South Fayette Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In South Fayette Township, the Building & Code department (100 Township Drive, 412-221-8700) issues and inspects residential and commercial building permits, and Building Code Official Joe Niedermeyer gives each applicant its list of required inspections. Under Fee Resolution 01 of 2025, a house or addition costs $90 plus $0.27 per square foot of floor space, with the $4.50 state fee included. Applications are not reviewed until the fee is paid in full, and the township never asks for payment by wire transfer.

What requires a building permit in South Fayette?

The township’s advice is to check with it before building anything. Building & Code issues permits for residential and commercial buildings and for accessory structures such as decks, fences and swimming pools, and the fee resolution prices the common jobs one by one:

Those three are the zoning-permit types offered on the township’s application form, filed on the same form as a building permit. The fee resolution prices the common small jobs separately: detached garages $100, sheds and gazebos $40, and porches, decks and carports $100.

What South Fayette decides and what the state holds

The construction standards are the Uniform Construction Code. South Fayette opted in to enforce it locally from May 17, 2004 and retains pre-1999 building code amendments, according to L&I’s municipal list, and its own Building Code Official carries out plan review and inspections, with outside consultants used where needed. The Board of Commissioners sets zoning and land development rules, the fee resolution and the business occupancy program, and a township ordinance requires every business to identify its location as “South Fayette” rather than the postal town (Bridgeville, Oakdale, McDonald and others). The township also publishes its Construction Standards and Appurtenances with the permit forms.

South Fayette building department: who handles permitting

Building & Code handles code enforcement, building permits, inspections and construction issues. Zoning, zoning districts, permitted uses and Zoning Hearing Board matters belong to the Planning & Zoning Department, led by Planning Director and Zoning Officer Gary Hartz; both the Zoning Officer and the Building Code Official sign off on the building permit application.

South Fayette permit types

The Building & Code page posts the building permit application, a certification of clean fill form, a fillable commercial occupancy permit form, the Construction Standards and Appurtenances, a demolition application and checklist, the grading and land operations application, and the Zoning Hearing Board application with its 2026 deadlines. Guides cover residential wood decks and swimming pool safety barriers.

Residential permits

For a deck, porch, fence, shed or pool, fill out the residential building permit application and hand it in with a check for the fee, a property survey showing compliance with the zoning setbacks, and detailed construction drawings. The application asks for the work’s dimensions, total square footage, estimated cost and the energy compliance method (PA Alternative, REScheck or the IECC), and for workers’ compensation coverage or an exemption. New homes follow the same form with full plans.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial permits start at $250 plus $0.35 per square foot and add charges for fire protection systems, high-hazard and assembly uses, elevators, extra stories, accessibility, mechanical and energy review. Plan review is either done by township staff, from a $155 minimum plus a per-square-foot rate, or by an independent consultant billed at cost plus 15%. A new tenant in a commercial space files a Zoning Occupancy & Use Permit with a $150 check, after which the township makes its fire and safety inspection.

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. Questions about districts, uses and the zoning map go to Planning & Zoning. Variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board, which publishes its filing deadlines for 2026.
• Land development. Subdivision and land development applications go through Planning and the Planning Commission. The township also has a traffic impact fee chapter (Chapter 211, amended by Ordinance 2021-07); ask Planning whether it applies to a new development.
• Grading and clean fill. Grading and land operation permits are priced from 50 cubic yards of material moved and from one acre cleared, and the township posts a certification of clean fill form alongside the grading application.
• Floodplain. A floodplain permit is $50 for residential work, $250 plus costs for non-residential work and $400 plus costs for a special floodplain permit.
• Sewer. The Municipal Authority of the Township of South Fayette handles all sanitary sewer matters; a private storm pipe connection to the township storm system has a $50 tap-in fee.

South Fayette permit costs and fees

Fees come from Fee Schedule Resolution No. 01 of 2025, enacted by the Board of Commissioners on January 8, 2025; it is the newest fee resolution on the township’s Ordinances & Resolutions page. Building fees cover routine inspections in working hours by township staff; outside consultants’ costs are added. The resolution states that UCC permits issued by the township include the $4.50 state fee. Fees double for work started without a permit; a second visit for a failed inspection is free, and every visit from the third on costs $50.

