Limerick Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Limerick Township, the Code Services Department (610-495-6432, Codes@LimerickPA.org) issues construction permits under the Uniform Construction Code and inspects the work, while electrical plans and inspections go to a certified third-party agency first. Applications can be emailed, mailed or left in the drop box in the township building vestibule. Under Resolution 2026-06, effective January 20, 2026, a new house costs $0.70 per square foot of habitable space and $0.25 per square foot of basement and garage, plus a $150 plan review fee. The township does not require a use and occupancy permit when a house is resold.

What requires a building permit in Limerick Township?

The township publishes its own lists of work that needs a permit and work that does not, and a fact sheet on minor repairs. Code Services is the place to ask about anything not on them.

Sheds under 120 square feet are exempt from the construction code but still need a $50 zoning permit. On lots under 3 acres no accessory structure may stand in front of the house; one under 250 square feet needs 5 feet from the side and rear lines and may be 12 feet tall, one up to 1,200 square feet needs 10 feet and may be 25 feet tall, and anything larger or taller needs a special exception. Pools must be 10 feet from the side and rear lines and are not allowed in front yards. A seasonal pop-up pool that holds 24 inches of water or more needs a $20 UCC permit every year.

What Limerick decides and what the state holds

The building standards are the statewide Uniform Construction Code; the township’s pool fact sheet cites the 2021 International Residential Code and the 2021 swimming pool and spa code. Limerick opted in to enforce the code on July 10, 2004, and L&I lists it with local amendments. The Board of Supervisors sets the zoning ordinance (Chapter 184), stormwater management (Chapter 151), construction hours, contractor registration and the fee schedule. Zoning use permits are needed for new construction, a change of use, outdoor display, temporary uses, business fit-outs and any added dwelling unit such as an in-law suite.

Limerick Township building department: who handles permitting

Code Services handles construction and trade permits and the inspections; Matthew Markland is the Building Code Official. The Planning & Zoning Department is the entry point for zoning use permits, drainage permits, Zoning Hearing Board appeals, conditional uses, special exceptions and land development. Electrical plan review and inspection are done by the applicant’s chosen certified agency, not by township staff.

Limerick Township permit types

The Permits & Forms page carries separate packages for new home construction, UCC residential and non-residential construction, decks and patios, re-roofing, sheds under and over 120 square feet, swimming pools, grinder pumps, sewer connections and road occupancy, along with stand-alone electrical, plumbing and HVAC applications. Each package lists what to attach.

Residential permits

Most home projects combine a UCC construction permit with trade permits. An in-ground pool package bundles a drainage permit, a construction permit and an electrical permit, with a plot plan showing the 10-foot setbacks, existing structures, fence line and backwash discharge, plus the manufacturer’s installation instructions. An above-ground pool needs the construction and electrical permits. A shed of 120 square feet or more uses the full shed package, and a smaller one the short form with a plot plan and the maker’s brochure. Adding an in-law suite also brings an annual registration and a declaration of covenants.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential work, including tenant fit-outs, uses the UCC non-residential package and a zoning use permit for the new occupant. Contractors doing commercial work, and builders of new houses, must register with the township each calendar year for $80, with a certificate of insurance; other home improvement contractors are not required to register. Businesses also pay a fire safety license and inspection fee under the Emergency Services section of the schedule, starting at $70 for up to 5,000 square feet.

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. Variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($750 for a single house, addition or accessory structure; $3,000 otherwise). Data centers are allowed only by conditional use in parts of the HI and LLI districts under Ordinances 428 and 431, amended by Ordinance 438 on July 7, 2026.
• Drainage permit. The Chapter 151 drainage permit application covers new principal structures, in-ground pools, residential additions, sheds, patios and general earth disturbance, with stormwater calculations as the Township Engineer requires; it needs one paper application, two plan sets and an electronic set, plus an NPDES permit when more than an acre is disturbed.
• Sewer and water. The drainage form asks for an Aqua sewer letter of adequacy where public sewer serves the lot, or Montgomery County health department permits for a well or on-lot septic system. Projects outside a land development pay $1,550 for an Act 537 planning module review.
• Driveways and roads. A new access not taken from an existing driveway needs a township road opening permit; a driveway onto a township road starts at $100. State roads need a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.
• Traffic impact fees. New development pays Act 209 transportation fees of $1,792 or $2,291 per peak-hour trip, depending on the service area.

Limerick Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from the 2026 Township Fee Schedule, effective January 20, 2026 under Resolution 2026-06. Drainage permits and escrows are billed separately from the construction permit, and escrow requires its own check.

