Lower Merion, PA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Chapter 143 of the Township Code adopts the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code and gives the Director of Building and Planning, as Code Official, authority to enforce it (except the International Fire Code, enforced by the Fire Marshal). Under § 143-4, no permit is required for work by public service agencies on equipment they own and control by established right, but the Code Official can suspend or revoke any permit issued in error, on inaccurate information, or in violation of the code. Once issued, the building permit or a copy must be posted in a conspicuous location on the jobsite until the project is complete.

A permit to demolish a structure will not be issued until the applicant furnishes the Code Official a certificate from a rodent exterminator confirming the structure is free of rodents or has been treated for their eradication. Fees are set under Chapter A167 and must be paid before a permit is valid; § 143-6 lets the Code Official add a penalty fee, on top of the normal permit fee, for anyone who starts work before obtaining the required permit. Local amendments to UCC § 403.43(g) and § 403.63(g) cap a permit's validity at no more than three years from its issue date.

Under § 143-9, working without a required permit, or in conflict with an approved plan or a Code Official directive, is unlawful and exposes the responsible person to fines up to $1,000 per day of continued violation, enforced before a district justice, plus separate authority for the Township to abate or restrain illegal construction.