Construction Code, which the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) maintains. Franklin Park chose to enforce it locally: L&I’s municipal election list shows the borough as an opt-in municipality since April 21, 2004, and flags it as having pre-1999 amendments carried over. The borough controls what surrounds the code: zoning (in place since 1952, with four residential and three mixed-use districts), land development, stormwater, grading, road occupancy and sewer rules, and the fee resolution.

Franklin Park building department: who handles permitting

One office handles building, zoning and fire matters. Timothy Phillips holds the combined post of Building Inspector, Zoning Officer and Fire Official. Borough staff review house plans and make the building inspections; for non-residential and multi-family plan review the borough sends applicants to Code.Sys Code Consulting’s submittal forms, and the full cost of that outside review is paid by the applicant when the permit is issued.

The Fire Official also inspects every commercial building yearly, including churches, day care facilities and schools.

Franklin Park permit types and forms

Franklin Park uses a single Building and Zoning Permit Application for most jobs, converted from the old 11 by 17 inch paper booklet into a fillable PDF. Every submission must keep the 11 by 17 format. Section V covers demolition, new buildings, additions, commercial renovations and sheds; Sections VI to VIII cover pools, fences and signs; Section IX is for non-residential uses only.

Residential permits

Each common house project has its own required-reading handout: the sheds and fences requirements, the swimming pool requirements (February 24, 2022) and the residential deck guide (June 16, 2022). All of them ask for a lot survey or plot plan with the new structure drawn on it and its distances to the property lines, plus drawings. A fence application adds an elevation drawing and the installer’s bid. A pool with more than 400 square feet of hard surface around it needs a stormwater plan drawn by a surveyor or engineer and a signed, notarized maintenance agreement. Where a contractor is used, the workers’ compensation affidavit insert is required.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work starts with the same borough application, Section IX on the proposed use, and Code.Sys’s non-residential plan review submittal forms. Plan review is charged by floor area at the resolution’s third-party agency rates ($550 minimum), with fire protection systems reviewed separately. The borough also asks commercial permit applicants to complete an Emergency Action Plan preparation form, which is discussed with the Fire Official before the building’s first annual fire inspection.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Zoning approval is part of the combined permit, and the borough’s zoning map and GIS map viewer show the district. Variances and appeals from the Zoning Officer, including floodplain determinations, go to the Zoning Hearing Board, which normally meets on the second Thursday, with applications due 25 days ahead; conditional uses go to Borough Council.
• Planning and land development. Subdivision and land development applications go to the Planning Commission, which normally meets on the third Tuesday, with a deadline 20 days ahead, and then to Council, which meets on the third Wednesday.
• Stormwater and grading. A project that disturbs 400 square feet or more of earth, or makes more than 400 square feet impervious, needs a notarized stormwater operation and maintenance agreement (Appendix B) before an occupancy permit is issued. A grading permit applies once disturbance passes the amount set by Allegheny County.
• Sewer. The borough turned its sanitary sewer lines over to the McCandless Township Sanitary Authority (MTSA) in 2006, so connections and rates are MTSA matters; the borough charges $150 for a sewage holding tank.
• Driveways. A driveway opening onto a borough road is a road occupancy permit under Chapter 202; a state road needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit instead.

Franklin Park permit fees

Fee Resolution 1405-2025, adopted by Borough Council on December 17, 2025, replaced all earlier fee resolutions and fee ordinances; applications filed before it was enacted follow the old schedule. The building permit fee is a formula: gross square footage, times the International Code Council’s square-foot construction cost for the use group and construction type (Table I in the resolution), times a construction multiplier, times 0.65%, plus an initial fee.

For a new wood-frame (Type VB) house with 2,400 square feet of floor area and no basement, the table cost is $170.80 per square foot, so the construction cost is $409,920; at the 1.0 multiplier and 0.65% the fee is $2,664.48, and the $25 initial fee brings the building permit to $2,689.48 before the $4.50 state fee. The electrical permit for the same house with a 200-amp service adds $138 under the flat-rate schedule, plus the $4.50 training fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: Code.Sys Code Consulting issues electrical permits for Franklin Park. On code-sys.com, choose “New Project Submittal” and then “Electrical Permit Only”; fees follow the borough resolution’s electrical schedule.
• Plumbing: the Allegheny County Health Department issues every plumbing permit, filed through its Citizen Access Portal or at 2121 Noblestown Road, Room 207. The department also examines and licenses apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers, and a representative of the plumbing contractor must attend its inspections.
• Mechanical: the borough inspects it at the framing, mechanical and rough inspection.

