Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County, the Community Development Department administers the zoning ordinance, the land development ordinance and the Uniform Construction Code, and issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits from the township building at 1100 Edgewood Road, Yardley (permits 267-274-1126). Applications go through the township’s online permitting and citizen requests portal, and staff contact the applicant for payment once the permit is processed. Under the 2026 schedule of fees a new house costs $950 plus $0.75 per square foot of gross floor area.

What requires a building permit in Lower Makefield Township?

The township’s permit instructions say a permit is always required for an addition or a structural change to existing living space, and list electrical changes, plumbing work, window changes that enlarge openings, mechanical installations, pools, patios, decks, fences, sheds and driveway expansions. The project instructions then sort jobs into a full UCC building permit or a zoning review on the same application form.

The two township documents draw the shed line differently: the adopted fee schedule gives zoning-only treatment to sheds and temporary buildings under 200 square feet, while the permit instructions say one-story detached accessory structures need only zoning review up to 1,000 square feet. Accessory buildings may not sit in front yards or ahead of the house’s median line, must stay 5 feet from side and rear lines below 200 square feet and 10 feet above that, and may be no taller than 15 feet. Fences are limited to 3 feet in front yards and 7 feet at the side and rear, and may not sit on the property line or in an easement or sight triangle.

What Lower Makefield decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows the township opted in on July 12, 2004 and keeps local amendments; the township has adopted the UCC as its municipal building code. The Board of Supervisors controls zoning (Chapter 200), subdivision and land development (Chapter 178), grading (Chapter 116), traffic impact fees (Chapter 121), the sewer lateral program (Chapter 164) and floodplain rules. On September 17, 2025 it adopted a standalone Floodplain Management Ordinance, Ordinance 461, now Chapter 114 of the code.

Lower Makefield Township building department: who handles permitting

Community Development issues the permits and handles plan review and inspections, with plan review and inspection fees for every trade set in the township’s own schedule, and supports the Zoning Hearing Board and Planning Commission. Code Enforcement Officer Michael Kirk is the building code official on L&I’s list. The Bucks County Health Department issues permits for new and repaired on-lot sewage systems and wells, and the Bucks County Conservation District reviews erosion plans.

Lower Makefield permit types

Every application, including zoning-only work, uses the Application for PA UCC Construction Permit inside the online portal, with the documents listed for that project uploaded alongside. If an item on the list does not apply, the instructions ask applicants to upload a short explanation rather than leave it out. Every contractor, electrician and plumber on an application must show a current insurance certificate listing the township as certificate holder.

Residential permits

• Additions and garages: site and grading plan, foundation, floor and framing plans, trade plans and elevations, signed and sealed by a Pennsylvania design professional where the UCC requires it; adding a bedroom on a septic lot needs Bucks County Health Department approval first, and the addition must stay 10 feet from the well and septic system.
• Decks: joist, beam and post sizes, ledger attachment with lateral load connectors or bolts, footings 36 inches deep, and guards 36 to 42 inches high with 4-inch maximum openings.
• Pools: construction drawings, a site plan with setbacks (10 feet from lines and buildings, 25 feet from a septic system), a PA One Call serial number, the stormwater spreadsheet, and a 4-foot barrier with self-closing, self-latching gates.
• Sheds: manufacturer’s specifications, the base material and anchoring details below 1,000 square feet; full plans at 1,000 square feet or more.

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Commercial permits

Non-residential plans must be prepared by a licensed architect or engineer. Commercial plan review costs $120 per submission, and an electrical-only commercial review $100. Each new unit or change of use in a non-residential property needs a use and occupancy certificate ($100 up to 10,000 square feet, $200 to 50,000 and $550 to 200,000 per unit). An accessibility review, where needed, costs $100.

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 Hearing Board. Residential appeals, variances and special exceptions cost $850; non-residential, $1,000 plus a $500 escrow. The next listed hearing is November 17, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
• Erosion control. More than 1,000 square feet of earth disturbance (2,000 for a pool) needs a Bucks County Conservation District erosion and sedimentation plan approved before work starts; township grading permits are priced by cubic yards moved, from $75 under 50 cubic yards.
• Stormwater. Any residential increase in impervious surface under 5,000 square feet must meet the volume control rules for its watershed (Delaware River South or Neshaminy Creek), shown on the township spreadsheet.
• Floodplain. Work in an identified floodplain must give the Floodplain Administrator enough detail to show it complies, and fences there must not block the flow of water.
• Historic district. In the Edgewood Village Historic District, any part of a structure visible from a public way needs a Certificate of Appropriateness under the Edgewood Village Design Guidelines.
• Traffic impact fees. Development that adds traffic pays a fee per afternoon peak-hour trip under Chapter 121: $2,657, $3,646 or $1,311 depending on the service area.

