Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In Uwchlan Township the Building & Zoning Department (610-363-9450) enforces the Uniform Construction Code with township inspectors and a fire marshal, and also handles zoning, subdivision and land development. Applications and plans are emailed to the permit coordinator or mailed to 715 North Ship Road. Under Resolution 2026-01, adopted January 5, 2026, a new house costs $0.85 per square foot including the garage and basement, and every home sale needs a $100 resale use and occupancy inspection.

What requires a building permit in Uwchlan Township?

The township’s “Do I need a permit?” guide lists replacement windows and doors, HVAC equipment swaps and replacement deck railings alongside the larger projects.

Any project on the outside of an existing building — shed, fence, addition, deck, patio, generator, hot tub or pool — needs a plot plan first. The township prepares it: request one online and staff email back a plan showing your property’s setbacks, on which you mark the new work.

What Uwchlan decides and what the state holds

The building standards are the statewide Uniform Construction Code; Uwchlan opted in to enforce it on April 17, 2004 and keeps local additions and deletions, which the department explains on request. The Board of Supervisors sets zoning, stormwater rules, the resale inspection ordinance, contractor registration, impact fees and the fee resolution. In 2026 it adopted Ordinance 2026-08 (August 10), which amends Chapter 265 of the township code to regulate industrial uses including warehouses and data centers, and amended the hotel ordinance (Chapter 195) on July 13.

Uwchlan Township building department: who handles permitting

Tara Giordano is the Building & Zoning Official and handles zoning, planning, subdivision and land development. The permit coordinator answers fee and status questions and takes contractor registrations; one building inspector covers residential construction, another resale and rental use and occupancy inspections, and the fire marshal, who is also a building inspector, handles commercial construction and commercial certificates. Electrical review and inspection are billed through the inspection agency named on the electrical form.

Uwchlan Township permit types

The forms page carries separate applications for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection permits, residential and commercial sewer permits, a temporary zoning permit and the stormwater packet. The building application asks for the plot plan, construction drawings, any homeowners association approval and a wastewater questionnaire, plus a commercial use and occupancy application on every commercial job.

Residential permits

Only R-3 single-family dwellings are treated as residential; every other occupancy is priced as commercial. Step-by-step guides cover decks, fences, finished basements, interior alterations, siding, re-roofing, solar, sheds, standby generators and windows and doors. A deck with lighting or a ceiling fan also needs an electrical permit, a finished basement with a bedroom needs an egress door or window in that room, and solar arrays need a roof analysis sealed by a structural engineer and sealed construction and electrical drawings. HOA approval letters go in with the application where an association exists.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work starts with the building application and a commercial use and occupancy application, and the fire marshal’s office handles commercial plan questions and certificates. General contractors on commercial jobs, and electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire protection contractors, register with the township every year. Hotels, motels and inns hold a township license with an initial 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. The fee schedule lists a $100 zoning use permit and a temporary zoning permit form is posted; variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board with a $500 non-refundable deposit and $500 escrow for a residential case ($1,000 each for commercial).
• Stormwater. Ordinance 2013-07 exempts projects with under 400 square feet of new impervious surface and under 5,000 square feet of disturbance, counted cumulatively since January 2014. Projects from 400 to under 1,000 square feet may use the simplified small-project approach; larger ones need engineering review and a $1,000 escrow, and every project records an operation and maintenance agreement.
• Sewer. Sewer permits are priced by the Uwchlan Township Municipal Authority (Resolution 2025-02). The Board approved an Act 537 special study on June 25, 2026 that moves Eagleview plant flows to the Downingtown Area Regional Authority and plans the plant’s decommissioning, with no change for homes on septic.
• Roads. Road openings follow the PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit fee schedule.
• Impact fees. New homes pay $500 highway, $500 park and recreation and $1,000 public safety fees per unit; commercial space pays $0.90, $0.40 and $0.20 per square foot, plus $913.36 per p.m. peak trip under Ordinance 2009-09.

Uwchlan Township permit costs and fees

Fees come from Resolution 2026-01, Establishing Township Fees for 2026, approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors on January 5, 2026. A non-refundable application fee is paid when the application is filed; the permit fee, plan review, zoning review and occupancy fees follow.

