Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Springfield Township, Delaware County (not the Springfield Townships in Montgomery, Bucks or other counties), the Building Department, led by Director Theresa Bennett, issues building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits and runs inspections with state-certified inspectors (610-544-1300). Permits are filed online through OpenGov, and while the Powell Road township building is renovated, in-person business is handled at 1001 Baltimore Pike, Suite 201. The posted fee schedule (Ordinance 1595, effective March 12, 2019) charges houses $35 per $1,000 of construction cost.

What requires a building permit in Springfield Township?

The Building Department publishes its own list of jobs that need a permit under the Uniform Construction Code and says the list is not complete, so anything else should be checked with an inspector by phone.

Sheds may be no larger than 168 square feet (no side over 14 feet), no taller than 10 feet, at least 3 feet from side and rear lines and 10 feet from the house, outside the front yard setback and on a concrete slab. Detached garages are limited to 24 by 24 feet and 12 feet high, with the same 3-foot and 10-foot spacing.

What Springfield decides and what the state holds

L&I’s list shows the township opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code on June 8, 2004 and keeps local amendments. The Board of Commissioners sets fees by ordinance, adopts the zoning and land development ordinances, and holds Building Regulations & Zoning Committee hearings ($150 residential). On August 11, 2026 it authorized the township solicitor to research amending the zoning ordinance to allow data centers; no amendment had been adopted in the posted minutes.

Springfield Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department’s building, plumbing and mechanical inspectors hold state certifications and aim to return calls and emails within 24 hours. The Code Department handles property maintenance and code enforcement and posts the use and occupancy checklist; the Engineering Department issues grading, storm water, sewer connection and street opening permits, and lists the zoning officer as a contact on the main line.

Springfield Township permit types

The Building and Code Enforcement departments moved permitting, licensing and code enforcement to OpenGov, and the Online Forms page says that from January 1 the township accepts only online permits. Paper requirement sheets remain posted for sheds and garages, pools, fences, plumbing excavation and sewer connections, and they spell out the plans each job needs.

Residential permits

• Sheds: a plot plan and a $25 permit.
• Detached garages: a full plot plan, three sets of construction details with elevations and cross section, a $50 flat use, regulation and zoning permit, a $100 grading permit, and a $600 storm water permit when more than 500 square feet of impervious surface is added.
• Pools: a plot plan of all existing and proposed features, construction details and every utility line; pools sit at least 10 feet from side and rear lines (6 feet in the C Residential district), out of the front yard setback and 22.5 feet from overhead power lines, inside a 4-foot fence with self-closing, latching gates, and doors or windows opening to the pool need audible alarms. File at least two weeks before the pool is delivered.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial, multi-family and other non-residential work pays $50 per $1,000 of cost for the first $100,000 and $35 per $1,000 above that, and plan review is billed at $175 an hour. A commercial use certificate inspection costs $100 up to 1,499 square feet, rising to $200 plus $50 per additional 1,000 square feet above 10,000. Fire protection systems and many uses need fire prevention permits from a separate schedule. Restaurants, food stores and public pools also answer to the township’s own Health Department: its Health Officer licenses eating and drinking establishments, retail food stores and public swimming pools, and new food businesses file a Board of Health plan review ($200 for the first review, $100 for a resubmitted plan).

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 Hearing Board. Variances and special exceptions; 2026 hearings have been held on the fourth Thursday of the month. A residential application costs $500 for a lot up to an acre and $1,000 above that.
• Grading and storm water. Grading and excavation permits cost $100 plus engineering fees; a simplified storm water plan (500 to 999 square feet) costs $600 and a full plan (1,000 square feet or more) $1,600 plus escrow. The Engineering page also posts the Delaware County Conservation District’s erosion and sediment control form.
• Sewer connection. Township Code section 109-15 sets a $1,500 tapping fee per equivalent dwelling unit, paid when the connection permit is applied for.
• Street openings. Work in the street needs an Engineering Department street opening permit.
• Conditional use and building regulations hearings. Conditional use hearings cost $300 residential and $750 commercial. A hearing before the commissioners’ Building Regulations & Zoning Committee needs eight typed, notarized copies of the petition with a plot plan, the zoning district, any deed restrictions and the administrative official’s written disapproval, plus a $150 residential or $300 non-residential filing fee and advertising and transcript costs above that.

Springfield Township permit costs and fees

The fee schedule posted by the township took effect on March 12, 2019 under Ordinance 1595; it adds a $9 surcharge to every UCC permit. Commissioners’ minutes for 2025 and 2026 show no newer fee ordinance.

