North Fayette Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In North Fayette Township, the Division of Code Enforcement & Permitting in the Department of Community Development (400 North Branch Road, Oakdale; 724-693-3080) issues building and zoning permits and makes the building inspections. Under Fee Resolution 16-26, adopted January 5, 2026, a house is charged $0.30 per square foot of total area plus a $75 plan review fee, a $15 technology fee and the $4.50 state fee, with a $150 minimum. Small applications can be emailed, and the township reviews them within five business days.

What requires a building permit in North Fayette?

North Fayette publishes a three-way list that separates work needing no permit, work needing only a zoning permit and work needing a building permit:

No permit at all is needed for roof shingle replacement, siding, fence repair, playground equipment, on-grade patios, sidewalks and driveways, door replacement, window replacement that does not change the size of a bedroom or basement window opening, finishing an unfinished basement with no structural work, and replacing deck boards without touching the posts, beams or joists. Structures, including pools, decks and porches, may not be built on an easement or right-of-way shown on the survey; for a public easement the township offers an easement encroachment agreement, and for a private one the homeowners’ association or easement owner must approve.

What North Fayette decides and what the state holds

The Uniform Construction Code sets the construction rules; North Fayette opted in to enforce it locally from April 18, 2004 and keeps pre-1999 building code amendments, according to L&I’s municipal list. Michael Saville, the Manager of Code Administration, is the township’s listed building code official. The Board of Supervisors adopts the fee schedule by resolution, and a township ordinance requires businesses to describe their location as “North Fayette,” not Robinson, Pittsburgh or Oakdale Borough.

North Fayette building department: who handles permitting

The Division of Code Enforcement & Permitting handles zoning permits and variance requests, stormwater management, UCC enforcement, building permits and occupancy, building inspections other than plumbing and electrical, sign permits, fire prevention permits and inspections, sanitary sewers, business occupancy, logging and food truck permits, and property code enforcement. It does not issue plumbing or electrical permits, review commercial plans or inspect septic systems: those go to the county Health Department, township-approved electrical inspectors and township-approved commercial plan review examiners, all listed on the township’s Cover All Contacts form.

North Fayette permit types

One instructions-and-application packet covers building, fire, mechanical, electrical, demolition and communications equipment permits; zoning-only and sign permits have their own packet. The residential page adds project guides for decks, deck and porch roofs, pools, spas and hot tubs, additions and renovations, backup generators, solar panels, new and used manufactured homes, industrialized homes and a new home on an individual lot, with a sample survey, a fuel gas line testing affidavit and an insulation certificate.

Residential permits

The packet asks for a completed zoning permit application with the total estimated cost of the whole project (the fee is not based on it), workers’ compensation proof or an affidavit of exemption, a survey or plot plan showing setbacks (an aerial printout or careful hand drawing is accepted if you have no survey), construction plans and the homeowners’ association addendum. Additions, renovations and heated or cooled sunrooms add energy compliance through IRC chapter 11, IECC chapter 4, the PA Alternative program, an energy cost analysis or REScheck; pools add the safety addendum signed by the owner; and a demolition by someone other than the owner needs a notarized owner authorization.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial plans, including new fire alarm and sprinkler systems, must be reviewed by a township-approved third-party agency unless the Building Code Official waives that for a minor project; the agencies set their own fees and turnaround times. In-house review, where used, is $0.20 per square foot with a $250 minimum. New commercial buildings carry minimum permit fees by size, from $750 under 500 square feet to $15,000 or $0.40 per square foot above 25,000, and every commercial permit needs a $250 occupancy permit. New businesses register for business occupancy with the Division.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. A $75 zoning permit (plus $15 technology fee) accompanies every permit except interior-only work, fire systems and signs with no change of use. Variances go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($1,000 filing fee plus advertising) and conditional uses to the Board of Supervisors ($1,500).
• Grading. A separate grading permit is needed for grading over 1,000 square feet in area, deeper than 3 feet apart from the foundation dig, or more than 10 cubic yards.
• Stormwater and sewer. A new house on an individual lot pays $100 for stormwater review and $100 for a sewer availability study; the township locates sewer taps for $50 a lot. Septic systems are inspected by the Allegheny County Health Department.
• Floodplain. Building in a floodplain adds a fee ($100 for a new dwelling, $50 for other residential work, $250 commercial) and an engineering review escrow.
• Driveways. Driveway permits follow North Fayette and PennDOT specifications, from $15 to apply and $10 to inspect a minimum-use driveway.
• HOA rules. The township reminds owners that many associations have stricter rules and that meeting them is the owner’s responsibility, not the township’s.