Proof that the plumbing and electrical permits were issued, and that their inspections passed, must be filed with the borough before it closes its own permit and allows occupancy. Contractors on home improvement jobs register with the state Attorney General under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; the borough’s pages show no local building contractor license.

How to apply for a Franklin Park permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The borough says applicants hear about the status of a submission within 7 to 10 business days; state law sets the outer limits of 15 business days for residential and 30 for commercial applications. An email missing a required document can be rejected or delayed, and a permit cannot be picked up until the notarized originals arrive with the payment. A rejected application comes back with the reason, and it can be appealed to the Zoning Hearing Board or the Building and Fire Codes Appeals Board, depending on the ground. Once issued, a permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days.

Inspections in Franklin Park

Borough inspections are booked on the 24-hour inspection line, 412-364-4115 extension 314, with at least 24 hours’ notice. There is no call-back, so leave your name, daytime phone, inspection type, the day wanted, the address or lot and the permit number. Only footer inspections get a set appointment time; everything else is requested for a morning or an afternoon. Plumbing inspections are arranged with the Allegheny County Health Department and electrical inspections with Code.Sys.

The residential inspection sheet issued with each permit lists the stages: footer (after caissons are drilled or trenches cut and the steel is in place, before concrete is ordered), foundation reinforcement before concrete or ICF walls are poured or block is grouted, foundation (after grouting, French drain and damp-proofing, before any brick), framing with mechanical and rough-in, drywall before taping, masonry while it is being laid, rock sumps and rain leaders to their outlet, and the final. A certificate of occupancy is requested in writing, giving the move-in date and the names of the new owners or occupants, at least five days before it is needed, and it is issued only after the final inspection passes.

Selling a house with public sewer brings two more steps: the seller applies to MTSA for a dye test at least 14 days before the sale, and a no-lien letter is required before any sale or refinance.

Pennsylvania building code in Franklin Park

Franklin Park enforces the Uniform Construction Code through its own building inspector, and its Fire Official enforces the International Fire Code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Franklin Park Borough (community 420037) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with its current flood map effective 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

Franklin Park permit search and official resources

Franklin Park has no online permit search. For earlier permits and certificates of occupancy, ask the Building and Zoning office or file the borough’s Right-to-Know Request Form with the Borough Manager by mail, email, fax or in person, describing the property and the records in enough detail for staff to find them.

• Franklin Park building and zoning permit applications
• Building, Zoning and Fire Official
• Forms, schedules and applications
• Fee Resolution 1405-2025 (December 17, 2025)
• Sheds and fences requirements
• Swimming pool and hot tub requirements
• Required residential inspections
• Certificate of occupancy request
• Fire Official
• Board meeting deadlines
• Sanitary sewer dye testing
• Right-to-Know requests
• Allegheny County Health Department plumbing program
• Code.Sys Code Consulting
• L&I municipal UCC election list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Franklin Park building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Franklin Park?

0.65% of the ICC-table construction cost plus a $25 initial fee for a house ($35 for other buildings); a 2,400-square-foot wood-frame house comes to $2,689.48.

Can I apply online?

Yes, by email: complete the fillable PDF and send it with all attachments to permitapplications@franklinparkborough.us. Payment is made by cash or check at pickup.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a shed?

Yes. A fence, or a shed under 200 square feet, is a $50 permit; front-yard fences are limited to 4 feet and must be at least half open.

Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?

Code.Sys Code Consulting issues electrical permits, and the Allegheny County Health Department issues plumbing permits. The borough will not close its permit until both trades have passed inspection.

How do I book an inspection?

Call 412-364-4115 extension 314 at least 24 hours ahead; only footer inspections get a set time.

Does a pool or patio need a stormwater plan?

Yes, once the project makes more than 400 square feet impervious.

What do I need before selling my house?

A dye test through the McCandless Township Sanitary Authority, applied for at least 14 days before the sale, and a no-lien letter.

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