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

Section 72-4 of the Lower Merion Township Code adopts the ICC Electrical Code, published by the International Code Council, as the Electrical Code of the Township, incorporated by reference into Chapter 143, the Uniform Construction Code, with local insertions naming Lower Merion Township as the jurisdiction and directing that fees be set under Chapter A167. Section 72-5 requires that all electrical work in the Township meet the standards of that adopted code and of Chapter 72 itself. Section 72-6 makes the permit the gatekeeper: no person may perform electrical work in the Township without first obtaining a permit from the Code Official, and the application must state the nature and location of the work, the name and address of the person performing it, plans and specifications, and any other information the Code Official requires.

For new commercial, public, and industrial buildings and apartments, Section 72-6C requires electrical drawings signed by an architect or a professional electrical engineer licensed in the Commonwealth, unless the estimated cost of the work is under $7,500. Section 72-7 exempts only minor work, such as replacing light bulbs or fuses or plugging a portable appliance into an existing outlet, from the permit and code requirements. Fees are set under the Township Schedule of Fees under Section 72-8, and Section 72-9 requires inspections and tests by the Code Official or an approved inspecting agency, with a certificate of inspection due within 15 days of completing the work; a contractor with an overdue final inspection on one job cannot get a new permit until it is filed.

An appeal from a Code Official decision goes first to the Examining Board and then, as a recommendation, to the Building and Planning Committee, with further appeal to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, all within Section 72-13's 10-day filing window. Section 72-15 makes a violation of the National Electrical Code or Chapter 72 punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 for each offense, with each continuing day after notice treated as a separate offense.