Upper Darby is the most populous township in Pennsylvania and the sixth-largest municipality of any kind in the state, which makes it a full permitting operation rather than the small township office its name suggests.
The Buildings Division of the township’s Department of Licenses and Inspections administers and enforces the statewide code under Act 45, alongside the township’s own ordinances. As a home-rule township it sets its own fee schedule and licensing rules, and it reserves to itself the determination of whether a permit is required at all.
Scope: Upper Darby Township in Delaware County, a home-rule township. Neighbouring boroughs such as Lansdowne and Clifton Heights permit separately.
If the property is in the regulated floodplain, a permit is always required. The township states this without qualification: the ordinary exemptions that apply elsewhere in the township do not apply on a floodplain parcel. Confirm the flood status before relying on any exempt-work list.
What requires a building permit in Upper Darby Township?
Pennsylvania builds on a single statewide code — the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) — adopted under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Act 45 of 1999) and maintained by the Department of Labor and Industry with its Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council. The UCC adopts the International Code Council model codes; the 2021 ICC series took effect as the UCC on January 1, 2026, and permit applications on or after July 1, 2026 must comply with it. More than nine in ten of Pennsylvania’s municipalities administer and enforce the UCC locally — through their own code officials or a certified third-party agency — so the first question in Upper Darby Township is who enforces the code for the parcel and how they take a submission.
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the UCC and the referenced National Electrical Code
- Plumbing and gas work under the UCC, pulled by a locally licensed trade where the municipality requires one
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the energy code envelope
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
Local amendments, fee schedules and the choice of third-party agency differ from one municipality to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring township is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the energy code, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with the Department of Licenses and Inspections before work starts.
The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Two Pennsylvania features catch projects owners assume are simple. First, enforcement is a local choice: a minority of municipalities have opted out of local enforcement, in which case the Department of Labor and Industry enforces the commercial code and residential construction is not locally enforced — though zoning and other permits still apply. Second, the 2021 accessibility provisions of the International Codes remain enjoined statewide, so the 2018 accessibility standards still apply. Floodplain administration applies along the state’s rivers, and snow loading is a live structural constraint. Upper Darby made a fee change effective the first of January 2026, under Ordinance 3195 amending Chapter 290 of the township code, so a figure quoted from an older schedule will be wrong.
Who handles permitting in Upper Darby Township?
Building permits, contractor licensing and code enforcement sit with the township’s Department of Licenses and Inspections at the Municipal Building on Garrett Road, with the Buildings Division handling plan review, permits and inspections.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Upper Darby Township Department of Licenses and Inspections |
| Division | Buildings Division — plan review, permits and inspections |
| Address | Municipal Building, 100 Garrett Road, Room 109, Upper Darby, PA 19082 |
| Telephone | 610-734-7625 (township request line) |
| Appointments | By email to the Licenses and Inspections address; response in about three business days |
| Separate routes | Building and contractor licensing, rental licensing, and use-and-occupancy each have their own contact |
| Enforcement route | Township staff; Upper Darby enforces the code itself |
| Contractor credential | Township contractor licensing, plus state home improvement registration for residential work |
The department works by appointment rather than walk-in for most services: an email to the Licenses and Inspections address with your name, company, contact details and the service required brings a response within about three business days to arrange it. Different functions have separate routes — building permits and contractor licensing, rental property licensing, and use-and-occupancy inspections for property transfers and business occupancy each have their own address — so sending everything to one inbox slows the response. Completed forms are emailed in and payments are made online or delivered to Room 109.
Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work across Upper Darby’s dense stock of twins and row housing draws permits for construction, alteration, repair, demolition and change of occupancy, and for installing or altering any regulated system including electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning and new chimney liners. Solar has its own published requirements. The township reserves sole authority to decide whether a permit is required, so an assumption of exemption is worth confirming before work starts.
How Pennsylvania contractor credentials work
Pennsylvania does not license general contractors at state level — there is no state contractor licence, exam or board. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA), any contractor performing five thousand dollars or more of residential home improvement in a year must register with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Registration is administrative, not a skills licence, and by itself it does not grant permit-pulling authority.
In Pennsylvania the state registers home improvement contractors; the municipality licenses the trades. HICPA registration with the Attorney General is required for residential work, but electrical, plumbing and HVAC licensing is a local matter and several cities and counties — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Allentown, Erie, Reading and Scranton among them — add their own contractor licences. Confirm what the Department of Licenses and Inspections requires for the parcel, along with insurance coverage.
Commercial permits
Commercial work — everything other than one- and two-family dwellings — is reviewed under the statewide code as adopted by the township, against the 2021 editions with accessibility on the 2018 standards. Use-and-occupancy inspection is a separate route for property transfers and business occupancy, and there is a commercial property fire inspection programme running alongside the construction process.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on Pennsylvania projects: HICPA registration with the Attorney General on residential home improvement; separately licensed electrical, plumbing and HVAC trades, licensed by the municipality rather than the state; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings sealed by a Pennsylvania-licensed architect or professional engineer. Confirm what the Department of Licenses and Inspections requires for the specific building before filing.
Upper Darby Township permit costs and fees
Upper Darby sets its fees by ordinance rather than by valuation formula alone, and the schedule changed on the first of January 2026 under Ordinance 3195 amending Chapter 290. Payment can be made online or by cheque or money order, and the township is explicit that a payment receipt is not a permit and that an application must accompany any online payment.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on project valuation or square footage; set by the municipality or its third-party agency |
| Plan review | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, at submittal or by the third-party agency |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees under the local schedule |
| UCC state surcharge | The Uniform Construction Code education and administration fee, collected with the permit |
| Zoning and use | Zoning, use-and-occupancy and, in some places, contractor-licence fees |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Pennsylvania fees are substantially local: the municipality or its certified third-party agency sets the building-permit and plan-review charge, and the state adds only a modest Uniform Construction Code surcharge collected with the permit. Where a municipality uses a third-party agency, that agency’s fee schedule applies. A figure from a neighbouring municipality is not reliable — ask the Department of Licenses and Inspections for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Upper Darby Township project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permits are separate from the building permit and, on projects that require one, generally cannot be issued until the building permit is in place. Each trade follows its book within the Uniform Construction Code, and is tied to a contractor holding whatever trade licence the municipality issues — which is not portable across municipal lines.
