Peters Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Peters Township, the Planning Department on the ground floor of the municipal building, 610 East McMurray Road, McMurray (724-942-5005), issues building, zoning, fence and demolition permits through the SDL online portal. The township’s building code official reviews house plans and inspects, Code-sys reviews commercial plans, and electrical, energy and exterior sanitary inspections on new homes and commercial work go to approved third-party agencies. Ordinance 920, enacted December 22, 2025, sets a new house or addition at $0.40 per square foot.

What requires a building permit in Peters Township?

The township’s permit guidelines say a building permit is needed to build or enlarge any structure, including new houses and additions, and for accessory structures such as pools, decks, utility sheds, garages, carports and tennis courts. Repairs and alterations need one when a structural member is changed or replaced (studs, joists, rafters, headers, roof sheathing, masonry) or when plumbing or electrical wiring is done. Ordinance 920 adds retaining walls 4 feet or taller to the building permit list.

A pool with a fence and pool house shows how the township splits jobs: one residential building permit, a pool permit application covering the pool and fence, and an accessory structure application for the pool house. Every building, zoning, fence and demolition permit needs a scaled plot plan or survey showing the whole scope of work.

What Peters Township decides and what the state holds

Peters, a home rule municipality, opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code itself from July 4, 2004, and L&I’s list shows it kept building code amendments it had before the UCC. Township Council sets the fees in Chapter 195 of the code, and the zoning ordinance, subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO), Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission and Construction Code Board of Appeals are all local.

Peters Township building department: who handles permitting

The Planning Department handles every building and zoning permit, the Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board applications, and code enforcement. Plan review is split: township staff review new single-family houses and all non-commercial projects in house, while construction documents for any commercial project are sent to Code-sys, the township’s contracted reviewer. Inspections are done by the township’s building inspectors, except for the electrical, energy-compliance and exterior sanitary inspections that third parties must perform on new houses and all commercial work.

Peters Township permit types

All applications start in SDL. One account covers every permit and inspection request; most messages about a permit come by email, and the issued paperwork is delivered through the portal. The township’s documentation checklist sets out what to upload for each residential project type, and the Regulations and Guidelines page adds a residential deck construction guide, pool safety-barrier guidelines and swimming pool rules.

Residential permits

• Alteration (interior work with structural changes or changes to the means of egress): drawings, signed and sealed if there is structural work, and the contractor’s certificate of liability insurance.
• Addition: drawings signed and sealed by a design professional, insurance, a scaled survey with the project drawn on it, and an energy compliance worksheet where it applies.
• Accessory structure: drawings (sealed when the structure is 500 square feet or larger), insurance and the survey.
• Pool: drawings or vendor specifications, insurance, the survey, pool cover and door or window alarm details, and for in-ground pools the fence with its dimensions, gate swing, lock and latch. Each house door opening onto the pool area needs an alarm that sounds for at least 30 seconds, and the application needs a PA One Call serial number.
• New house: sealed drawings, survey, sanitary tap, energy compliance worksheet, insurance, a stormwater on-lot controls sheet for lots outside a planned development, and where they apply a sprinkler addendum, a Highway Occupancy Permit and the traffic impact fee.

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

Commercial permits

A business leasing space with no structural changes files a Certificate of Occupancy Permit ($105). The township reviews it for zoning, then the applicant books building and fire inspections, and the certificate is issued once both pass. Structural changes need a Commercial Alteration Permit, with the fee set by the scope of work and a review that takes 20–30 business days because Code-sys reviews the plans.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning Hearing Board. Appeals and special exceptions under the zoning ordinance; hearings are on the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. The fee is $400 residential or $750 commercial, with $100 for a continued hearing.
• Planning Commission and Council. Plans for residential and commercial development go to the Planning Commission (second Thursday at 7 p.m.), which advises Council; a conditional use before Council costs $550 and may need a $5,000 escrow.
• Sewer or septic. A new house needs a sanitary tap from the Peters Township Sanitary Authority or the Peters Creek Sanitary Authority, depending on the area; on-lot systems go through the Washington County Sewage Council, which the township links from its planning pages.
• Stormwater and grading. New houses outside planned developments file the stormwater on-lot controls sheet; grading permits start at $150 for up to 1,000 cubic yards, and grading that includes a retaining wall 4 feet or taller is handled as a building permit.
• Driveways and traffic. A PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit is needed for access to a state road, and new houses pay the traffic impact fee where it applies.
• HOA rules. The township recommends checking homeowners’ association covenants before applying.

