Rapho Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

Rapho Township’s Building Code Official and Zoning Officer, Drew Keller, handles permits from the township office at 971 N. Colebrook Road, Manheim (717-665-3827). The township issues the building permit itself, but plan review and inspections are done by the inspection agency the applicant selects on the form: Commonwealth Code Inspection Service or Associated Building Inspections. Under Resolution 2025-18, a house permit costs $25 plus $3 per $1,000 of construction cost, the $4.50 state fee and a $50 certificate of occupancy fee, and the agency bills its own charges on top.

What requires a building permit in Rapho Township?

The township puts it plainly on its permits page: any building, excavation or earth disturbance needs a building, zoning or stormwater permit, and often more than one. Work the UCC covers takes a building permit; structures the UCC leaves out still need a township zoning permit; and new impervious surface or earth disturbance brings in the stormwater ordinance.

The township lists work excluded from the UCC: repairs or alterations without structural change, fences up to 6 feet, retaining walls under 4 feet, painting, papering and flooring, replacing roofing or siding, interior insulation and gutters. Several of these still need a zoning permit, so the township asks applicants to call the Zoning Officer before starting. The zoning ordinance exempts only repairs that leave the use and outside dimensions unchanged, satellite dishes under 40 inches, tilling and non-commercial forestry. Demolition and excavation have their own township permits.

What Rapho Township decides and what the state holds

Rapho opted in to enforce the UCC on June 23, 2004, with no local amendments on L&I’s list. The Board of Supervisors appoints the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer, the approved inspection agencies and the Sewage Enforcement Officer at its January reorganization, sets fees by resolution, and adopts the zoning ordinance (Chapter 350 of the township code, adopted November 7, 2013), the 2014 stormwater ordinance and the subdivision ordinance. Conditional uses, marked “CU” in the zoning tables, are decided by the supervisors after a hearing; in August 2026 they heard two, including a 343-unit apartment proposal on Mount Joy Road.

Rapho Township building department: who handles permitting

The township does. Its Building Code Official calculates every permit fee and issues the permit and the final certificate of occupancy, while the third-party agency reviews plans and performs the code inspections. The supervisors reappointed Commonwealth Code Inspection Service and Associated Building Inspections as the township’s UCC third-party inspectors on January 5, 2026. The agencies handle building permits only; zoning and stormwater permits stay with the Zoning Officer.

Public water and sewer come from the Manheim Area Water & Sewer Authority (717-665-2737) or the Mount Joy Borough Water and Sewer Authority (717-653-0500), depending on the area. Rettew is the township engineer.

Rapho Township permit types

Rapho posts separate applications for building, zoning, demolition and excavation permits, a recorded stormwater exemption, a stormwater site plan for minor and major projects, special events and sales, and pool guidelines. Applications are filed with the township office.

Residential permits

The building permit application asks for the tax parcel number, zoning district, setbacks on all four sides, lot size and dimensions, impervious coverage as a percentage of the lot, and a plot plan showing existing buildings; nothing may be built in a utility or stormwater easement or swale. Two sets of residential plans go in with it. The contractor gives a Pennsylvania contractor ID number (the state HICPA registration) and a current liability and workers’ compensation certificate. The applicant then ticks Commonwealth Code Inspection Service or Associated Building Inspections; choosing ABI means also completing ABI’s three-page application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial work uses the same township application with three sets of plans wet-stamped by a licensed professional. A change of use or occupancy must meet safety criteria for the new use, and the township asks owners to call the Building Code Official before proceeding. The commercial certificate of occupancy costs $75.

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 and hearings. Two copies of the zoning application with a scaled plot plan, decided within 90 days. Variances, special exceptions, interpretations and appeals go to the three-member Zoning Hearing Board, which meets on the first Tuesday at 7 p.m. ($800); conditional uses go to the supervisors ($600).
• Stormwater. New impervious surface of 1,000 square feet or less qualifies for a recorded exemption ($75), counted cumulatively since May 1, 2014; the fee resolution words the exemption as less than 1,000 square feet of added impervious surface and less than 5,000 square feet of disturbance. Houses adding 1,000 to 5,000 square feet may use the Small Project criteria (infiltration trench, rain garden, cistern or an 8-foot swale with a check dam); more than 5,000 needs an engineered plan.
• Erosion control. Earth disturbance over 5,000 square feet, piping stormwater, altering a watercourse or slopes over 10% need a Lancaster County Conservation District erosion and sediment plan; over one acre needs an NPDES permit.
• Floodplain. The zoning ordinance sets the regulatory flood elevation at the 100-year flood plus 1 foot of freeboard.
• Sewage. On-lot systems go through the township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer, and existing systems must be pumped and inspected every four years under the Act 537 plan.
• Driveways. A township driveway permit is $75; the zoning form asks for copies of state or township access permits.
• Subdivision and land development. Minor, preliminary and final plans are $500 each, plus engineer escrows of $1,000 to $1,500.