Worked examples: a $20,000 kitchen remodel is 20 × $35, or $700, plus the $9 surcharge; a $250,000 commercial fit-out is 100 × $50 plus 150 × $35, or $10,250, plus $9 and hourly plan review. Electrical work on a pool job is priced at $35 per $1,000 of the electrical cost. A temporary storage unit costs $50 at a house and $100 at a business, and grading over half an acre needs a bond of at least $10,000 on top of the engineering fee. Hearing filing fees and the sewer tapping fee are paid with the application, before anything is scheduled or connected.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Contractors register with the township each year ($100, or $50 from September), and a contractor based in Springfield also needs the $50 contractor business privilege license from the Business Tax Office. The Building Department links to the Attorney General’s home improvement contractor search so owners can check HICPA registration; the township’s pages describe no local trade license.

• Electrical: service replacements, generators, solar arrays and EV chargers need permits, priced on cost.
• Plumbing: water heaters, sewer line replacement and sump pumps; a plumbing excavation checklist covers lateral work, and sump pumps or floor drains that discharge to the sanitary sewer must be redirected or sealed.
• Mechanical: boilers, furnaces, heaters and air conditioning replacements are on the permit list.
• Fire: sprinkler, alarm and suppression systems are priced like commercial construction on the fire prevention schedule.

How to apply for a Springfield Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Missing plot plans, utility locations or construction details are the gaps the requirement sheets warn about, and pool applications filed less than two weeks before delivery may not be ready in time. Storm water reviews include one revised plan; a third review is billed at the township engineer’s hourly rate. State rules give the township 15 business days to decide a complete residential application and 30 for commercial work.

Inspections and use certificates in Springfield Township

Inspections are requested from the Building Department at 610-544-1300, and the inspectors aim to answer within 24 hours. Engineering reviews and inspections are billed at $200 an hour, and plan review at $175 an hour.

The township’s fee schedule prices a use certificate inspection for houses tied to the settlement date, and its June 2026 U&O checklist lists what the inspector looks for: smoke detectors in every bedroom, on the first floor, in the basement and in the hallway by the bedrooms, a carbon monoxide detector near the bedrooms, GFCI outlets in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, basements and outdoors, sump pumps and floor drains disconnected from the sanitary sewer, a curb trap vent 3 to 6 inches above grade, a visible house number, and sound sidewalks, curbs and aprons. When the property is ready, call the township to book the inspection; settlement within 15 days of the first inspection adds $100. Rented homes carry an annual certificate of use from the township ($100 for a single-family dwelling, $50 per apartment building), and the township also charges a separate inspection fee when the owner or occupant of a single-family house changes ($100, with $25 for a re-inspection before the certificate issues).

Pennsylvania building code in Springfield Township

Springfield enforces the UCC itself through its Building Department under its 2004 opt-in, with local amendments, and has a UCC appeals board. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Springfield Township, Delaware County (community 420434) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective November 18, 2009. The township’s storm water page refers water main problems to Aqua Pennsylvania or the Chester Water Authority.

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

Springfield Township permit search and official resources

Permit status is followed in the OpenGov portal. Older permit and property records are requested on the township’s Open Records application, which can be submitted online or on paper; copies cost 25 cents a page under the fee schedule. Board of Commissioners and Zoning Hearing Board agendas and minutes are posted on the township site. The Delaware County permit guide covers county planning reviews.

• Springfield Township Building Department
• OpenGov permit portal
• Online forms
• Fee schedule (Ordinance 1595, effective March 12, 2019)
• Shed and detached garage requirements
• Pool permit requirements (2026)
• U&O inspection checklist
• Sewer connection permit application
• Code Department
• Engineering Department forms
• Zoning Hearing Board agendas and minutes
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Springfield Township building permit FAQs

Which Springfield Township does this cover?

Springfield Township in Delaware County, with its offices at 50 Powell Road (temporarily 1001 Baltimore Pike). Springfield Townships in Montgomery, Bucks and other counties are separate municipalities.

Where do I go in person while the township building is closed?

1001 Baltimore Pike, Suite 201, Springfield; the mailing address and phone number have not changed.

Can I apply on paper?

The township says it now accepts only online permits, through OpenGov.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof or water heater?

Yes. Roof covering replacement and water heater, boiler, furnace and air conditioner replacement are all on the township’s permit list.

How big can a shed be?

168 square feet at most, with no side longer than 14 feet and a 10-foot height limit; the permit is $25.

How much is a building permit for a house remodel?

$35 for each $1,000 of construction cost, plus the $9 surcharge.

What does the use and occupancy inspection check?

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, GFCI outlets, sump pumps and floor drains kept off the sanitary sewer, the curb trap vent, the house number, and sidewalks and curbs.

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