Richland Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Richland Township, Cambria County, the township itself takes building permit applications at its municipal office, 322 Schoolhouse Road, Suite 110 (814-266-2922), where one form covers the building permit, zoning review and plan examination. Fees come from Resolution 2024-19, in force since January 1, 2025: work on a house that falls under the code costs $100 for plan review plus inspections at 2% of the cost and the $4.50 state fee, with a $304.50 minimum. Contractors also need a township contractor license.

What requires a building permit in Richland Township?

The township’s FAQ gives its own list of work that needs a permit and adds a firm rule: permits must be obtained before construction, sales or the permitted activity begins, and the township may double the permit cost when a project starts first. Some items on the list are building permits, others are township licenses or zoning approvals handled by the same office.

The township’s zoning ordinance sets building setbacks, lot coverage and the heights of structures and fences. Because those rules apply even where the building code does not, the township asks anyone planning a change to a home or business to call the zoning office first.

What the township decides and what the state holds

Richland Township opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code on June 19, 2004, and L&I’s list shows the township kept local amendments; the township office number is its UCC contact. The township’s contractor license form lists the codes it has adopted: the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire and Energy Conservation Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, alongside its own zoning, subdivision and land development, floodplain and soil erosion and grading ordinances. The Board of Supervisors sets the fees by resolution.

Richland Township building department: who handles permitting

The township runs its own permit office. Its combined application ends with the approval of the Richland Township Zoning Officer, the office box splits the fee into review, inspections and the state fee, and the commercial occupancy form sends applicants to the township’s Zoning and Codes Office to book inspections. Richland is not on the member list of the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency that serves many Cambria County towns. Bryan J. Beppler is the township’s Executive Director.

Richland Township permit types

All township forms are printable PDFs on the “Richland Zoning & Building Codes” page. There is no online portal: the township asks for the completed form back at the office, in person or by mail, with the fee.

Residential permits

House projects use the Application for Building Permit, Zoning Review and Plan Examination. It asks for lot and building dimensions, the proposed use, the contractor’s township license number and state registration number, and separate construction, electrical, plumbing and heating costs; proof of the stated costs is required on every project. Three sets of plans go with new construction, additions, alterations and accessory buildings, plus the township’s site plan sheet showing the lot, streets, easements, driveways and existing and proposed buildings with dimensions. Pools use their own application, with two sets of scaled plans showing the barrier under the 2018 swimming pool code’s section 305, utilities, piping, motor and heater details and equipotential bonding; the form also asks the owner to describe the required six-foot enclosure. A new home needs the $100 certificate of occupancy application before anyone moves in.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building work uses the same combined application with four sets of plans. Every new business, including a home office or home business, also files a Commercial Occupancy Application ($100), and the premises must be inspected by the Zoning and Codes Office before renovations or opening. Signs have a separate application, and wireless facilities have their own form and fees.

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 review. Built into the building permit application; variances and appeals go to the Zoning Hearing Board ($300 residential, $500 home business or commercial).
• Site plans and subdivisions. Planning Commission site plan review costs $180 plus $45 an hour of staff review or the cost of independent review; subdivisions and land mergers cost $200 plus $10 per lot, with a $220 minimum.
• Stormwater. The application calls for a site plan with stormwater controls, and any driveway of 500 square feet or more needs stormwater management.
• Sewer and water. New construction needs sewage approval (the form lists FHMA and the Highland Sewer & Water Authority) and water approval from the Highland authority.
• Address. A Cambria County 911 address is required for new construction.
• Driveways and roads. Township driveway and road occupancy permits for township roads; a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit for a state road.
• Floodplain. The township has a floodplain management ordinance and takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Richland Township permit costs and fees

Building permit fees come from Resolution 2024-19, adopted December 30, 2024 and effective January 1, 2025, which amended Resolution 2019-28. Other fees are on the township’s miscellaneous fee sheet under Resolution 2019-28 of November 25, 2019.

Commercial bands stack: the resolution’s own example for an $800,000 job charges $250 and $500 on the first $50,000, 1% and 2% on the next $450,000 and 0.5% and 1.5% on the last $300,000, totalling $6,250 for review, $14,000 for inspections and $20,254.50 with the state fee. For a house, a $20,000 remodel under the code costs $100 plus $400 (2%) plus $4.50, or $504.50, and a $250,000 new home costs $200, $2,500, $100 and $4.50, or $2,804.50. Balances, including re-inspection charges, must be paid before the certificate of occupancy is issued.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and heating work is priced and reviewed on the same combined application: the form asks for each trade’s cost separately, and the inspection fee is figured from the total job cost. Pools add their own bonding and heater details.

