Spring Garden Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Spring Garden Township, York County, the township’s Zoning Officer processes building and zoning permits at 340 Tri Hill Road (717-848-2858), and Code Administrators, the third-party agency, reviews plans and inspects. Nothing is paid up front: Code Administrators invoices its plan review and inspection fees by email, and the township fees, including the building permit fee in the master fee schedule amended by Resolution 2026-14 on June 10, 2026, are paid when the permit is picked up.

What requires a building permit in Spring Garden Township?

The township sorts common projects into those that need a building permit because they fall under the UCC and need inspections, and those that need only a zoning permit because they usually need no inspection.

No permit is needed for repairs that make no structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical change and do not alter exits, such as same-size windows and doors in the same place, nor for vinyl or aluminum siding, new shingles or a rubber roof, wallpaper, flooring, paint or cabinets that do not move fixtures, or swings and play equipment. Nothing may be built, fenced or planted other than grass in a right-of-way or easement.

What Spring Garden decides and what the state holds

The building standards are the statewide Uniform Construction Code, which the township chose to enforce on June 14, 2004 without local amendments, according to L&I’s list. The Board of Commissioners sets zoning, the stormwater ordinance (Ordinance 2022-08), the on-lot sewage ordinance (2017-05), the local plumber licensing rules and the master fee schedule, and appoints Code Administrators for UCC review and inspections.

Spring Garden Township building department: who handles permitting

The township issues the permits. Its Zoning Officer processes building and zoning permits, issues certificates of use and occupancy, serves as floodplain and MS4 coordinator, and issues portable storage unit and portable toilet permits. Code Administrators provides building permit review and building code inspection services, calculates its plan review and inspection fees and forwards its approvals to the township once paid.

The City of York is a separate municipality with its own Bureau of Permits and Inspections; see the York guide and the York County guide.

Spring Garden Township permit types

The forms page carries October 2026 versions of the building and change of use, zoning, plumbing, sewer connection, dumpster and portable storage, and chemical toilet applications, along with stormwater, street opening, fireworks, use and occupancy, Zoning Hearing Board, non-conforming use and rezoning forms. All of them may be emailed to the township.

Residential permits

Every section of the application must be filled in or it is denied. The building application asks whether the lot is in the floodplain, the new impervious area and the estimated cost, and needs signed and stamped drawings or specifications plus a plot plan showing existing structures with their square footage and distances to the property lines. The zoning form needs the owner’s signature even when a contractor applies as agent, and the Zoning Officer may not prepare an application or plot plan for anyone. No work of any kind, including excavation or demolition, may start before the permit is issued.

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

Commercial permits

All commercial and industrial remodeling and renovations, business signs and billboards, and changes of use need building permits, and the same application doubles as the change of use and occupancy form, reviewed against the zoning ordinance as well as the UCC. Every commercial use, home occupations included, needs a use and occupancy certificate ($50).

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board: $500 for residential and $750 for commercial or industrial applications. The township’s MapLink site shows districts and dimensional rules for each parcel.
• Stormwater. Any added impervious surface, from patios and sheds to pools and driveways, needs a stormwater management permit application with a diagram of existing and proposed impervious area.
• Sewer. New public sewer connections need a sewer connection permit and pay an $800 tapping fee per EDU; grinder pumps need their own permit.
• Septic. On-lot systems follow the township’s sewage disposal ordinance and the sewage enforcement fees in the master schedule.
• Streets. Work in a township street needs a street excavation permit.

Spring Garden Township permit costs and fees

The township’s master fee schedule, version BOC 2026.06.10, reflects Resolution 2026-14, the master fee schedule amendment the Board of Commissioners approved 5–0 on June 10, 2026. Code Administrators’ plan review and inspection fees are set by its own schedule and invoiced separately; township fees are due when the permit is picked up.

The $1,100 connection fee applies only when a property connects to a township-built lateral on which no front-foot assessment was charged, and it is added to the tapping fee. For a small patio, the fee in lieu of a stormwater facility is simple arithmetic: 300 square feet × $0.50 = $150. A 1,500-square-foot driveway and garage project falls in the $300 stormwater review band, and one over 2,000 square feet in the $700 band. The schedule does not say whether the $35 minimum is added to the per-$1,000 charge, so ask the office for a building permit figure before budgeting.

Street excavations also pay a pavement degradation fee per square yard, from $75 for pavement up to 5 years old to $30 for pavement over 15 years old. Residential subdivision and land development plans cost $500 plus $10 an acre, commercial plans $750 plus $20 an acre, minor subdivisions of three lots or fewer without public improvements $50, and each new lot or dwelling pays $2,500 in place of dedicated open space.

