Upper Darby, PA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Chapter 262 gives Upper Darby's building permit requirement its legal foundation: § 262-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401-405, as the Township's municipal building code, requiring compliance with the International Building, Residential, Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy Conservation and Existing Building Codes for construction work. The actual permit mechanics and fees sit in § 290-3B, the Department of Licenses and Inspections' fee schedule as most recently amended in 2024 by Ordinance No. 3177. That section requires a separate permit for each structure located on a parcel, and specifies that building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and energy permits must each be issued separately rather than bundled into one.

50, covering any project valued at $5,000 or less. Above that threshold, fees scale with total project value: $20 per $1,000 (or fraction) for projects between $5,001 and $100,000, dropping to $15 per $1,000 for projects up to $5,000,000, and stepping down further at higher value tiers. Minor residential and commercial projects valued at $5,000 or less, covering construction, alteration, repair or replacement of structural, mechanical, gas, electrical or plumbing work, are instead billed a flat $75 per inspection type. 50 Act 45 state fee and a $25 administration fee, and the Department may require a signed contract or similar documentation to verify the project cost an applicant reports.