McKeesport, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In the City of McKeesport, building permits are issued through the Community Development Department (500 Fifth Avenue, second floor, 412-675-5020), and the city’s third-party code agency, Building Inspection Underwriters (BIU), reviews plans and inspects the work. Apply in person at Community Development or send the application and drawings to BIU by email. Every sale of a home or commercial building also needs a city occupancy permit: $75 per unit for one- and two-family dwellings, booked at least two weeks before closing.

What requires a building permit in McKeesport?

The city’s own rule is broad: a building permit is required for the construction, alteration, replacement and repair of all structures. On top of that, the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 1331 of the city code, adopted in April 2017) says no structure may be erected, added to or structurally altered, and no use started or changed, until the city has issued a zoning permit.

Zoning limits apply even where no building permit is needed. Fences and walls may be 6 feet high at most, and only 4 feet in the front yard of a residential district; electric fences are banned, and barbed fences need Planning Commission approval for security reasons. Posts and rails go on the inside of the fence. A garage may be 15 feet high with a flat roof or 18 feet with a peaked roof, and no new or remodeled accessory building may be used as a dwelling unit.

What McKeesport decides and what the state holds

The building code is Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code. McKeesport opted in to enforce it locally from July 3, 2004, and L&I’s municipal list shows the city kept building code amendments it had before July 1999. The city appointed BIU as its code agency. What the city controls is land use: the Zoning Ordinance and zoning map, the Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board, the occupancy permit at sale, street openings, signs and its fee resolutions. The Zoning Officer and the Building Inspector may be the same person under the ordinance.

McKeesport building department: who handles permitting

Community Development is the city’s permit counter. Its staff also handle code enforcement, the federal community development grant program and zoning. Building Inspection Underwriters is the building inspector listed in the city’s staff directory, and the city lets applicants deal with BIU directly. Alfred Tedesco is the Community Development Director.

McKeesport permit types

BIU publishes the forms the city points to: a combined building and electrical application, a mechanical application, a fire permit form, a workers’ compensation waiver, and step-by-step submittal guides for common jobs. The zoning permit is a separate city form filed with the Zoning Officer, and the ordinance asks for four copies of the supporting information.

Residential permits

BIU’s residential guides cover a single-family dwelling, an addition (with a sample drawing), manufactured and industrialized housing, decks (with a sample deck drawing), detached accessory structures, demolition, in-ground and above-ground pools, pool barriers, pool wiring, hot tubs and basement renovations. The pool guide asks for a site plan with distances to every lot line, three sets of construction documents showing the safety barrier and the electrical work, and either the contractor’s certificate of insurance or a notarized affidavit of exemption when the owner or a contractor without workers’ compensation builds it. A finished basement needs the permit jacket plus building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical applications as they apply, with two sets of plans that list every room’s use, ceiling height and the second means of egress.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work goes through BIU’s plan review with separate submittal forms for building, electrical and mechanical work, fire alarm and detection systems, fire extinguishing systems, commercial cooking systems and sprinkler or standpipe systems, plus a plan review submittal form. A change in a commercial tenant’s use first needs the city’s zoning permit, and the sale of a commercial or industrial building needs the $125-per-unit occupancy permit.

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 permit. Filed with the Zoning Officer on the city’s form with a scaled site layout, yards, parking, signs, sidewalks and the arrangements for sewage, water supply and storm drainage. A decision is due within 90 days, or the application is deemed granted unless the applicant agreed in writing to more time. A zoning permit can be issued alongside a subdivision or land development application but never after it.
• Zoning Hearing Board. Variances, special exceptions, appeals from the Zoning Officer and appeals on floodplain and stormwater decisions; the application fee is $500 for residential and $1,000 for commercial cases.
• Planning Commission and City Council. Conditional uses go to Council; land development and the tree plan go to the Planning Commission ($500 application). Development may remove up to 40 percent of a site’s trees without replacement, or up to 60 percent with 1 inch of new caliper for every 4 inches removed, and trees over 30 inches in diameter must be kept.
• Floodplain. McKeesport participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, and an appeal from a Zoning Officer’s or city engineer’s decision under the flood rules goes to the Zoning Hearing Board.
• Street openings and driveways. Work in a city street needs a street opening permit from Public Works; a driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.

McKeesport permit costs and fees

The city’s Building Inspector page lists the fees the city collects itself. The Zoning Ordinance leaves fees to resolutions of City Council and requires them to be paid in full before any permit, certificate or hearing. The building permit fee for UCC work is set when the application is filed with Community Development or BIU; the page does not print a building permit fee schedule.

Two examples follow straight from the posted rates: selling a two-family house needs two occupancy permits, $150 in all, and a 32-square-foot replacement sign costs $72 ($40 plus 32 × $1).