On-lot sewage permits are priced in the same schedule: $363 for a new system or for replacing a septic tank or absorption area, $248 for other repairs, modifications or a temporary holding tank, and $165 for minor repairs such as baffles, risers or cracked lids. Soil work costs $165 for the first probe and $154 for each further probe on the site, and a percolation test is $451. Field work, plot plans and letters for real estate transactions are billed at $115.50, and grinder or ejector pump permits are $60 plus actual engineering fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Plumbing: Spring Garden licenses plumbers under §120-20 of its code. A new master plumber license costs $50 and a journeyman license $25 plus a $25 application; renewals before January 1 are $40 and $20, rising to $50 and $25 afterward. Only applicants whose business is mainly plumbing, drainage, heating or air conditioning are eligible. The plumbing permit ($30) and the building application both ask for the master plumber’s name and township license number.
• Electrical and mechanical: most electrical work, generators and furnace or HVAC replacements need building permits, reviewed and inspected by Code Administrators.
• Contractors: the zoning and plumbing forms ask for the contractor’s Pennsylvania home improvement registration number and a workers’ compensation certificate or waiver.

The township’s pages show no local electrician or general contractor license. Landlords register rental units every year by January 31, with a $50 late fee per unit after that date, and report tenant changes on the township’s form.

How to apply for a Spring Garden Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Code Administrators reviews the plans, and the township cannot issue the permit until the agency’s invoice is paid and its approval arrives. State rules give 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for commercial work. Missing sections, a missing owner signature, unstamped drawings, an unpaid agency invoice or a pending stormwater review are the usual reasons for a hold-up.

Inspections in Spring Garden Township

The applicant or agent schedules building inspections directly with Code Administrators at 717-859-3350, giving at least 24 hours’ notice. Inspection fees follow the agency’s schedule, including plumbing inspections. New dwellings and all commercial uses need a use and occupancy certificate, which the Zoning Officer issues. Stormwater facilities are inspected at $100 for each best management practice.

The township does not list a resale use and occupancy inspection. For a sale, refinance or other transfer, the township issues a sewer certification of the amounts owed on request ($35, up to five business days), and rental properties must hold an annual rental license with an inspection ($200 per unit, $85 for a tenant change inspection).

Pennsylvania building code in Spring Garden Township

Spring Garden has enforced the Uniform Construction Code since June 14, 2004, with no local amendments, using Code Administrators for plan review and inspections. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Spring Garden Township (community 420937) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective December 16, 2015; the building application asks whether the property lies in the floodplain, and floodplain permits are priced as building permits.

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

Spring Garden Township permit search and official resources

The township has no public permit search. Copies of permit records are requested on the township’s right-to-know form, which can be emailed to the office, with charges set by its posted right-to-know fee schedule. Meeting minutes and agendas for the Board of Commissioners are posted on the township site.

• Zoning and building permits: which permit you need
• Building permit information and stormwater fees
• Forms and permits
• Master and collections fee schedules, June 10, 2026 (PDF)
• Minutes of June 10, 2026: Resolution 2026-14 (PDF)
• Building and change of use application, October 2026
• Zoning permit application, October 2026
• Plumbing permit application, October 2026
• Plumber’s license application (PDF)
• Stormwater management permit application (PDF)
• Stormwater management ordinance 2022-08 (PDF)
• Sewer connection permit application (PDF)
• Sewer certification and property transfer request (PDF)
• Certificate of use and occupancy application (PDF)
• Planning and zoning
• On-lot sewage systems
• Right-to-know request form (PDF)
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Spring Garden Township building permit FAQs

Who inspects my project?

Code Administrators, the township’s third-party agency. Call 717-859-3350 at least 24 hours before each inspection.

Do I pay when I apply?

No. Code Administrators bills its review and inspection fees by email after plan review, and the township collects its own fees when you pick up the permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

A fence up to 6 feet high needs a zoning permit ($35); one over 6 feet needs a building permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Under 1,000 square feet, a zoning permit; over 1,000 square feet, a building permit.

Can I replace my roof without a permit?

Yes, replacing shingles or a rubber roof needs no permit; replacing the roof framing does.

Can any plumber pull a plumbing permit?

The plumbing permit asks for a master plumber holding a Spring Garden Township license number.

Will I pay a stormwater fee for a patio?

Added impervious surface needs a stormwater permit application; for the first 500 square feet the schedule charges $0.50 per square foot in place of a stormwater facility.

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