Peters Township permit costs and fees

Township Council replaced the permit, hearing, subdivision and grading articles of Chapter 195 with Ordinance 920, enacted and effective December 22, 2025. Any fee the state charges on a building or demolition permit, such as the $4.50 UCC fee, is passed through to the applicant.

Worked examples at these rates: a 600-square-foot addition costs $240 (600 × $0.40); a $28,000 interior renovation falls in the $25,001–$30,000 band and costs $120; and an $80,000 renovation costs $230 ($170 plus 30 × $2). The state fee is added to each. If a permit is issued and work never starts, half the fee may be refunded on request, and substantial plan changes are charged a new fee in proportion to the change.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical work on new houses and all commercial projects must be inspected by a third-party agency from the township’s permitted list, which includes Building Inspection Underwriters, Bureau Veritas, Code-sys, Middle Department Inspection Agency, Municipal Consulting Service, Professional Code Services and Steel City Inspection Agency among others. Energy-code testing (blower door and duct leakage) is also third-party; the township names four testing firms but says applicants are not limited to them, as long as the test reports reach the township. Exterior sanitary lines on new construction are inspected by a third party too, and the sanitary authorities are listed alongside the agencies. Plumbing and mechanical work is reviewed with the building permit, and those inspections appear on the permit’s list for the township’s building inspectors.

The pool rules include electrical details: a GFCI-protected convenience receptacle 10 to 20 feet from the pool, and a 20-amp twist-lock GFCI pump receptacle with an in-use cover 6 feet from the pool. Either the owner or the contractor may apply for a permit; the checklist asks for the contractor’s liability insurance certificate. The township sets no local trade license, and home improvement contractors register with the state Attorney General under HICPA.

How to apply for a Peters Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township’s guidelines say permits are usually issued within 15 business days for residential work and 30 for commercial work, the same limits state rules set; commercial alterations reviewed by Code-sys take 20–30 business days. Incomplete information delays the process, and illegible drawings are not accepted. On smaller residential jobs a specification sheet and simpler drawing may be accepted, and the owner may sign a waiver instead of a professional seal where no seal is required.

Inspections in Peters Township

Every issued permit carries the full list of inspections for the job, including those a third party must do. Inspections are requested through SDL at least 24 hours in advance. If a footer, foundation, framing, plumbing, mechanical or other inspection fails and has to be repeated because of code violations, each visit after the first costs $125, payable before the certificate of occupancy is issued. Blower-door and duct-leakage test reports must be submitted to the township.

A residential occupancy permit costs $30. For businesses, a new renter in an existing building or occupancy of a new nonresidential building needs a $105 occupancy permit, issued after zoning review and the building and fire inspections.

Pennsylvania building code in Peters Township

Peters enforces the Uniform Construction Code locally under its July 4, 2004 opt-in, with commercial plan review contracted to Code-sys. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Peters Township (community 422152) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective September 30, 2015. Appeals from a building code decision go to the three-member Construction Code Board of Appeals, which meets on the first Tuesday at 6 p.m. only when an appeal has been filed.

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

Peters Township permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their own permits, documents and inspection results in SDL. For records on another property, ask the Planning Department at 724-942-5005; development plans currently before the township are posted on its Plans Under Review page. The zoning ordinance, SALDO and Chapter 195 are on eCode360, and Zoning Hearing Board legal notices are posted before each hearing.

• Peters Township permits and applications
• Residential permits
• Commercial permits
• SDL permit portal
• SDL how-to guide
• Residential documentation checklist
• Ordinance 920: Chapter 195 fees (December 22, 2025)
• List of third-party inspection agencies
• Guidelines to obtain a building permit
• Swimming pool requirements
• Zoning Hearing Board
• Planning Commission
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Peters Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Peters Township?

$0.40 per square foot under Ordinance 920, plus any state fees such as the $4.50 UCC fee, which are passed through.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof shingles or windows?

No. The township’s guidelines list shingle replacement, window replacement, exterior siding, interior painting and paneling as cosmetic work that needs no permit, unless structural members are changed.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Peters Township?

Yes. A fence, fence-like barrier or retaining wall under 4 feet needs a $55 fence permit with a scaled plot plan; taller retaining walls need a building permit.

Who does electrical inspections in Peters Township?

On new houses and all commercial work, a third-party agency from the township’s permitted list. The permit lists which inspections are third-party.

Can I apply online?

Yes. All applications go through the SDL portal, which also delivers the permit and takes inspection requests.

How long does a commercial alteration permit take?

20–30 business days, since Code-sys reviews commercial construction documents for the township.

What does a Zoning Hearing Board appeal cost?

$400 for a residential application and $750 for a commercial one, plus $100 for each continued hearing.

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