PA building permit lookup

Not under the state Uniform Construction Code if the deck is uncovered and its floor is no more than 30 inches above grade, 34 Pa. Code § 403.62(c)(8). A covered deck, a roofed porch or a deck floor higher than 30 inches needs a UCC permit. Zoning still applies, so call your municipal office about setbacks before you build.

A retaining wall needs no UCC permit if it is not over 4 feet tall, measured from the lowest level of grade to the top of the wall, and it doesn’t hold up a surcharge such as a driveway, a building or a slope, 34 Pa. Code § 403.62(c)(2). Taller walls, or walls holding up a surcharge, need a permit.

The UCC’s permit exemptions don’t name patios. They exempt sidewalks and driveways that are 30 inches or less above adjacent grade and not built over a basement or a story below, 34 Pa. Code § 403.62(c)(4). A patio laid on the ground is the same kind of flatwork, so it usually needs no building permit, but confirm with your building code official. A raised patio held up by a wall falls under the retaining wall rule.

An opted-out municipality doesn’t run its own building code office. For a house or a residential project that needs a permit, the applicant hires a certified third-party agency for plan review and inspections, 34 Pa. Code § 403.103(b). Commercial buildings go to the PA Department of Labor & Industry instead. The tool lists the certified agencies that say they work in your county.

Pick your municipality in the tool above. It shows the building code official and phone number the municipality reported to the PA Department of Labor & Industry. A few municipalities left that blank on the state’s list; call the municipal office in that case.

No. A building permit checks that the work meets the construction code. Zoning is a separate set of local rules on where things can go: setbacks from property lines, lot coverage, floodplain and the like. Every UCC exemption applies only if the work doesn’t violate another law or ordinance, so a deck or shed with no building permit can still need a zoning permit.

The UCC doesn’t apply to a shed, detached garage, carport or greenhouse under 1,000 square feet that’s accessory to a detached one-family home, 34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(3), unless the municipality has an ordinance under section 503 of the act that covers it. Zoning setbacks still apply.