West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania Building Permit Guide

In West Norriton Township, the Building & Zoning Department at the township building, 1630 West Marshall Street (610-631-0450), issues building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and zoning permits, with Director of Code Enforcement Allan Booz in charge. Electrical inspections are done by Code Inspections, the agency the township contracts. A building permit costs $50 for the first $2,000 of work and $25 for each further $1,000, plus a $60 administration fee and the $4.50 state fee, and every home sold needs a $150 resale certificate.

What requires a building permit in West Norriton Township?

West Norriton’s rule is broad: permits are required for all work except painting, wallpapering, carpeting and landscape work. Its permits page then lists the jobs it sees most, from new construction, additions, alterations, decks, replacement windows and demolition to fences, greenhouses, storage sheds, pools and spas, solar panels, sprinkler systems and temporary construction trailers.

Underground storage tank work also needs notice to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the township says it must be done by DEP-approved installers and inspected by DEP-approved third-party inspectors. Road openings by utilities need a road occupancy permit like any other work in the street.

What West Norriton decides and what the state holds

West Norriton opted in to enforce the Uniform Construction Code on June 8, 2004, with amendments, and L&I lists Allan Booz, the township’s Director of Code Enforcement, as its contact. As a first class township it is governed by a Board of Commissioners, which adopts the fee schedule by resolution, the zoning ordinance (Chapter 27 of the township code, with 12 districts) and the floodplain rules, and which decides rezoning requests.

West Norriton Township building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Zoning Department reviews plans, issues permits and certificates, and registers contractors. The zoning officer handles day-to-day zoning: receiving and issuing building and zoning permit applications and certificates of occupancy, inspecting for compliance and presenting cases to the Zoning Hearing Board. Fence and shed applications are reviewed by both the code enforcement and zoning staff. Two outside agencies appear on township pages: Code Inspections, contracted for all residential and non-residential electrical inspections, and United Inspection Agency, whose plan review and inspection work is billed at $100 each on the fee schedule.

West Norriton permit types

The township posts a separate application for each common job: the Construction/Building Permit Application for buildings and trades, and shorter forms for fences and sheds, patios, pools and spas, signs, construction trailers, earth disturbance and driveway, sidewalk and curb work. Plot plans go with most applications; the township’s guidance lists what one must show, from lot dimensions and street names to existing and proposed structures, easements, floodplains and stormwater features, and the codes officer may ask for a survey or engineer’s plan.

Residential permits

• Building and trades: one Construction/Building Permit Application with building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical sections; rooftop solar fills in both the building and electrical sections.
• Plans: two copies of sealed plans plus an electronic copy for projects needing review (the older application form still says three sets).
• Fences and sheds: the Fence/Shed Zoning Permit covers new, renovated, altered or replaced fences and sheds, with two copies of plans, cross-section drawings and a plot plan; a tenant needs the owner’s notarized approval.
• Pools and patios: their own application forms, with the plot plan.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the same construction application with sealed plans by a licensed design professional, and every commercial contractor must be licensed with the township ($80 a year). A business needs the Application for Commercial Use and Occupancy Certificate, priced by floor area and hazard: $110 to $310 for low-hazard offices and stores, and $200 to $500 for restaurants, schools, industry, storage, hotels and apartment buildings of three or more units. A commercial business inspection checklist is posted with the forms.

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. A zoning application, or a zoning use permit ($25) when the use changes, comes first. Variances and special exceptions go to the Zoning Hearing Board, which meets on the third Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the township building and lists Allan Booz as zoning officer ($800 residential, $1,700 commercial, industrial or institutional, plus half the stenographer’s fee after the first meeting); conditional uses cost $1,000 and rezoning hearings before the commissioners $500.
• Floodplain. Work in a mapped floodplain needs the township’s floodplain permit; the township posts a revised floodplain ordinance that is not yet codified and no-rise floodway guidance.
• Land development. Subdivisions cost $1,350 plus $50 per lot, with Planning Commission review ($250), a $5,000 professional-services escrow and a traffic impact fee of $733.44 per peak-hour trip.
• Sewer. New connections pay a $100 application, a $500 review and inspection fee and a tapping fee of $2,739.56 per EDU; wastewater goes to the Norristown Municipal Waste Authority plant, which serves both Norristown and West Norriton.
• Driveways and roads. A new or expanded driveway is $250 or actual cost, including engineering review; state roads need a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.

West Norriton permit costs and fees

The fee schedule on the township’s Fees page is filed as the 2026 fee schedule resolution, but the document itself prints no resolution number or adoption date. The Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution 26-1746 amending the fee schedule on January 13, 2026, and Resolution 26-1750 amending the Zoning Hearing Board fees on May 12, 2026; the minutes list both as attached, but their texts are not posted, so the posted figures cannot be tied to either resolution: ask the office to confirm a fee before you pay. Fees are paid when the permit is issued and picked up, and applicants must show a contract or other proof of cost.

