Hempfield publishes its processing windows before you file — 30 business days once code review is involved — although for residential work the statewide code sets a shorter limit.
The township adopted enforcement of the statewide code in October 2009, having issued building permits of its own since 1968, and its Code Enforcement Department now enforces both the state code and the local ordinances adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The township’s enabling chapter allows administration by township employees, by a third-party agency, or by intermunicipal agreement, and in practice it uses a mix of the first two.
Scope: Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County. Separate Hempfield Townships exist in Mercer County, and East and West Hempfield Townships in Lancaster County; none is covered here.
30 business days is the township’s published figure. The township says residential and commercial permits requiring code review take 30 business days to process, and residential permits exempt from code review — a fence, or an accessory structure under 1,000 square feet — take 15. Under the Uniform Construction Code, though, a residential permit application must be granted or denied within 15 business days of filing or it is deemed approved (34 Pa. Code 403.63); the 30-business-day limit applies to commercial applications (403.43).
What requires a building permit in Hempfield Township?
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the UCC and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing and gas work under the UCC, pulled by a locally licensed trade where the municipality requires one
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
Local amendments, fee schedules and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with the Code Enforcement Department before work starts.
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Get a free quote →Local rules worth knowing
Hempfield publishes processing windows: 30 business days for residential and commercial permits requiring code review, and 15 business days for residential permits exempt from it — a fence, or an accessory structure under 1,000 square feet. For residential applications the statewide limit is 15 business days, after which the application is deemed approved (34 Pa. Code 403.63).
Pennsylvania enforces one statewide Uniform Construction Code under Act 45 of 1999, based since January 1, 2026 on the 2021 ICC codes and administered by most municipalities themselves or through certified third-party agencies; counties issue no building permits. Building codes in Pennsylvania
Who handles permitting in Hempfield Township?
Building and zoning permits, plan review and inspections sit with the Code Enforcement Department, which also handles planning enquiries, at the township building outside Greensburg.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Hempfield Township Code Enforcement Department |
| Address | Hempfield Township Municipal Building, 1132 Woodward Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601-9310 |
| Telephone | 724-834-7232 |
| Residential inspections | Hempfield Township building inspectors, except electrical and final inspections, which the township’s third-party inspector Code Enforcement Associates (CEA) performs (412-405-8231 electrical; 412-455-3400 finals) |
| Commercial inspections | Performed by Code Enforcement Associates (CEA), the township’s third-party agency |
| Plan threshold | Complete plans at 1,000 square feet, or if attached to an existing home |
| Enforcement route | Township staff for most residential inspections; Code Enforcement Associates (CEA) for commercial work and for residential electrical and final inspections |
| Contractor credential | State home improvement registration for residential work; confirm township requirements per project |
Inspection is split between township staff and a third-party agency. The township’s FAQ says residential inspections are performed by Hempfield Township building inspectors and commercial inspections by Code Enforcement Associates (CEA); its inspections page adds that electrical inspections and all final inspections are done by CEA, so a residential job still meets CEA at the electrical and final stages. Complete construction plans are required where the structure is 1,000 square feet or larger, or attached to an existing home; below that a survey is preferred but a plot drawing is often accepted. A permit gives six months to start the project, and the township permits contractors to work from dawn to dusk year round.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work across the township’s spread-out Westmoreland County housing is inspected by township staff. The thresholds are practical ones: complete construction plans where the structure is 1,000 square feet or larger or attached to an existing home, a zoning permit for a pre-built or delivered shed, and no permit required to pave or concrete an existing driveway. On-lot sewage runs through the township’s own sewage enforcement officer.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →How Pennsylvania contractor credentials work
In Pennsylvania the state registers home improvement contractors; the municipality licenses the trades. HICPA registration with the Attorney General is required for contractors doing at least $5,000 a year of home improvement work (new homes are not covered), but electrical, plumbing and HVAC licensing is a local matter and several cities and counties — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Allentown, Erie, Reading and Scranton among them — add their own contractor licences. Confirm what the Code Enforcement Department requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
Commercial permits
Commercial work is reviewed against the 2021 editions with accessibility on the 2018 standards and inspected by the township’s contracted code enforcement agency rather than by township staff. All commercial properties in the township are additionally inspected for fire and life safety on an annual or tri-annual cycle, with the frequency set by the occupancy classification of the building.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Pennsylvania projects: HICPA registration with the Attorney General on residential home improvement; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and HVAC trades, licensed by the municipality rather than the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Pennsylvania-licensed architect or professional engineer. Confirm what the Code Enforcement Department requires for the specific building before filing.
Pennsylvania has no state contractor licence; contractors doing at least $5,000 a year of home improvement work register with the Office of Attorney General under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act. Contractor licensing in Pennsylvania
Hempfield Township permit costs and fees
Hempfield charges permit fees under its published schedule and collects the state Uniform Construction Code surcharge. The township accepts cash, cheques and credit cards, with a processing charge added to card payments and two card networks not accepted, which is worth knowing before arriving to collect a permit.