The township’s own guides price a fence at $154.50 and a shed of up to 120 square feet at $154.50 ($100, the $50 zoning review and the $4.50 state fee), and residential re-roofing at $104.50. Worked from the schedule, a new house with 3,000 square feet of floor area including garage and basement pays 3,000 × $0.85 = $2,550, plus $125 plan review, $50 zoning review and $100 occupancy, plus the $150 application fee, for $2,975 before the state fee and trade permits.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: the electrical application has two fee lines, one for the inspection agency (United Inspection on the form) and one for the township, and the agency’s inspector signs off the approval.
• Plumbing: residential plumbing is $100 plus $10 per trap or fixture; a gas line to a standby generator needs a plumbing permit.
• Mechanical: a like-for-like furnace or air conditioner swap is $150; new systems are 2% of cost on a house and 3% on commercial work.
• Fire protection: sprinkler systems are priced by head count ($100 for up to 25) and fire alarms at 2% of cost.

Uwchlan registers contractors itself. General contractors on commercial work and electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire protection contractors pay $100 a year, special inspection agencies $300, and a home improvement contractor working on houses fills in an information sheet and pays a $40 administrative fee with its first permit of the year. The township’s pages set no separate local trade license; home improvement contractors also register with the state Attorney General.

How to apply for an Uwchlan Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Staff process a fixed-fee application once every document and the payment are in hand, so a missing plot plan, estimate or HOA letter holds it up. State rules give 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for commercial. Work that needs a Zoning Hearing Board decision, stormwater engineering review or a sewer permit from the authority waits for those, and permits can be transferred to another contractor for $50.

Inspections in Uwchlan Township

Township building inspectors inspect residential work, the fire marshal and fire inspector cover commercial buildings, and the electrical agency inspects wiring. A failed inspection costs $50 to repeat. Every pool and spa needs a final inspection before use, and a building sewer must be inspected before any part is covered, or the owner uncovers it and pays a $50 fine.

Uwchlan requires a resale use and occupancy inspection on home sales under Ordinance 85-4. Sellers submit the online request form with the buyers’ names, a township inspector emails about 30 days before the scheduled settlement, and the fee is $100. Rental properties need their own use and occupancy permit: $100 per house or townhouse and $50 per apartment unit. New houses pay a $100 occupancy fee and new or altered commercial space $200.

Pennsylvania building code in Uwchlan Township

Uwchlan has enforced the Uniform Construction Code with its own Building & Zoning Department since April 17, 2004. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Uwchlan Township (community 421492) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective September 29, 2017; a floodplain certification from the township costs $100.

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

Uwchlan Township permit search and official resources

The township has no public online permit search; the permit coordinator answers questions on the status of an application. Copies of permit files and other records follow the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records fee schedule, and a zoning verification letter costs $100. For county septic, well and land development review, see the Chester County guide.

• Building and Zoning Department staff
• Project guides: do I need a permit?
• Permit application forms
• 2026 fee schedule, Resolution 2026-01 (PDF)
• January 5, 2026 minutes adopting the fee resolution (PDF)
• Building permit application (PDF)
• Electrical permit application (PDF)
• Plumbing permit application (PDF)
• Residential sewer permit (PDF)
• Stormwater information packet (PDF)
• Fence permit guide (PDF)
• Deck permit guide (PDF)
• Re-roof permit guide (PDF)
• Plot plan request
• Use and occupancy permits
• Residential resale U&O request
• Contractor registrations
• Building and zoning ordinances
• August 10, 2026 minutes, Ordinance 2026-08 (PDF)
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

Uwchlan Township building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to replace windows in Uwchlan?

Yes. Replacement windows and doors are on the township’s permit list; the fee is $100 when there is no structural change.

Do I need a permit for a new roof or siding?

Only when more than 25% of the roof or wall area is replaced. A residential re-roofing permit is $104.50 including the state fee.

How much is a fence permit?

$154.50, made up of the $100 permit, the $50 zoning review and the $4.50 state fee. Request a plot plan first and mark the fence on it.

Is a resale inspection needed to sell my house?

Yes. Ordinance 85-4 requires a resale use and occupancy inspection, which costs $100; an inspector emails about 30 days before settlement.

Do contractors have to register?

Commercial general contractors and electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire protection contractors pay $100 a year; home improvement contractors pay a $40 administrative fee with their first permit of the year.

Can I email my application?

Yes. The project guides tell applicants to email the package to the permit coordinator or mail it to 715 North Ship Road.

Does a patio need a permit?

A patio or paving that adds more than 400 square feet of impervious cover needs a permit, and the stormwater permit starts at $200.

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