Pennsylvania runs the trades on local licences. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC credentials are issued by municipalities and, in some cases, counties rather than the state, so a licence recognised in one jurisdiction may carry no weight in the next and the permit may have to be pulled by a differently licensed contractor. Confirm both the permit and the licence with the authority that issues it.
- Electrical work follows the UCC and the referenced National Electrical Code, under a locally licensed electrician where required.
- Plumbing work follows the UCC plumbing provisions, under a locally licensed plumber where required.
- Mechanical work follows the UCC mechanical and energy provisions.
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
How to apply for a Upper Darby Township building permit
A property in the regulated floodplain always requires a permit, with none of the ordinary exemptions available. Establish the flood position before relying on any exempt-work list.
Building permits and contractor licensing, rental licensing, and use-and-occupancy inspections each go to a different contact. Sending everything to one address delays the response.
Send name, company, telephone, email and the service required; the township aims to respond within about three business days to arrange it.
The schedule changed on the first of January 2026 under Ordinance 3195. Quote from the current schedule, not from an older one.
Email the completed forms and pay online or deliver to Room 109. An online payment must be accompanied by an application, and the receipt is not a permit.
Property transfers and business occupancy run through their own use-and-occupancy inspection route, which is a different filing from the construction final.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Pennsylvania, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over who enforces the code — filing with the municipality when it uses a certified third-party agency, or assuming a permit is required in a municipality that has opted out of residential enforcement. After that come a missing HICPA registration or local trade licence, energy-code and plan documentation, and, along the state’s rivers, floodplain requirements that were not addressed up front. Build the plan-review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with the Department of Licenses and Inspections before filing.
Approvals do not stay live indefinitely. A Pennsylvania building permit carries a validity period and can expire if work does not start or stalls between inspections. On phased or financed work, keep the permit active with periodic progress inspections and confirm the expiry window before it passes.
Inspections in Upper Darby Township
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy-code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a use-and-occupancy certificate before the building is used. Upper Darby inspects through the construction sequence and separately administers use-and-occupancy inspections on property transfer and business occupancy, which are not the same filing as the construction final.
Pennsylvania inspections are keyed to the code edition in force when the permit issued, and are carried out by a certified code official — the municipality’s own inspector, its certified third-party agency, or the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Keep the approved plans and the energy-code documentation on site for the inspector to check against, and confirm the notice the Department of Licenses and Inspections needs and its inspection windows.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, energy-code documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Upper Darby Township permit search and official resources
Permit records in Pennsylvania sit with the authority that issued them — the municipality or its certified third-party agency, or the city department in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Where the Department of Licenses and Inspections is the authority for Upper Darby Township, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the use-and-occupancy certificate. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — open permits and missing certificates are a common closing problem.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction first. Pennsylvania enforces one statewide Uniform Construction Code, but each municipality administers it with its own amendments, fee schedule and enforcement route — local staff, a third-party agency, or opt-out — so the requirements that apply vary by parcel. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Department of Licenses and Inspections
- Buildings Division — permit requirements
- Forms and fee schedule
- Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code — Labor and Industry
- Home improvement contractor registration — Attorney General
Frequently asked questions
Is Upper Darby a township or a city for permitting purposes?
A home-rule township, and the largest in Pennsylvania. Municipal type does not change which code applies — the statewide Uniform Construction Code governs either way — but home-rule status means the township sets its own fee schedule and licensing rules by ordinance.
Can I walk in to file a permit?
Generally no. The department arranges appointments by email; send your name, company, telephone number, email address and the service you need, and expect a response within about three business days.
My project would be exempt — do I still need a permit?
If the property is in the regulated floodplain, yes. The township states that permits are always required on floodplain parcels. It also reserves sole authority to determine whether a permit is required, so confirm rather than assume.
Have the fees changed recently?
Yes. Select permit fees increased from the first of January 2026 under Ordinance 3195, which amends Chapter 290 of the township code. A figure from an older schedule will understate the cost.
I paid online — can work start?
No. The township is explicit that a receipt is not a permit and that an online payment must be accompanied by a permit application. Work may not begin until the permit itself is issued.
Do I need a state registration as well as township licensing?
For residential home improvement, yes. The two are separate and neither substitutes for the other. Registration is administrative rather than a skills licence: there is no examination, the fee is one hundred dollars every two years, and new-home construction falls outside it. The online registration system returned to service in May 2026 after an outage, and the grace period that followed it closed on the eighth of June 2026, so a current registration number is the expectation now.
Simplify Upper Darby Township permitting with Alliance Permitting
Upper Darby is an administratively routed jurisdiction: the code is standard, and the time is lost or saved in how the filing is addressed and scheduled.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 22 years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Upper Darby Township because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We establish floodplain status before relying on any exemption, because on a floodplain parcel there are none.
- We route each request to the correct township contact rather than to a single inbox.
- We quote fees from the schedule in force after the January 2026 revision.
- We pair every payment with an application, so a receipt is never mistaken for a permit.
- We keep use-and-occupancy separate from the construction final, which are different filings here.
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.
Ready to break ground in Upper Darby Township sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Upper Darby Township permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Pennsylvania permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Upper Darby Township permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.