Pennsylvania fees are substantially local: the municipality or its certified third-party agency sets the building-permit and plan-review charge, and the state adds only a modest Uniform Construction Code surcharge collected with the permit. Where a municipality uses a third-party agency, that agency’s fee schedule applies. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable — ask the Code Enforcement Department for the schedule in force on your filing date.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Need a real number for a specific Hempfield Township project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Fees are set by the municipality or its third-party agency, plus the flat $4.50 state Uniform Construction Code fee on each permit. Permit fees in Pennsylvania
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Trade work follows the Uniform Construction Code; electrical, plumbing and HVAC licences are issued locally where they exist, not by the state. Trade permits in Pennsylvania
How to apply for a Hempfield Township building permit
The township publishes 30 business days for anything requiring code review and 15 for residential work exempt from it. For a residential application the statewide code requires a decision within 15 business days (34 Pa. Code 403.63).
A fence or an accessory structure under 1,000 square feet is exempt from code review but still needs a permit. Everything else goes through the longer route.
Complete construction plans are required where the structure is 1,000 square feet or larger, or attached to an existing home. Below that a survey is preferred, and a plot drawing is often accepted.
Residential inspections come from township building inspectors, but electrical and final inspections come from Code Enforcement Associates (CEA), which also does all commercial inspections. Inspections need 24 hours’ notice.
On-lot septic runs through the township’s sewage enforcement officer; public sewage runs through the county municipal authority. Neither resolves itself during construction.
A permit gives six months to start the project. Contractors may work dawn to dusk year round, so the constraint is the start date rather than the working day.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Pennsylvania, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the municipality when it uses a certified third-party agency, or not realising that in a municipality that has opted out of local enforcement, homeowners must hire a certified third-party agency themselves. After that come a missing HICPA registration or local trade licence, energy-code and plan documentation, and, along the state’s rivers, floodplain requirements that were not addressed up front. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with the Code Enforcement Department before filing.
A Pennsylvania permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and lasts no more than 5 years; residential applications must be decided within 15 business days. Permit validity in Pennsylvania
Inspections in Hempfield Township
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. Hempfield splits the inspection duty: township building inspectors handle most residential stages, while Code Enforcement Associates (CEA) handles commercial inspections and every electrical and final inspection.
Pennsylvania inspections follow the code edition in force when the permit was applied for, and are carried out by a certified code official — the municipality’s own inspector or its certified third-party agency, the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Department of Labor and Industry for commercial work in opted-out municipalities, or a third-party agency the owner hires. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice the Code Enforcement Department needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
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Get a free quote →Hempfield Township permit search and official resources
Permit records in Pennsylvania sit with the authority that issued them — the municipality or its certified third-party agency, or the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Where the Code Enforcement Department is the authority for Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the use-and-occupancy certificate. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first. Pennsylvania enforces one statewide Uniform Construction Code, but each municipality administers it with its own amendments, fee schedule and enforcement route — local staff, a third-party agency, or opt-out — so the requirements that apply vary by parcel. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Building permits — Hempfield Township
- Frequently asked questions — Hempfield Township
- Chapter 40 — building code
- Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code — Labor and Industry
- Home improvement contractor registration — Attorney General
Frequently asked questions
How long does a permit take here?
The township publishes 30 business days for residential and commercial permits requiring code review, and 15 business days for residential permits exempt from code review, such as a fence or an accessory structure under 1,000 square feet. Under the Uniform Construction Code, though, a residential permit application must be granted or denied within 15 business days of filing or it is deemed approved (34 Pa. Code 403.63); the 30-business-day limit applies to commercial applications (403.43).
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Who will inspect my project?
It depends on the work and the stage. Residential inspections are performed by Hempfield Township building inspectors, except electrical and final inspections, which the township’s third-party inspector Code Enforcement Associates (CEA) performs. Commercial inspections are performed by CEA, a separate organisation with its own contact details.
When do I need complete construction plans?
Where the structure is 1,000 square feet or larger, or attached to an existing home. Below that threshold a survey is preferred but in many cases a plot drawing may be accepted.
Do I need a permit to pave my driveway?
Not to pave or concrete an existing driveway. A pre-built or delivered shed does need a zoning permit, and a subdivision is required to give a family member a piece of your property to build a house.
How long do I have to start work?
Six months from issuance. Contractors are permitted to work from dawn to dusk year round in the township, so the practical constraint is starting within the window rather than the length of the working day.
Are there other Hempfield Townships?
Yes. There is a separate Hempfield Township in Mercer County, and East and West Hempfield Townships in Lancaster County, each with its own office and ordinances. This guide covers the Westmoreland County township.
Simplify Hempfield Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
Hempfield is a planning-horizon jurisdiction: it publishes its windows, and knowing both the township figure and the statewide limit lets you build a programme rather than hope for the best.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Hempfield Township because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We build the programme around the township’s published windows and the statewide 15-business-day limit for residential review.
- We establish early whether the work is exempt from code review, which halves the processing time.
- We prepare plans to the 1,000 square foot and attachment thresholds.
- We deal with the right inspector — township staff on most residential stages, Code Enforcement Associates on electrical, finals and commercial work.
- We resolve on-lot or public sewage ahead of the permit rather than during construction.
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.
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More Pennsylvania permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Hempfield Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.