Worked from the schedule: a house with 2,400 square feet of living space and a 1,200-square-foot basement and garage pays 2,400 × $0.70 = $1,680 plus 1,200 × $0.25 = $300 plus the $150 plan review, or $2,130, before the state fee and the separately priced electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. A 300-square-foot uncovered deck is $230. The alterations row (interior work, sprinklers, retaining walls and re-roofing) is printed as “$100.00 + $1000 + $15.00 per each additional $1,000”, and re-roofing also has its own $200 residential fee, so get the figure for alteration work from Code Services before budgeting.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: send the electrical application and plans to one of the nine agencies on the township’s 2026 list; once the agency approves them, file its approval with the rest of the UCC application. The same agency carries out the rough and final inspections and sends its reports to the township. One listed agency inspects only and does not review plans.
• Plumbing: Code Services permits and inspects plumbing, including sewer laterals ($150 residential), water services, water heaters and grinder pumps; drain lines are air-tested at 5 psi for 15 minutes or with a 10-foot water head.
• Mechanical: HVAC permits are priced by job value; gas piping is air-tested at 5 psi for 15 minutes at the rough inspection.
• Fire: sprinkler piping gets a 200 psi hydrostatic test held for 2 hours.

Limerick’s pages set no local electrician or plumber license. Commercial contractors and new-home builders register annually ($80), electrical inspection agencies are licensed by the township for $80 a year, and a change of contractor on an open permit costs $50. Home improvement contractors working on existing homes register with the Attorney General under the state home improvement law.

How to apply for a Limerick Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

State rules set 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for a commercial one. A UCC application is filed with the electrical agency’s approval already attached, and work that also needs a drainage permit, a Zoning Hearing Board decision or the Township Engineer’s stormwater review waits for those approvals. Construction may run only from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, with those hours posted at every site entrance, and the police enforce them.

Inspections in Limerick Township

The township’s required-inspections sheet lists the stages; inspectors may ask for more or fewer. The approved plans must be on site and the address posted where it can be seen from the road by the first visit. Missed inspections can mean uncovering work or getting an engineer’s approval.

• Footing and foundation: before concrete, with forms and rebar in place; block walls with cores open.
• Backfill and slab: damp-proofing on before backfill; vapor barrier, insulation and under-slab utilities approved before a slab pour.
• Framing: truss documents on site and connectors in place.
• Rough electrical: by the third-party agency, with its report sent to the township.
• Rough plumbing, mechanical and fire: with the pressure tests above.
• Energy and wallboard: insulation, then rated wallboard where specified.
• Final: live testing of fire systems, outlets and fixtures.

A re-inspection costs $80. Every swimming pool is inspected. The township also posts an Indemnification Agreement for Cold Weather Occupancy for new homes. Limerick does not require a zoning use and occupancy permit when a home is resold; sellers on public sewer confirm there is no unpaid sewer balance.

Pennsylvania building code in Limerick Township

Limerick has enforced the Uniform Construction Code with its own Code Services staff since July 10, 2004. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Limerick Township (community 421912) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 2, 2016, and the shed permit form asks whether any part of the lot is in a flood hazard area.

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

Limerick Township permit search and official resources

Limerick has no public online permit search. Permit files and other records are requested under the township’s right-to-know procedure, with copy, conversion and $5 certification fees set in the fee schedule; requests costing over $100 must be prepaid. Zoning verification letters ($100 for a residential property) confirm a lot’s zoning status. For county-level septic, well and land development review, see the Montgomery County guide.

• Permit information: what needs a permit
• Permits and forms
• 2026 Township Fee Schedule, Resolution 2026-06 (PDF)
• Alterations and repairs not requiring a permit (PDF)
• Fence guidelines (PDF)
• Accessory structure setbacks (PDF)
• Swimming pool fact sheet (PDF)
• Third-party electrical inspection agencies 2026 (PDF)
• Contractor registration package (PDF)
• Required UCC inspections (PDF)
• Drainage permit application (PDF)
• Resale use and occupancy memo (PDF)
• Permitted construction hours (PDF)
• Planning and Zoning, data center ordinances
• Stormwater management
• Code Services staff directory
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Limerick Township building permit FAQs

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

$0.70 per square foot of living space and $0.25 per square foot of basement and garage, plus a $150 plan review fee. A 2,400-square-foot house with 1,200 square feet of basement and garage comes to $2,130 before trade permits and the state fee.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not if it is under 6 feet and stays out of the ultimate right-of-way, sight triangles and easements. Taller fences need a permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes. A shed under 120 square feet needs a $50 zoning permit; from 120 to 500 square feet the construction permit is $75. The fee schedule also prices a drainage permit for residential additions and accessory structures at $535.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. New and replacement roofs need a permit; the residential roof replacement fee is $200.

Who inspects electrical work?

A certified third-party agency from the township’s 2026 list reviews the plans and does the inspections.

Is a use and occupancy inspection needed to sell my house?

No. The township does not require a zoning use and occupancy permit for a residential resale.

Can I email my application?

Yes. Send it to Codes@LimerickPA.org, or mail it or use the drop box in the township building vestibule.

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