Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Penn Township (Westmoreland County), building permits are issued by the township’s Department of Community Development at 2001 Municipal Court, Harrison City (724-744-2171, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Adam Hlad, the Chief Building Inspector and Zoning Officer (ext. 208), issues permits for new homes, additions, decks and commercial buildings, and a code officer handles garages, sheds and pools. Applications, payments, status checks and inspection requests go through the township’s GovWell portal; tenant registrations are the one form still filed by email or in person.

What requires a building permit in Penn Township?

Penn Township describes its permits by who issues them. The Chief Building Inspector issues permits for new homes, additions, decks and other residential and commercial structures; a second code officer issues permits for garages, sheds, pools and other accessory structures. Zoning is enforced by the same Chief Building Inspector, acting as Zoning Officer, so a project is checked against the zoning ordinance and the construction code in one office.

The township’s pages do not set out a separate list of exempt work; the Community Development front desk (ext. 210) is the first contact for walk-in questions about smaller jobs.

What Penn Township decides and what the state holds

The construction standards are the statewide Uniform Construction Code. Penn Township opted in to enforce it locally on July 1, 2004, and L&I lists the township with no local amendments and Adam Hlad as its building code official. The Board of Commissioners controls zoning, subdivision and land development, stormwater, sewage enforcement and the township’s fees. The zoning ordinance dates from 2016 and is being rewritten: the township’s February 10, 2026 open house set out a 12-month update running from August 2025 to an adoption phase in mid-2026, after separate amendments to the industrial districts and a rural-to-medium-density map change in 2025. The township calendar then listed Planning Commission zoning sessions (the latest on April 16, 2026) and a joint Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission zoning meeting on May 7, 2026. The township’s website does not say whether the new ordinance has been adopted, so ask the Zoning Officer which version applies to your lot before you design. The comprehensive plan behind the rewrite was adopted on January 20, 2021 by Resolution 2-2021.

Penn Township building department: who handles permitting

Community Development is directed by Bill Roberts, who supervises building code enforcement, zoning, sewage enforcement and planning and development in the township. Its inspectors issue the permits and carry out the inspections, a code enforcement officer handles property maintenance complaints and occupancy inspections of existing homes, and the administrative assistant is the first contact for walk-in visitors and supports the Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board.

Penn Borough is a separate municipality: L&I lists it with its own UCC opt-in (May 11, 2004), so permits there do not come from the township. The commissioners and Penn Borough Council scheduled a joint public informational meeting for April 13, 2026 on a proposed merger of the two municipalities. The township’s five commissioners, one for each ward, hold caucus and business meetings at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building; the calendar lists the next ones for November 11 and 18, 2026.

Penn Township permit types

All required permits and applications are filed through GovWell, where an applicant creates an account with an email address, files the application, pays, checks its status and later requests inspections. The township also keeps a separate online payment page for permits. Only the tenant and lessee registration has stayed on paper: it is emailed to Community Development or handed in at the Municipal Building.

Residential permits

House permits are split by project type. A new home, an addition or a deck goes to the Chief Building Inspector; a garage, shed, pool or other accessory structure goes to the code officer at ext. 205. Both are filed through GovWell. Homeowners who rent out a unit must also register each occupied unit with the township.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building permits are issued by the Chief Building Inspector. Commercial site development plans, land developments and subdivisions first go to the Planning Commission, which makes non-binding recommendations, and then to the Board of Commissioners for a decision. The Township Engineer, Gibson-Thomas Engineering, reviews subdivision and site plans for compliance and inspects roads, sewers, buildings and stormwater facilities on projects as the township manager directs.

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 Hearing Board. A five-member board meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building. It decides variances and special exceptions, appeals from the Zoning Officer, challenges to land use ordinances, appeals on floodplain decisions by the engineer or Zoning Officer, and appeals on stormwater and erosion-control decisions that do not involve a subdivision or land development.
• Stormwater. The township’s stormwater ordinance covers land disturbance and post-construction runoff, and the Westmoreland Conservation District reviews land disturbance plans for the township. Runoff here drains to Turtle Creek, Coal Run, Bushy Run and other streams.
• Sewer and water. Public sewer is provided by the Penn Township Sewage Authority, an independent authority formed in 1956 whose board the Commissioners appoint; public water comes from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Sewage enforcement for on-lot systems sits under Community Development.
• Floodplain. Floodplain administration decisions can be appealed to the Zoning Hearing Board.
• Driveways. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.
• Transportation impact fee. The township has a Transportation Impact Fee Advisory Committee, whose meetings have been on the township calendar since 2025 (the latest listed for May 21, 2026). Developers of new projects should ask Community Development whether a transportation impact fee applies.