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: filed on BIU’s combined building and electrical application; BIU’s residential guides schedule a rough electrical inspection with or before framing and a final electrical inspection. Pool wiring has its own BIU guide.
• Mechanical: heating, ventilation and similar work uses BIU’s mechanical form, with commercial mechanical plans on BIU’s commercial review form.
• Plumbing: the Allegheny County Health Department issues plumbing permits across the county, not the city. A plumbing plan must be approved before work starts, filings go through the county’s Citizen Access Portal or the office at 2121 Noblestown Road, Room 207, and every plumbing permit ends with a final inspection. The Health Department’s McKeesport office at 345 Fifth Avenue (Wander Building) offers plan reviews only, by appointment at 412-578-8397 after the application is filed in the portal. Landlords must use a master plumber for repairs in their rental units.
• Fire protection: sprinkler, standpipe, fire alarm, extinguishing and kitchen hood systems go through BIU’s commercial fire forms and fire permit.

The city’s pages set no local electrical, HVAC or contractor license. Contractors doing home improvement work register with the state Attorney General under HICPA, and BIU’s forms ask for workers’ compensation proof or an exemption affidavit with each application. The Allegheny County guide explains the Health Department’s plumbing role in more detail.

How to apply for a McKeesport building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

BIU checks submitted plans against its minimum submittal list; if something is missing it asks the applicant for more information, and once the list is met it marks the plans approved. State rules give a residential application 15 business days for a decision (5 if a design professional certifies the plans) and a commercial one 30, unless both sides agree in writing to more time, and a permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days. In McKeesport the longer clocks sit outside the building permit: a zoning permit has up to 90 days, hearings follow the board’s notice and meeting calendar, and occupancy inspections for a sale need two weeks’ notice.

Inspections in McKeesport

Construction inspections are BIU’s. Its guides list the stages: for a finished basement, framing (fire-blocking and insulation), insulation, drywall and a final that checks combustion air and finishes, with rough and final electrical inspections and, for plumbing, the county’s own inspections. Pools and decks follow their own BIU guide.

When the work is done, the Zoning Ordinance requires an occupancy permit before a new, enlarged or altered building is used. It is applied for at the same time as the building permit and issued within 5 working days after the work is completed, inspected and approved. A temporary occupancy permit of up to 6 months is possible for an owner-occupied building still being finished.

Occupancy permits when a property is sold

McKeesport also requires an occupancy permit at every sale of a residential or commercial property. The seller or the real estate agent schedules the inspection before closing and should allow at least two weeks; the permit is completed in person at Community Development between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. The city may charge a re-inspection fee after two visits to the same unit and may refuse to inspect unsanitary properties, for example ones with severe water damage or rodents.

Pennsylvania building code in McKeesport

McKeesport enforces the Uniform Construction Code through Building Inspection Underwriters under its July 3, 2004 opt-in. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of McKeesport (community 420051) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps 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

McKeesport permit search and official resources

The city has no public online permit search. Ask Community Development for permit and zoning records on a property; for occupancy permits the Zoning Ordinance requires the Zoning Officer to keep a record and to furnish copies to anyone with an ownership or tenancy interest in the building or lot. Council agendas and minutes, including fee and street opening ordinances, are posted in the city’s Agenda Center.

• McKeesport Building Inspector: permits, occupancy and fees
• McKeesport Community Development
• Community Development staff directory
• McKeesport Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 1331)
• City Council agendas and minutes
• Building Inspection Underwriters permits and forms
• Allegheny County Health Department plumbing permits
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

McKeesport building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in McKeesport?

The Community Development Department, with plan review and inspections by the city’s code agency, Building Inspection Underwriters. You can apply at the office or send the application to BIU by email.

Do I need an occupancy permit to sell my house in McKeesport?

Yes. Every sale of a residential or commercial property needs one: $75 per unit for one- and two-family homes, $50 per apartment unit and $125 per commercial unit. Schedule it at least two weeks before closing.

Do I need a permit for a shed in McKeesport?

Not for a utility shed of 8 by 10 feet or less placed in the side or rear yard, 10 feet from any dwelling and 2½ feet from side and rear lines. Larger sheds, garages and carports need a permit.

How high can a fence be in McKeesport?

Six feet in side and rear yards and 4 feet in the front yard of a residential district. Electric fences are not allowed.

Can I email my building permit application?

Yes. The city says applications and structural drawings can be sent digitally to BIU at submitbiupgh@biuinc.com, or handed in at Community Development.

Who issues plumbing permits in McKeesport?

The Allegheny County Health Department, which must approve the plumbing plan before work begins and inspects every permit to a final.

How much does a zoning hearing cost in McKeesport?

$500 for a residential case and $1,000 for a commercial case before the Zoning Hearing Board.

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