Worked example from the schedule: a $20,000 renovation is $50 for the first $2,000 plus 18 × $25 for the remaining $18,000, a $500 permit fee; with the $60 administration fee and the $4.50 state fee that is $564.50, before any square-foot plan review fees and separate trade permits. A plan revision costs $50 for a house and $100 for commercial work.

Trade permits and who may pull them

All residential and non-residential electrical inspections in West Norriton are done by Code Inspections under its contract with the township, while the township issues the permit and answers questions at 610-631-0450. Electrical permits are priced on the estimated cost: $100 plus 3% under $50,000, $250 plus 2.5% to $250,000, $1,250 plus 2% to $1,000,000 and $5,500 plus 1.5% above. Residential plumbing is $25 per fixture or trap, $100 for a water heater and $100 per 100 feet of new lateral; residential mechanical work runs from $50 for gas piping repairs to $150 for a new heating or cooling system.

West Norriton registers trade contractors itself. Electrical and plumbing contractors, residential and commercial, and every contractor doing commercial work must license with the township, show proof that another municipality licenses them in that trade, and file liability insurance naming the township as certificate holder. Home improvement contractors working on houses need the state HICPA registration and a certificate of insurance on file. For a resale certificate, any electrical repairs must be done by a West Norriton licensed electrician under a permit.

How to apply for a West Norriton building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The township gives itself up to 15 days to review residential plans and up to 30 for commercial plans, in line with state rules, and returns one set with any changes needed for code compliance. The code enforcement officer may ask for more detailed information or a plan by a surveyor or professional engineer, and permits issued on incorrect or incomplete information can be revoked. Fence and shed permits are issued within 15 business days once approved.

Inspections in West Norriton Township

Inspections are booked by calling the township office at 610-631-0450 at least 24 hours in advance, and requesting each stage is the applicant’s or contractor’s responsibility: work that was never inspected will not get final approval. Electrical rough and final inspections go through Code Inspections. After two failed attempts, a third residential inspection costs $50 (non-residential $100), and an inspection cancelled on the inspector’s arrival can cost $100.

Resale use and occupancy

West Norriton requires a use and occupancy inspection before any residential home is resold. Send the application and $150 fee at least one month before settlement; the township then sets the inspection date with the realtor or owner, and the fee covers two inspections, with fees doubled when the inspection is requested within two weeks of settlement. The township’s list includes smoke detectors on every floor and in every bedroom, GFCI receptacles in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens and counter areas, a shut-off valve behind gas ranges, a 3A40BC fire extinguisher, a heating unit inspection certificate, compliant sump pumps, 4-inch house numbers on the mailbox and building, and water heater relief drains ending 4 to 8 inches above the floor. Rental units must also be registered and inspected, with an annual license fee.

Pennsylvania building code in West Norriton Township

West Norriton enforces the Uniform Construction Code locally under its June 8, 2004 opt-in, with United Inspection Agency named on the fee schedule for plan review and inspection work and Code Inspections for electrical inspections. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists West Norriton Township (community 420711) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 2, 2016; the township posts both those maps and the 1996 maps they replaced.

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 Norriton permit search and official resources

There is no online permit search. Permit holders call the Building & Zoning Department about their own files, and other township records are requested under the Right-to-Know Law, using the request form the township links from the state Office of Open Records. Board of Commissioners agendas and minutes, including fee resolutions, are posted in the township’s Agenda Center.

• West Norriton Building & Zoning
• Applications and permits
• Construction/Building Permit Application
• Fence/shed zoning permit application
• Township fee schedule (filed as 2026)
• January 13, 2026 minutes: Resolution 26-1746 amending the fee schedule
• Building code and plot plan information
• Electrical inspection agency
• Contractor licensing
• Residential use and occupancy (resale)
• Residential U&O certificate application
• Floodplain management and maps
• Zoning Hearing Board
• Right-to-Know request form
• Pennsylvania L&I municipal UCC elections list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Pennsylvania

West Norriton building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in West Norriton?

$50 for the first $2,000 of cost and $25 for each additional $1,000, plus a $60 administration fee and the $4.50 state fee; plan review and trade permits are extra.

Do I need a permit to replace windows?

Yes. Replacement windows are on the township’s permit list; only painting, wallpapering, carpeting and landscape work are exempt.

Who does electrical inspections in West Norriton?

Code Inspections, the agency the township contracts for all residential and non-residential electrical inspections.

Does my electrician or plumber need to register with the township?

Yes. Electrical and plumbing contractors, residential or commercial, must license with West Norriton and show a trade license from another municipality.

Do I need a resale inspection to sell my house?

Yes. A $150 use and occupancy certificate is required before resale; apply at least a month ahead, because fees double within two weeks of settlement.

How much is a fence or shed permit?

A fence is $35 plus $0.25 per linear foot. A shed of 100 square feet or less is $45 and one of 101 to 250 square feet is $85.

How long does plan review take?

Up to 15 days for residential plans and 30 for commercial plans.

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