Penn Township permit costs and fees

Building, zoning and accessory structure fees are set by the township and paid through GovWell or the township’s online payment page. The figure the township prints on its own permit pages is the rental registration fee; building permit amounts are quoted by Community Development for each project.

The rental fee is charged per unit, not per person: a single tenant and a family of four pay the same $25. For a building or accessory permit, start the application in GovWell or call the inspector who handles that project type for the fee before you file.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Penn Township’s pages describe building, accessory, zoning and occupancy work rather than separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit rules, so trade work is handled as part of the permit for the project and its inspections through Community Development. Public sewer connections are a matter for the Penn Township Sewage Authority (724-744-4333), and on-lot sewage enforcement is coordinated by the Community Development Director.

• Electrical, plumbing and mechanical: part of the project’s permit application in GovWell.
• Sewer laterals and taps: the Sewage Authority, an independent authority, sets its own rates and connection rules.
• Stormwater on construction sites: contractors are given the township’s stormwater education material when they come in for a building permit.

The township’s pages show no local license for electricians, plumbers or contractors. Home improvement contractors register with the Attorney General under the state’s home improvement law.

How to apply for a Penn Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The state code gives the township 15 business days to decide a residential building permit (5 if a design professional certifies the plans) and 30 for commercial work, unless more time is agreed in writing. Projects take longer when they need a Zoning Hearing Board decision, which waits for the monthly hearing, or a Planning Commission recommendation and a Board of Commissioners vote. Plans that disturb land may also wait for the Westmoreland Conservation District’s review. A decision under the building code can be appealed to the township’s UCC Appeals Board, which the calendar shows meeting on May 20, 2025.

Inspections in Penn Township

Inspections are requested in GovWell once a permit is issued, and Community Development’s inspectors carry them out; the Chief Building Inspector covers houses, additions, decks and commercial buildings, and the code officer covers garages, sheds, pools and other accessory structures. The Township Engineer inspects public improvements such as roads, sewers and stormwater facilities on development projects.

Occupancy and rentals

The township’s code enforcement officer carries out occupancy inspections of existing homes as well as handling property maintenance complaints; ask at ext. 209 whether your sale or rental needs one. Anyone renting out property must register the tenant or lessee with the township: the form asks for the tax map number (starting 55-), the property address, the owner, an emergency contact and the tenant’s name and mailing address, with the $25 fee per occupied unit. When a tenant leaves, the owner must notify the township even if no new tenant moves in; that notice is free and can be faxed to Community Development.

Pennsylvania building code in Penn Township

Penn Township has enforced the Uniform Construction Code with its own staff since its July 1, 2004 opt-in. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Penn Township in Westmoreland County (community 422183) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 17, 2011.

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

Penn Township permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their own permits in GovWell. Other permit records are public records: requests go to the township’s Right to Know Officer (ext. 201, righttoknow@penntwp.org) on the township’s request form, under its Right to Know policy, Resolution 75-2024. Police records have their own officer at the police department.

• Permits and applications
• GovWell permit portal
• Community Development
• Municipal contacts
• Tenant/lessee registration instructions (PDF)
• Tenant/lessee registration form (PDF)
• Zoning Hearing Board
• Planning Commission
• Stormwater management
• Proposed zoning changes
• Zoning ordinance update open house boards, February 2026 (PDF)
• Comprehensive plan update (adopted January 20, 2021)
• Board of Commissioners by ward
• Township and Penn Borough merger meeting, April 13, 2026
• Right to Know
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Penn Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Penn Township, Westmoreland County?

The township’s Community Development Department in Harrison City. The Chief Building Inspector issues permits for homes, additions, decks and commercial buildings; a code officer issues them for garages, sheds and pools.

Can I apply online?

Yes. Permit applications, payments, status checks and inspection requests all go through the township’s GovWell portal. Tenant registrations are still emailed or delivered in person.

Do I need a permit for a shed or pool?

Yes. Sheds, garages, pools and other accessory structures are permitted by the code officer at 724-744-2171 ext. 205.

What does it cost to register a rental unit?

$25 per occupied unit, regardless of how many people live there. Telling the township a tenant has moved out is free.

When does the Zoning Hearing Board meet?

On the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 2001 Municipal Court.

Is the zoning ordinance changing?

The township is rewriting its 2016 zoning ordinance; its 2026 open house materials set out a 12-month process ending in an adoption phase in mid-2026, and joint zoning sessions ran into May 2026. The website does not say the new ordinance has been adopted, so check the district rules with the Zoning Officer before you design.

Who provides sewer and water service?

Sewer comes from the Penn Township Sewage Authority (724-744-4333) and public water from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.

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