• Township contractor license. Richland licenses contractors by classification: general, plumbing, electrical, excavation, masonry, mechanical and others. The 2026 application costs $100, lists the company’s owners or officers, and needs certificates of liability and workers’ compensation insurance naming the township as certificate holder, or a notarized affidavit that the contractor has no employees. Two vehicle decals come with each license (extra decals $1), and licensed contractors are subject to the township’s business privilege tax collected by Berkheimer.
• On the permit. The building, pool and driveway applications all ask for the Richland contractor license number and the state registration number, so an unlicensed contractor holds up the permit.
• Workers’ compensation. The township posts guidance for contractors claiming the insurance exemption.

Home improvement contractors also register with the state Attorney General under HICPA, and that number goes on the application with the township license.

How to apply for a Richland Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The state UCC rules allow 15 business days to decide a residential application and 30 for a commercial one, unless the applicant agrees to more time. Locally, files stall when the cost proof is missing, when the site plan omits stormwater controls, when a new house has no sewage or water approval or 911 address yet, or when a contractor’s township license has lapsed. Work started before the permit risks the double-fee rule.

Inspections in Richland Township

Inspection fees are charged up front with the permit: a new house includes the inspection fee for its value band plus a $100 occupancy fee, and each failed or repeat visit adds a $50 residential or $100 commercial re-inspection charge. Call the township office at 814-266-2922 to schedule.

Occupancy certificates

A newly built home needs a township certificate of occupancy ($100), applied for with the building permit number, and the township issues a blue recycling container with each new home. If the new home will be rented, it must be reported to the township every year under Ordinance No. 70, as amended by Ordinance No. 98. Every new commercial occupant needs the commercial occupancy permit and an inspection before opening. The township’s pages list no inspection at the resale of an existing house.

Driveway rules

Every driveway alteration needs a permit. New driveway pipes must be at least 12 inches in diameter, the first five feet from the edge of the cartway must be macadam rather than pavers, concrete or decorative stone, the strip between the pavement and the right-of-way line must be kept clear, and mailbox supports may not be built of concrete, brick or stone.

Pennsylvania building code in Richland Township

Richland Township enforces the Uniform Construction Code through its own office under its June 19, 2004 opt-in. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Richland Township, Cambria County (community 422264) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective June 19, 2012, the same map date as the neighboring City of Johnstown.

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

Richland Township permit search and official resources

The township has no online permit lookup. Ask the municipal office about permits, occupancy certificates and zoning decisions for a property. Formal records requests go to the township’s Open Records Secretary on the township’s request form, returned in person or by mail, or through the web form on its Right to Know page. Zoning Hearing Board notices and minutes are posted on the board’s page.

• Richland Zoning & Building Codes forms
• Permit fees, Resolution 2024-19
• Miscellaneous fees, Resolution 2019-28
• Building permit, zoning review and plan examination application
• Contractor license application 2026
• Swimming pool application
• Driveway permit application
• Certificate of occupancy for new residences
• Commercial occupancy application
• Township FAQs: permits and meetings
• Zoning Hearing Board notices and minutes
• MS4 stormwater management
• Right to Know
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Richland Township building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Richland Township, Cambria County?

The township itself, through its zoning and codes office at 322 Schoolhouse Road, Suite 110. One application covers the building permit, zoning review and plan examination.

How much is a building permit in Richland Township?

For code work on a house: $100 for review plus 2% of the cost for inspections plus $4.50, never less than $304.50. New homes are priced by value band, starting at $1,304.50 up to $100,000.

Do I need a permit to reroof in Richland Township?

Yes. Reroofing, shingle or metal, is on the township’s list of work that needs a permit.

Do I need a permit for a pool?

Yes, for any pool able to hold 18 inches of water or more. File the pool application with two sets of scaled plans showing the barrier and the electrical bonding.

Do contractors need a township license?

Yes. Richland issues contractor licenses, with a $100 registration fee, in general, plumbing, electrical, excavation, masonry, mechanical and other classes, with insurance certificates naming the township.

Is a permit needed to repave a driveway?

Yes. All driveway changes need a permit; there is no fee up to 499 square feet, and $50 plus stormwater management at 500 square feet or more.

What happens if I start work before getting a permit?

The township may double the permit cost, under both its fee resolution and its FAQ.

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