Swatara Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Swatara Township, Dauphin County, the Building and Codes Department (717-564-2551) takes building and zoning applications on one combined form, and Approved Code Services, Inc. carries out every building plan review and construction inspection. Under Resolution 2026-11, adopted March 11, 2026, a residential building permit costs $9 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $360 minimum, plus a $35 administrative fee and the $4.50 state fee, and the fee doubles if work starts before the permit is issued.

What requires a building permit in Swatara Township?

The department’s rule is short: building permits are needed for all new construction, additions and alterations, while routine maintenance, repairs and the replacement of existing equipment generally need none. Its combined application names the jobs it sees most often, and the fee resolution shows which of them carry a zoning permit as well.

The department asks owners who are unsure whether a job needs a building permit, a zoning permit or both to call before starting. Any work in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area also needs a separate floodplain development permit, even when no building permit is required.

What Swatara decides and what the state holds

The building standards are Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code, which the township elected to enforce on May 17, 2004 with local amendments, according to L&I’s municipal list. The Board of Commissioners controls the zoning ordinance (Chapter 295 of the township code), the stormwater ordinance (Chapter 247), floodplain and subdivision rules, the property maintenance code and the fee resolution, and it chose Approved Code Services as the exclusive agency for code review.

Swatara Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building and Codes Department issues both building and zoning permits; the application says the permit is issued by the township’s Building Code Official and/or Zoning Officer. Zach Gulden is listed as Director of Planning and Zoning on the department page and supports the Zoning Hearing Board. The department also runs floodplain management, subdivision and land development review and on-lot sewage matters, and its Code Enforcement Office handles International Property Maintenance Code complaints.

Lower Paxton Township and the city of Harrisburg are separate municipalities with their own offices; see the Lower Paxton guide and the Harrisburg guide.

Swatara Township permit types

One combined form, revised October 14, 2026, serves for a building permit, a zoning permit or both. Separate township forms cover the certificate of zoning use and occupancy, floodplain development, stormwater management, street openings, conditional uses, wireless facilities, chicken and fireworks permits, special events, Zoning Hearing Board appeals and zoning text or map amendments.

Residential permits

A complete residential filing has the signed application, two sets of drawings and specifications, two copies of a site plan and the fee. The site plan may be a drawing or a satellite image of the whole lot showing where the work goes, its distance to each lot line, existing structures, known easements, and the streets and alleys around the property. The application asks for the tax parcel number (all begin 63-), the size and height of the structure, its estimated value including labor and materials, and whether the site lies in a flood-prone area.

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

Commercial permits

Non-residential drawings and specifications must be signed and sealed by a design professional who meets UCC requirements. Building permits cost $13 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $550 minimum. A new business or tenant needs the certificate of zoning use and occupancy ($85), filed with a floor plan of every room and a site plan showing parking spaces of at least 9 by 18 feet, along with employee numbers and ADA spaces.

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. Additions and new buildings take a zoning permit at $5 per $1,000 of cost, $85 minimum. Variances, special exceptions and appeals of the Zoning Officer go to a three-member Zoning Hearing Board ($1,250), which meets as needed at 7 p.m.
• Stormwater. Earth disturbance, new impervious surface and new buildings are regulated activities under Chapter 247. A minor stormwater permit costs $250 and a major one $500, each with an engineering escrow ($1,500 residential, $2,500 non-residential); small jobs may ask for an exemption on a separate form.
• Floodplain. Any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain development permit ($500 plus a $1,500 escrow) before work starts, and the township inspects during and after construction.
• Sewage. Septic permits now go straight to the Sewage Enforcement Officer at Hoover Engineering; the township office no longer accepts them.
• Streets. Cuts in a township street need a street opening permit priced by area and by how recently the street was paved.

Swatara Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from Resolution 2026-11, which the Board of Commissioners adopted on March 11, 2026 to amend the fees set in Resolution 2025-40. Fees are paid when the application is filed, by cash, check to “Swatara Township” or card, with a 2.95% card service fee.

Worked from the resolution: a $60,000 home addition carries a building permit of 60 × $9 = $540, above the $360 minimum, plus the $35 administrative fee, a zoning permit of 60 × $5 = $300 and the $4.50 state fee, for $879.50. A $20,000 kitchen remodel with no zoning change falls under the minimum, so it costs $360 + $35 + $4.50 = $399.50. Either total grows if re-inspections are billed by the agency, and every fee doubles when work starts first.

Subdivision and land development plans start at $850 plus an escrow, land development adds $20 per acre, and the general engineering escrow opens at $2,500 for residential and $5,000 for non-residential plans, with a $100 yearly fee for each active escrow account. Conditional uses, zoning amendments and curative amendments are $1,250 each.

