Hampden Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Hampden Township, the Department of Community Development at the township building, 209 South Sporting Hill Road, Mechanicsburg (717-761-0119), issues building, zoning and plumbing permits and is led by Director of Community Development Jon Powers. A residential building permit is needed for most work costing more than $500, filed on the township’s construction permit application with two sets of construction documents. Resolution 2026-14, adopted May 28, 2026, prices construction permits at $12 per $1,000 of cost up to $5 million, with a $75 minimum.

What requires a building permit in Hampden Township?

Hampden uses a cost threshold: a residential building permit is required for any construction work whose total project cost is more than $500. Below that line no construction fee is charged, and a short list of replacement jobs is exempt whatever they cost.

A separate zoning permit ($75) is needed for any change to a building’s footprint, for sheds, fences and all accessory buildings, and for any increase in impervious coverage. Fences may sit on a property line, though the township suggests leaving room to maintain both sides; sheds must meet the zoning ordinance’s minimum setbacks from every line.

What Hampden Township decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows Hampden opted in to the UCC on July 5, 2004 with no local amendments, so its building rules are the state’s. What the township controls is its fee resolution, its contractor and plumber licensing, the zoning ordinance (Chapter 27), stormwater, sewer connections, driveways and right-of-way work, and fire rules such as its key lock box ordinance. On July 2, 2026 the Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 for Ordinance 2026-03, which allows data centers, their accessory uses and electric substations as conditional uses in the Industrial General district under a new Part 19 of the zoning ordinance.

Hampden Township building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Community Development reviews building, zoning, plumbing, sign, certificate of use, driveway, sidewalk, street cut, excavation and fill, sewer connection and septic applications, and issues contractor and plumbing licenses. Its staff includes the director, a field codes enforcement officer and a plan reviewer post that the staff list shows as vacant. The township’s permit checklist calls for third-party review of electrical and mechanical work, and the fee resolution refers to inspections by township staff or a third-party inspection agency; the agency is not named on township pages.

Hampden Township permit types

The construction permit application covers new structures, additions, alterations, repairs, changes of occupancy, demolition, and fire protection, electrical, plumbing or mechanical work on its own. It asks for the total cost of the improvement, the building’s height and floor areas, setbacks, the lot’s impervious coverage and whether any part of the work is in an identified flood-prone area. The forms can be downloaded from the township site or picked up at the office, and staff will also mail or fax them.

Residential permits

• Houses and additions need two complete sets of scaled plans, the energy code compliance path, a dimensioned site plan and a grading plan approved by Public Works.
• Decks may follow the township’s prescriptive wood deck guide; ledgers on houses that cannot carry them need a free-standing design or full plans.
• Pools follow the township pool guide and must show the pool barrier.
• Plumbing uses its own application with a sketch of below-grade lines, water supply, waste and venting, plus a street cut permit if a street must be opened.
• Excavation and fill of 2 cubic yards or more needs a permit under the township’s grading part of the code (Ordinance 72-7), filed in duplicate; grading for a house that already has a building permit is exempt when the Building Inspector notes in writing on that permit that no hazard will result. The Manager investigates and issues or denies the permit within 10 days and may require a completion bond of up to $50,000.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential projects use the 2026 non-residential construction permit application. A change of use in a non-residential building needs a $125 certificate of use under the zoning ordinance. Every business must install an exterior key lock box with keys to all locked doors and file a pre-plan worksheet with the volunteer fire company; new businesses do both before opening. The checklist also flags asbestos, public safety radio amplifiers and building identification.

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 Hearing Board. Hearings at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the township building. File with the Zoning Officer by 4:30 p.m. on the Friday after the previous month’s meeting, or the case slips a month. Fees are $500 for residential and $600 for non-residential requests.
• Stormwater. New impervious area of 1,000 to 5,000 square feet needs a stormwater management permit ($150, plus $100 for each further 5,000 square feet).
• Driveways and right-of-way. Every driveway, sidewalk, curb and any work in the right-of-way needs a township permit; a driveway is $165 and a sidewalk or curb permit $100.
• Sewer or septic. Public sewer connections, or any increase in flow, need a sewer connection permit approved by Public Works; the Hampden Township Sewer Authority sets its own fees. On-lot systems are permitted through the township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer from Hoover Engineering.
• Floodplain. Work in a flood-prone area uses the FEMA elevation certificate form listed with the township’s permits.
• Land development. Subdivision and land development plans go to the Planning Commission, which meets monthly (November 12 and December 10 in 2026, with filing deadlines of October 19 and November 16). A submission includes ten plan sets with erosion control, post-construction stormwater and grading plans, two stormwater reports and two copies of the sewage planning module, and the plan is also sent to the Cumberland County Planning Department, which takes only online submissions and no paper checks.