Lower Makefield permit costs and fees

The township posts its 2026 Schedule of Fees and Charges, dated January 5, 2026, as adopted; the permit instructions say the schedule is updated every year. The $4.50 state UCC fee is added to building, plumbing and mechanical permits.

Worked examples from the schedule: a new house with 3,000 square feet of gross floor area pays $950 plus 3,000 × $0.75, or $3,200, for the building permit, plus the $150 zoning permit, the $100 use and occupancy certificate and $4.50; a 400-square-foot addition pays $150 plus 400 × $0.75, or $450, plus $100 for zoning. Trade permits are extra.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Renovation permits cover work on existing or new electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, and the township’s schedule sets a plan review and inspection fee for each trade. The township’s pages describe no local trade license; what they require is the insurance certificate naming Lower Makefield as certificate holder for every contractor, electrician and plumber, and a master plumber’s signature and license number on sewer lateral inspections. Home improvement contractors also need state HICPA registration.

• Electrical: choose a flat fee by device count (with a set number of visits) or the flexible schedule at $1 per device plus service size ($150 for 200 amps or less); pool bonding and GFCI-protected receptacles are checked at the pool inspection.
• Plumbing: fixtures, water heaters, new or repaired sewer and water services; any repair found by a sewer lateral inspection needs a township permit.
• Mechanical: heating, air conditioning, heat pumps and ventilation, priced on cost; commercial exhaust systems $200 to $500.

How to apply for a Lower Makefield building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The instructions ask applicants to read the project page carefully and upload every listed document; a missing stormwater spreadsheet, site plan setback or insurance certificate holds the file until it is supplied. The township’s stated processing times (15 business days residential, 30 days commercial) match the state’s review deadlines for complete applications.

Inspections in Lower Makefield Township

Request inspections through the portal, by phone at 267-274-1121 or by email to inspections@lmt.org, giving the permit number, site address, type of work (footing, framing, plumbing, electrical), whether it is rough or final, and the date and time wanted; the township calls back to confirm. An above-ground pool gets one final inspection once the barrier and bonding are complete, while an in-ground pool starts with a pre-pour inspection of the rebar and bonding. Re-inspections after a failure, or for work not ready when booked, cost $60 for houses.

New dwellings need a use and occupancy certificate ($100). The township’s pages describe no resale use and occupancy certificate for houses, but Chapter 164 runs a private sewer lateral inspection program: its form, which asks for the closing date, calls for a master plumber’s CCTV video from house to trap and trap to main, a $125 permit, and a township permit for any repair.

Pennsylvania building code in Lower Makefield Township

Lower Makefield enforces the UCC itself through Community Development under its 2004 opt-in, with local amendments, and its UCC appeals board takes a $750 escrow. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the township (community 420191) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 21, 2017, and in the Community Rating System at class 7, which the township says gives a 15% premium discount in A and AE zones. Flood maps and elevation certificates can be reviewed at the municipal building.

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

Lower Makefield permit search and official resources

The township keeps building permit records back to 1939, including surveys, site plans and building plans, and asks residents to call or email Community Development for a property’s file. Formal requests go in writing to the Right-to-Know Officer at the township building, by the online request form, email (admin@lmt.org) or fax (215-493-3053), with a five-business-day response period. Bucks County’s parcel and floodplain viewer adds lot and flood zone data.

• Lower Makefield Community Development
• Online permitting and citizen requests portal
• General instructions for permit applications
• Fee schedule page
• 2026 Schedule of Fees and Charges (dated January 5, 2026)
• Private sewer lateral inspection form
• Flood information and Ordinance 461
• Stormwater management
• Zoning Hearing Board
• Zoning Hearing Board procedures
• Right to Know requests
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Lower Makefield building permit FAQs

How do I apply for a permit in Lower Makefield?

Through the township’s online permitting and citizen requests portal, using the PA UCC construction permit application even for zoning-only work.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$950 plus $0.75 per square foot of gross floor area, plus a $150 zoning permit, the $100 use and occupancy certificate and $4.50.

Does my deck need a building permit?

Yes if any part of the floor is more than 30 inches above grade or the deck has a roof; a lower deck needs zoning review only.

How tall can my fence be?

3 feet in a front yard and 7 feet at the side and rear; a fence 7 feet or taller needs a UCC building permit.

How do I book an inspection?

Use the portal, call 267-274-1121 or email inspections@lmt.org with the permit number, address, inspection type and preferred time.

How long does review take?

The township asks applicants to allow up to 15 business days for residential permits and 30 days for commercial permits.

Is Lower Makefield in the Community Rating System?

Yes. It joined on May 1, 2016 and is class 7, a 15% flood insurance discount for A and AE zone policies.

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