A 2,400-square-foot new house works out to $90 plus 2,400 × $0.27 ($648), or $738, which already includes the $4.50 state fee. A 300-square-foot addition is $90 plus $81, or $171, and a residential fence is a flat $35. A farm accessory structure costs a $40 filing fee in total when the applicant lives on the land in the township and runs a family normal farming operation with revenue of no more than $1,000,000 a year; otherwise it pays the residential accessory rate. Construction trailers and other temporary structures are $150 for each six months.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Plumbing: the Allegheny County Health Department issues plumbing permits throughout the county; the plan is approved before work starts, filings go through the county’s Citizen Access Portal or its Noblestown Road office, and every permit ends with a final inspection.
• Mechanical and energy: on commercial jobs these are add-ons to the building permit at $0.05 and $0.02 per square foot.
• Fire protection: sprinkler systems ($255 up to 50 heads, then $75 per 50 heads), Ansul systems ($255), cooking hoods ($250) and fire alarms ($250 up to 30 devices) are priced in the commercial section.
• Electrical: the fee resolution has no separate electrical schedule; ask the Building Code Official how electrical work on your job is permitted and inspected.
• Sewer laterals: dye tests and lateral inspections are done by the Municipal Authority of the Township of South Fayette.

The township’s pages show no local contractor or trade license. Home improvement contractors register with the state Attorney General under HICPA, and the application asks for workers’ compensation details.

How to apply for a South Fayette building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

State rules give the township 15 business days to decide a residential application (5 if a design professional certifies it) and 30 for commercial work, unless the applicant agrees in writing to more time. The township’s own trigger is payment: review does not start until the fee is paid in full. Commercial projects sent to an outside reviewer also wait on that consultant, and a project needing zoning relief cannot be permitted until the Zoning Hearing Board rules.

Inspections in South Fayette

Each permit comes with its own list of required inspections from the Building Code Official, which varies with the project; for decks, fences, sheds and pools the township says the inspections ensure the structure meets minimum safety and code requirements. A failed inspection can be returned to once without charge; from the third visit for the same item, each return costs $50. Commercial occupancies get a fire and safety inspection once the new tenant registers.

Occupancy registration when a home is sold

At resale, the township’s Occupancy Registration page describes paperwork rather than a house inspection. For every sale of an existing home, the closing company, agent, lender or private party obtains a Residential Occupancy Registration listing the buyer’s details and a Municipal No-Lien Letter, by mailed request with a $60 check ($30 each) to the township at 100 Township Drive, second floor, with seller and buyer names, the address and the closing date. The sewer authority separately issues its own no-lien letter ($25) and a dye test and lateral inspection ($225), and the real estate tax collector issues a tax certification. A refinance needs the no-lien letters and tax certification but no new registration; vacant land needs only the township no-lien letter; newly built homes follow different rules set by the Building Department.

Pennsylvania building code in South Fayette

South Fayette enforces the Uniform Construction Code with its own Building Code Official under its May 17, 2004 opt-in. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists South Fayette Township (community 421106) 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

South Fayette permit search and official resources

The township has no public online permit search. For a property’s permit history, contact Building & Code; a Municipal No-Lien Letter ($30) confirms whether the township is owed money on a property. Ordinances and resolutions, including the fee resolution and 2026 zoning changes, are posted on the township’s Ordinances & Resolutions page.

• South Fayette Building & Code
• Building permit application
• Fee Schedule Resolution No. 01 of 2025
• Occupancy registration and no-lien letters
• Zoning and Zoning Hearing Board
• Zoning Hearing Board application and 2026 deadlines
• Swimming pool safety barrier guidelines
• Code Corner articles
• Permits and codes
• Ordinances and resolutions
• Municipal Authority of the Township of South Fayette
• Allegheny County Health Department plumbing permits
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

South Fayette building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in South Fayette?

For a house or addition, $90 plus $0.27 per square foot of floor space, which includes the $4.50 state fee. Commercial buildings start at $250 plus $0.35 per square foot.

Do I need a permit for a deck in South Fayette?

Yes. Porches, decks and carports are $100; a deck under 30 inches above grade is handled as a zoning permit on the same application.

How tall can a fence be?

Six feet at most, and a residential fence permit is $35.

What does a sale require in South Fayette?

A Residential Occupancy Registration and a Municipal No-Lien Letter from the township ($60 together), plus the sewer authority’s no-lien letter and dye test and the tax certification.

When does the township review my application?

Only after the permit fee is paid in full; pay by check with the application.

What happens if I fail an inspection?

The second visit is free; from the third visit for the same item, each return costs $50.

Do I need a floodplain permit in South Fayette?

Work in the floodplain takes a separate floodplain permit: $50 for residential work and $250 plus township costs for non-residential work.

Who handles sewer dye tests?

The Municipal Authority of the Township of South Fayette, which charges $225 for the dye test and lateral inspection at sale.

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