West Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

West Hempfield Township in Lancaster County administers the Uniform Construction Code through its Department of Zoning, Permits and Land Use (717-285-5554), with Commonwealth Code Inspection Services (CCIS) as the third-party plan reviewer and inspector. Applicants file paper packages with the Zoning Officer, and both the township fee and the CCIS fee are paid when the permit is picked up. Under Resolution 9-23, a room addition carries a township fee of $0.35 per square foot and a deck or shed $0.25, each with a $50 minimum.

What requires a building permit in West Hempfield Township?

West Hempfield issues two kinds of permit: a zoning permit, which the township reviews, and a building code permit, which goes to CCIS for plan review. Decks, house additions and pools usually need both; some jobs need only one.

Building code applications are sent to CCIS for plan review. The forms do not list exempt work, so ask the Zoning Office whether a small project needs only the zoning permit. Any project adding impervious surface also needs a stormwater exemption, minor land disturbance or major plan application.

What West Hempfield decides and what the state holds

Construction standards come from the statewide Uniform Construction Code, which West Hempfield opted in to enforce on July 1, 2004; L&I lists the township with local amendments. The Board of Supervisors sets zoning (Chapter 145), subdivision and land development (Chapter 130), stormwater and floodplain rules, the on-lot sewage ordinance and the fee resolution. On September 1, 2026 it enacted Ordinance 6-26, which adds definitions and rules for certain uses in commercial and industrial districts and is listed by the township as “Data Centers and other SALDO and Zoning amendments”; Ordinance 2-26 updated the UCC Board of Appeals ordinance earlier in 2026, and Ordinance 3-26 with Resolution 7-26 set up hotel inspections, licensing and fees.

West Hempfield Township building department: who handles permitting

Permits are issued by the Department of Zoning, Permits and Land Use. Dwayne Steager is Director of Land Use and serves as the township’s Building Code Official and Zoning Officer, covering building permits, code enforcement, planning and zoning. The department also has a Director of Planning, who answers on-lot septic questions, and an Assistant Director of Land Use; the township publishes staff email addresses without the domain, which is westhempfield.org. The two sources use the title differently: the contact pages list Mr. Steager as BCO, while the building code permit application calls Commonwealth Code Inspection Services the township’s “third-party BCO, plan reviewer and inspector”. Either way, CCIS reviews the building plans, sets its own fees and carries out the inspections. West Hempfield should not be confused with Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County, a separate municipality with its own office.

West Hempfield Township permit types

The township posts a zoning permit application package, a building code permit application, a notarized workers’ compensation form and three stormwater forms: an exemption application, a minor land disturbance application and a major plan application.

Residential permits

Before filing, the applicant calls CCIS about the project, the documents it needs, the inspections and its fees, then signs the township’s request form agreeing to use and pay CCIS. The zoning package needs a plot plan drawn to the township’s site plan requirements sheet (the county’s online map can help), and the building application asks for the building use, cost, size, heating type, water and sewer service, and a copy of the sewer or septic permit. A contractor’s insurance certificate must list liability and workers’ compensation coverage and name West Hempfield Township as certificate holder; contractors without workers’ compensation file the notarized form.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, office, church, school and institutional buildings carry a township fee of $0.40 per square foot with a $300 minimum, and industrial buildings $0.40 per square foot for the first 100,000 square feet and $0.10 after that. Commercial remodeling and tenant build-outs are $300 plus $5 per $1,000 of value, a commercial driveway $100, and each agricultural building $150. The CCIS review and inspection fees come on top and are paid to the agency.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. The Zoning Officer signs off every building code application. Neighbors who object may appeal a permit to the Zoning Hearing Board within 30 days of issuance; hearings cost $500 for residential cases and $700 for others, plus $100 for each additional request.
• Stormwater. New impervious surface needs an exemption ($25 under 200 square feet, $55 from 200 to under 1,000), a minor land disturbance application ($300 with a $1,500 escrow) or a full stormwater management plan ($300 filing plus a $1,500 escrow).
• Septic. On-lot systems are designed, tested and permitted through the Sewage Enforcement Officer from South Penn Code Consultants, whose fees are set in Appendix B of Resolution 9-23, including $340 for a soil probe, $565 for a percolation test, $175 for a new system application, design review and permit, $90 for the installation inspection and $135 for the final inspection; a minor repair permit is $270.
• Driveways. A new or expanded residential driveway or grading needs a $50 township permit, and access to a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.
• Floodplain. Work near streams follows the 2016 Floodplain Management Ordinance.

West Hempfield Township permit costs and fees

Township fees come from Resolution 9-23, adopted July 6, 2023, which revised Appendix A of the 2019 fee resolution; the township’s resolution list shows no newer fee schedule through 2026. These are the township’s zoning and construction code permit fees. All CCIS review and inspection fees are paid by the applicant directly to the agency.