Rapho Township permit costs and fees

The supervisors adopted Resolution 2025-18 on October 16, 2025, effective January 1, 2026. The Building Code Official calculates each fee, and the office does not take payment until the permit is ready for pick-up. Construction-cost fees are rounded up to the next $1,000. Agency plan review and inspection charges are invoiced separately: do not pay the agency directly, but bring a separate check made out to it when you collect the permit.

Worked example: a $40,000 house addition costs $25 + $4.50 + 40 × $3 ($120) + the $50 certificate of occupancy, or $199.50 paid to the township, plus the chosen agency’s review and inspection invoice. A $6,400 patio rounds up to $7,000 and takes a zoning permit of $25 + 7 × $3, or $46. The township’s building fee includes one inspection by the Building Code Official and the issuing of the certificate; a re-inspection needed before the certificate can be issued may add a fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work is reviewed and inspected by the same agency chosen for the building permit; the township’s pool guidelines, for example, call for an electrical permit for pool circuits and a gas or mechanical permit for heaters. Rapho’s pages and fee resolution show no local trade license or contractor registration fee. The township does ask contractors for their Pennsylvania contractor ID number and a liability and workers’ compensation certificate on every building, zoning, demolition and excavation application, and the zoning form asks for insurance to be updated each year.

• Electrical: inspected by Commonwealth Code Inspection Service or ABI as part of the UCC permit.
• Plumbing and gas: covered by the UCC permit; public sewer and water connections follow MAWSA or Mount Joy rules.
• Septic: permitted and inspected by David Miller Associates, the appointed Sewage Enforcement Officer, under fee schedules approved by resolution in January 2026.
• Agricultural buildings: excluded from the UCC, but building or changing one still takes a zoning permit at $25 plus $2 per $1,000 of cost.

How to apply for a Rapho Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Plans must be approved by the inspection agency before the township issues the building permit, within the UCC’s 15 business days for houses and 30 for commercial work. Zoning permits are issued or rejected within 90 days and expire one year after issue, with six-month extensions for up to another year on good cause. The building form needs a copy of any Zoning Hearing Board decision and its conditions, and stormwater, excavation and demolition filings need the Conservation District approval letter where one applies.

Inspections in Rapho Township

You or your builder call the inspection agency named on the permit when each stage is ready. When the job is finished, the agency performs the final inspection and tells the township the work is complete and approved; the Building Code Official then issues the certificate of occupancy. For zoning permits, the applicant tells the Zoning Officer by phone or mail that the site is ready, and the zoning ordinance gives the officer ten days to inspect before issuing a certificate of use and occupancy.

Demolition sites must be cleared of debris within three months of the permit, debris may not be burned, and PA One Call must be notified at least three days before digging. The township’s pages show no resale inspection or resale certificate for homes being sold; owners with on-lot septic are told to keep their pump-out forms in case they sell.

Pennsylvania building code in Rapho Township

The township describes the UCC as covering the building, residential, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fuel gas, fire, energy conservation, existing building and wildland-urban interface codes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Rapho Township (community 421781) as a participating community, with flood maps effective April 5, 2016.

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

Rapho Township permit search and official resources

Rapho has no online permit lookup. Records requests go to the Agency Open Records Officer, Manager Randall Wenger, by email, fax, mail or in person; the township answers within five business days, and copies cost 25 cents a page ($1 certified). Supervisors’ agendas and minutes, including the monthly Zoning Officer’s report, are posted online. The county picture is in the Lancaster County permit guide.

• Rapho Township building, codes and permits
• Resolution 2025-18, 2026 fee schedule
• Building permit application
• Zoning permit application
• Approved third-party inspection companies
• Recorded stormwater exemption application
• Demolition permit application
• Swimming pool, hot tub and spa guidelines
• Zoning ordinance, amended through December 19, 2019
• Zoning Hearing Board
• On-lot septic pump-out program
• Right to Know requests
• Board of Supervisors agendas and minutes
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Rapho Township building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Rapho Township?

$25 plus $3 per $1,000 of construction cost and the $4.50 state fee, plus $50 for a house certificate of occupancy ($75 commercial). A $40,000 addition comes to $199.50 before agency fees.

Do I pay the inspection agency directly?

No. Bring a separate check payable to the agency to the township when you pick up the permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed or patio?

Yes, a zoning permit for sheds and detached garages under 1,000 square feet and for patios, at $25 plus $3 per $1,000 of cost.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Fences up to 6 feet are outside the UCC but still need a township zoning permit, except agricultural pasture fencing.

Do farm buildings need a permit?

Agricultural buildings are excluded from the UCC, but building or changing one needs a zoning permit at $25 plus $2 per $1,000.

When does a stormwater plan apply?

Up to 1,000 square feet of new impervious surface needs only the $75 recorded exemption; 1,000 to 5,000 square feet at a house uses the Small Project criteria; more needs an engineered plan.

Who inspects septic systems?

The township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer, David Miller Associates (717-898-3402), and every on-lot system must be pumped every four years.

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