A street cut in a road paved more than five years before the application costs $150 for the first 100 square feet and $50 for each further 100; in a road paved within five years the first 100 square feet cost $500. Septic work carries a $35 administrative fee and a $200 permit application, with soil testing at $200 for a primary two-hole site and $500 for a six-hole percolation test.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical, plumbing and mechanical: these are checked on the combined application and priced inside the building permit, which the resolution says includes plumbing, mechanical, electrical and energy work; Approved Code Services reviews and inspects them.
• Contractors: every contractor working in the township must hold a Swatara Township Business Privilege License, and the license number goes on the permit application. The Business Privilege Tax Officer answers at 717-564-2551.
• Insurance: a contractor, or an owner hiring one, files a certificate of workers’ compensation insurance naming Swatara Township as certificate holder; owners doing their own work or hiring a self-employed contractor with no employees file a notarized exemption affidavit, and the township notarizes it for $5 cash.

The township’s pages show no separate local electrician or plumber license. Home improvement contractors also register with the state Attorney General.

How to apply for a Swatara Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township will not begin its review until every listed item arrives together. State rules give 15 business days to decide a residential application and 30 for commercial work. Common hold-ups are missing site plan dimensions, unsealed commercial drawings, a missing insurance certificate or affidavit, and land that needs a stormwater plan, a floodplain permit or a Zoning Hearing Board decision. Any oversight in review does not waive the code or ordinance, and owners must establish their own property lines before building.

Inspections in Swatara Township

Approved Code Services performs all construction inspections as the township’s exclusive third-party agency. A failed or repeated inspection is billed at the agency’s rate, as are plan changes after issue. A certificate of occupancy or letter of completion is normally issued with the original permit; one requested separately costs $180 for a home and $230 otherwise.

Floodplain development permits carry their own township inspections during the project and at completion. Septic systems are inspected by the Sewage Enforcement Officer at fixed fees, $300 for a conventional or sand mound system. The township’s pages describe no resale use and occupancy inspection for house sales; the zoning use and occupancy certificate applies to new businesses and changes of use.

Pennsylvania building code in Swatara Township

Swatara Township has enforced the Uniform Construction Code since May 17, 2004, with local amendments, and today assigns all plan review and inspections to Approved Code Services, Inc. Appeals of the agency’s code decisions go to the UCC Board of Appeals, for a $1,250 filing fee. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Swatara Township (community 420398) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective August 2, 2012.

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

Swatara Township permit search and official resources

The township has no online permit search; copies of permit files are requested from the Right-to-Know Officer on the township form, sent by email, fax or mail, with copies at $0.25 a page. The township notes that questions are not public records, that records can be inspected weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and that large requests are viewed by appointment. Its monthly reports page carries a Building and Codes section and the sewer and stormwater authority reports.

About 1,060 homes still use on-lot systems. Under the township’s Act 537 plan their owners must have the tank pumped and inspected by a certified hauler at least once every three years, and a $100 registration every three years began with district 1 on June 1, 2026.

• Building and Codes Department and applications
• Combined building and zoning permit application, rev. October 14, 2026 (PDF)
• Resolution 2026-11 fee schedule (PDF)
• Certificate of zoning use and occupancy application (PDF)
• Stormwater management permit application (PDF)
• Floodplain development permit application (PDF)
• Street opening permit (PDF)
• Workers’ compensation affidavit of exemption (PDF)
• Zoning Hearing Board
• On-lot disposal systems and Sewage Enforcement Officer
• Swatara Township Authority (sewer)
• Stormwater Authority
• Business privilege license
• Open records and right-to-know requests
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Swatara Township building permit FAQs

Who inspects construction in Swatara Township?

Approved Code Services, Inc., the township’s exclusive third-party agency, does all building plan reviews and construction inspections.

How much is a residential building permit?

$9 per $1,000 of construction cost, labor and materials included, with a $360 minimum, plus a $35 administrative fee and the $4.50 state fee.

Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?

Yes, a zoning permit. The resolution sets $85 for accessory structures such as sheds, fences, decks and pools, and the combined application also lists decks and swimming pools among its building permit types.

Can I pay by card?

Yes. The township takes cash, checks and cards, with a 2.95% service fee on card payments, and fees are due when you apply.

Do contractors need a township license?

Every contractor working in the township needs a Business Privilege License; the application asks for its number.

Where do I apply for a septic permit?

With Hoover Engineering Services, Inc., the Sewage Enforcement Officer since February 5, 2026, at 717-836-6905. The township office no longer takes septic applications.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The permit fees double under Resolution 2026-11.

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