Worked from the resolution: a 400-square-foot room addition carries a township fee of 400 × $0.35 = $140, and a 300-square-foot deck 300 × $0.25 = $75; a 120-square-foot shed works out to $30, so the $50 minimum applies. Each figure is before the $4.50 state fee and the CCIS plan review and inspection charges.

Land use filings are priced in the same resolution. A residential subdivision or land development plan costs $400 for one to five lots or units and $700 for six or more, with escrows of $2,000 and $5,000; a non-residential plan is $500 with a $5,000 escrow, and a sketch plan $300. A conditional use is $1,000, a rezoning or curative amendment $1,500, a continuance requested by the applicant $300, and a Uniform Construction Code appeal $500. Signs run from $50 for an attached non-electric sign to $200 for an electric one.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical: an electrical-only job takes a $50 township permit, with review and inspection by CCIS.
• Plumbing and mechanical: heating, plumbing and fixture details are part of the building code permit application and are reviewed and inspected by CCIS.
• Fire systems: the building application asks whether the building will have sprinklers, elevators, pressure vessels or refrigeration systems.

West Hempfield’s pages set no local contractor registration or trade license; what the township checks is the insurance certificate naming it, with liability and workers’ compensation shown, or the notarized waiver. The zoning permit form also places responsibility for meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act and the state energy conservation law (Act 222) on the permit holder. Home improvement contractors also register with the state Attorney General.

How to apply for a West Hempfield Township building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township will not issue a permit until CCIS has contacted it with its approval, so a plan sent back for corrections holds up the whole package. State rules set 15 business days for a residential decision and 30 for commercial. A missing plot plan makes a zoning application incomplete and it is not processed until the information arrives; projects that need a stormwater plan, a Zoning Hearing Board decision or a septic permit wait for those approvals. The township calls with the fee amounts once the permits are ready.

Inspections in West Hempfield Township

CCIS carries out the required inspections, including the final, and reports to the township. The township then issues the certificate of use and occupancy, which must be applied for in writing at least 14 days before the building is used; the zoning permit warns that even moving personal property in counts as use. Occupying a building before the final inspection can mean work has to be removed and redone so it can be inspected.

The township’s pages describe no resale inspection for house sales. Owners of on-lot septic systems must have them pumped and inspected every three years by an approved pumper, under the sewage management ordinance adopted in August 2007, and send the inspection report to the township. Holding tanks are inspected, reported and tracked every year by the Sewage Enforcement Officer for $180 plus administrative costs.

Pennsylvania building code in West Hempfield Township

West Hempfield has administered the Uniform Construction Code since July 1, 2004, with CCIS as its third-party reviewer and inspector. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists West Hempfield Township (community 421789) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective April 5, 2016.

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

West Hempfield Township permit search and official resources

There is no online permit search. Permit records are requested from the township’s open records officer for non-police matters at 3476 Marietta Avenue (717-285-5554) on the right-to-know form; the township does not accept anonymous requests. Appeals of a denial go to the state Office of Open Records at 555 Walnut Street, Suite 605, Harrisburg. The township’s zoning map was last updated in November 2021, and its comprehensive plan dated December 2, 2025 was adopted by Resolution 12-25. For county-level land development and conservation district review, see the Lancaster County guide.

• Building permits page
• Building code permit application and CCIS process (PDF)
• Zoning permit application package (PDF)
• Resolution 9-23 fee schedule (PDF)
• Approved township resolutions
• Adopted ordinances not yet codified
• Ordinance 6-26, commercial and industrial uses (PDF)
• Stormwater exemption application (PDF)
• Minor land disturbance application (PDF)
• Zoning, Permits and Land Use department
• On-lot septic systems
• Floodplain management
• Right-to-know information
• L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

West Hempfield Township building permit FAQs

Who reviews building plans in West Hempfield?

Commonwealth Code Inspection Services, the township’s third-party plan reviewer and inspector (717-664-2347). Call it before filing.

How much is the township fee for an addition?

$0.35 per square foot with a $50 minimum, so a 400-square-foot addition is $140, plus the $4.50 state fee and CCIS’s own charges.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes, a zoning permit. Sheds and fences are priced at $0.25 per square foot with a $50 minimum.

Can I apply online or by email?

The township’s process has applicants present the zoning package, building application, insurance papers and three plan sets to the Zoning Officer at the township office.

When do I pay?

Township fees and CCIS fees are collected only when you pick up the permit, by two separate checks.

Is this the same as Hempfield Township?

No. West Hempfield is in Lancaster County; Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County has its own code office.

When do I apply for a use and occupancy certificate?

In writing, at least 14 days before you start using the building. The township issues it after CCIS sends its final inspection report.

Who handles septic permits?

The township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer from South Penn Code Consultants (717-942-2248).

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