Hampden Township permit costs and fees

Resolution 2026-14, adopted by the Board of Commissioners on May 28, 2026, sets the 2026 fees. The construction permit fee covers plan examination, processing, administration and the required inspections, and is based on the greater of the contract price or a reasonable market value of the work.

Worked example: a $40,000 addition is 40 × $12, or $480, plus the $4.50 state fee and the $75 zoning permit its larger footprint needs, $559.50 before any lot grading fee; a $300 repair carries no construction fee. Revisions to approved plans and withdrawn or abandoned applications carry an administrative fee set case by case from the staff time spent. Signs are charged by area, from $35 for up to 5 square feet to $285 over 200 square feet, and a recreation fee of $1,500 per dwelling unit applies to new residential development in lieu of land.

Right-of-way work has its own scale: a highway occupancy application is $50 ($575 for emergency processing), a street closure $325 a day, an open street cut $300 or the degradation fee if higher, and trenchless work $200 for the first 100 feet. The township inspects excavations before final restoration on 72 hours’ notice. Excavation and fill permits are $100 for 11 to 100 cubic yards plus $50 for each further 100, and open burning permits cost $35 for a home or $100 for a business, must be requested ten working days ahead and last 30 days.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Hampden licenses its own trades. Contractors pay a $50 yearly contractor’s registration license, valid for the calendar year, unless they work only as home improvement contractors registered with the Attorney General under HICPA. The township workers’ compensation affidavit asks for either the Hampden contractor license number or the state home improvement number.

• Plumbing: master plumbers pay $50 a year and journeymen $30, with the same exception for HICPA-registered home improvement contractors, and the permit checklist asks for the plumber’s Hampden (HT) number. A homeowner’s license costs $20 for the year. Plumbing permits carry per-fixture fees and per-inspection charges.
• Electrical and mechanical: the checklist lists electrical and mechanical third-party review with the construction permit, along with the energy conservation compliance path.
• Sewer laterals: a building sewer repair or replacement costs $100; connections and disconnections are $50 fixture items.

How to apply for a Hampden Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department reviews applications in the order received and aims to process most standard residential permits within 15 business days and most non-residential permits within 30, in line with state deadlines. Missing grading plans, sewer approvals from Public Works or third-party electrical and mechanical reviews hold an application back.

Inspections and certificates of occupancy

The construction fee includes the required inspections, done by the township’s field codes enforcement officer or a third-party agency. If nobody is present or access has not been arranged, if work fails, or if work is not ready, the resolution charges $105 for a residential or $135 for a commercial inspection. Plumbing has its own below-grade, rough-in and final inspections at $95 each for houses. On-lot septic systems are inspected under the sewage permit, and an extra visit caused by an improper installation or a failure to follow the permit costs $105.

A certificate of occupancy is issued after a successful final inspection and shows that the permitted work met the code at that time. The township warns owners not to rely on a contractor to book the final inspection or obtain the certificate: making sure it is issued is the property owner’s job.

Pennsylvania building code in Hampden Township

Hampden enforces the UCC under its 2004 opt-in, without amendments, through its Community Development Department. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Hampden Township (community 420360) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective September 7, 2023.

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

Hampden Township permit search and official resources

Copies of past permits and plans are requested under the Right-to-Know Law on the township’s request form, available in PDF or Word on its right-to-know page with the township’s procedures and the Board’s resolution on public records.

• Community Development permits
• Other permits and license applications
• 2026 fee schedule, Resolution 2026-14
• Residential construction permit application (2026)
• Non-residential construction permit application (2026)
• Zoning permit application
• Deck construction guide
• Pool guide
• Contractor license application
• Zoning Hearing Board schedule and deadlines
• Zoning map
• Right to Know
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Hampden Township building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Hampden Township?

Not for non-structural re-shingling; replacing roof structure needs a building permit if the job costs more than $500.

How much is a building permit?

$12 per $1,000 of cost up to $5 million, with a $75 minimum, plus $4.50; a $40,000 addition is $480.

Does my contractor need a township license?

Yes, a $50 yearly contractor’s registration license, unless the firm only does home improvement work and is registered with the Attorney General.

Can a homeowner do plumbing work?

The fee resolution lists a $20 homeowner’s license among the plumbing licenses; plumbing still needs a permit and inspections.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes, a $75 zoning permit; sheds must meet the zoning setbacks, and fences may sit on the property line.

How long does review take?

The township processes most standard residential permits within 15 business days and most non-residential permits within 30.

Who books the final inspection?

The owner should make sure it happens; the township warns not to rely on contractors to schedule it or get the certificate of occupancy.

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