Bensalem, PA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Bensalem Township Code Chapter 89, Electrical Standards, adopts the National Electrical Code, 1999 Edition, published by the National Fire Protection Association, as Section 89-1 states, repealing the prior 1997 electrical ordinance except for the local amendment in Section 89-7. Local amendments in Sections 89-2 through 89-6 modify the national code: aluminum wire is banned in any Bensalem building except for limited service-conductor uses with oxide-inhibiting joint compound at terminations, raceways must protect fixed appliances and surface-mounted equipment in unfinished basements and garages of new residential dwellings, existing aluminum connections must be re-terminated with an approved system before occupancy, nonresidential fixed wiring must use metal raceways or listed cable types, and ground-fault protection is required for 125-volt 15 and 20 amp receptacles within six feet of a sink.

Section 89-8 provides that stricter Commonwealth statutes or regulations supersede the chapter. Section 89-9 bars supplying electric current to any lot or structure until the Township of Bensalem issues a certificate of inspection, and Section 89-10 designates the Township Department of Building and Planning, or its approved representative, as the sole inspector of electrical wiring, equipment and installation methods townshipwide. Section 89-12 further declares any structure or service equipment maintained contrary to the chapter a public nuisance, abatable under the Second Class Township Code.