North Fayette permit costs and fees

Fees are set by Resolution 16-26 of the Board of Supervisors, adopted January 5, 2026 and effective from January 1, 2026. Most permits add the $4.50 state UCC fee and a $15 technology fee to the base amount.

A new house with 2,400 square feet of total area, counting the unfinished basement and porches, works out to $720 (2,400 × $0.30) plus $75 plan review, $15 technology and $4.50 state fee: $814.50 for the building permit, with the $90 zoning permit and $150 occupancy permit on top. A deck 30 inches or more above grade is $150 plus $15 and $4.50, or $169.50, plus the $90 zoning permit.

For trade work the schedule lists a $50 electrical fee for general electrical permits and, for new houses and additions, both a $50 mechanical fee and a $60 residential mechanical equipment permit, so ask the Division which applies to your job. Commercial electrical permits are $200 ($400 for EV chargers, solar and generators), commercial mechanical permits $225 for up to ten devices and $500 above that, and commercial roof replacements $200 up to 5,000 square feet and $500 above. Commercial renovations and buildouts are $0.35 per square foot, with minimums from $500 under 500 square feet to $10,000 above 25,000; assembly, educational, institutional and residential uses add 10% to the total; building shells are $0.28 and utility uses $0.15 per square foot; and a communication site is $1,500.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: every electrical inspection is made by a third-party agency the township has approved; contact one of them from the Cover All Contacts form for electrical questions and inspections.
• Plumbing: the Allegheny County Health Department’s Plumbing Division permits and inspects all plumbing. Framing inspections are not scheduled until its rough plumbing inspection report has been submitted to the township.
• Mechanical: rough mechanical inspections are made by the township at the same time as the framing inspection.
• Fuel gas and insulation: the township provides a fuel gas line testing affidavit and an insulation certificate for blown-in or sprayed insulation.
• Fire protection: sprinkler, fire alarm, hood suppression and similar systems are permitted under the fire code section of the fee schedule and inspected by the Division’s fire prevention staff.

The township’s pages show no local trade license. Home improvement contractors register with the state Attorney General under HICPA, and each application needs a workers’ compensation certificate naming coverage, not only liability, or an exemption affidavit.

How to apply for a North Fayette building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township reviews applications within five business days, well inside the state’s 15 business days for residential and 30 for commercial decisions. Each review after the second submittal can carry a re-review fee, so incomplete applications and unreadable drawings, which the township rejects, cost time and money. Commercial jobs also wait on the approved third-party reviewer’s turnaround, which the township does not set.

Inspections in North Fayette

The required inspections, when they are needed and how to schedule them are printed on the permit. Township staff inspect building, mechanical and fire work; framing waits for the county’s rough plumbing report, and rough mechanical is inspected with framing. Electrical inspections are booked with the approved agency. A return visit for a failed or partial inspection costs $150 each time, starting with the first return.

All required inspections must be passed and a certificate of occupancy issued for each permit. Where a temporary certificate is issued, the owner or agent must follow up and obtain the permanent certificate within the time the temporary one allows. A new single-family home pays a $150 occupancy permit and a commercial space $250; changing only the owner or business name on an existing commercial occupancy permit costs $50.

Pennsylvania building code in North Fayette

North Fayette enforces the Uniform Construction Code with its own code administration staff under its April 18, 2004 opt-in, using approved agencies for electrical inspection and commercial plan review. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists North Fayette Township (community 421085) 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

North Fayette permit search and official resources

North Fayette has no public online permit search; ask the Division for permit and occupancy records on a property. Code complaints can be reported through the township’s SeeClickFix portal, and the Permit Flow Chart shows each step from application to closing.

• Residential building permits
• Division of Code Enforcement & Permitting
• Fee schedule, Resolution 16-26 (2026)
• Building, fire, mechanical, electrical and demolition application
• Zoning or sign permit application
• Cover All Contacts form (approved inspectors)
• Permit flow chart
• Allegheny County Health Department plumbing permits
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

North Fayette building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a house in North Fayette?

$0.30 per square foot of total area, including the unfinished basement, decks and porches, plus $75 plan review, a $15 technology fee and the $4.50 state fee, with a $150 minimum.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof or siding?

No. Roof shingle replacement and siding are on the township’s no-permit list.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

A shed under 1,000 square feet needs a zoning permit; over 1,000 square feet it needs a building permit.

Can I email my application?

Yes, if every page is legible, no larger than 11 x 17 and the set is eight pages or fewer. Otherwise mail it or use the 24/7 drop-off.

How long does review take?

Five business days; an inspector emails the status.

Who inspects electrical and plumbing work?

Electrical work is inspected by a township-approved third-party agency and plumbing by the Allegheny County Health Department.

Does the township take cash?

No. Since April 1, 2022 it accepts checks, money orders and credit cards only.

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