Residential Permits
(1 and 2-Family Dwellings only)
Residential Building Permit Process Overview
Prior to the issuance of a Building Permit to begin residential construction, the applicant must obtain all required pre-construction approvals from their local municipality. Including but not limited to; Sewage, Planning, Land Development, Subdivision, Soil Conservation, Driveway (Municipality or PENNDOT) and Zoning approvals. After receiving all necessary approvals from your Municipality, Zoning Officer and /or Sewage Enforcement Officer you can submit your plans and the “Application for Plans Examination and Building Permit”.
When you bring your plans into the office, the Permit technician will check your application and plans submission for completeness and verify who is to be contacted when the Permit is ready to be issued. The plan review usually takes less than a week, depending on the complexity and completeness of the plans submitted. We will contact you when the Building Permit is ready for pick-up and advise you of the cost. No inspections can be performed until the Permit has been paid for in full.
Contractors shall provide proof of Workmen’s Compensation insurance coverage or provide a signed and notarized “Affidavit of Exemption” to the Building Permit Technician. Homeowner's doing their own work are not required to provide proof of insurance, however they must sign the Exemption affidavit stating that they will be doing all associated work themselves.
Preparing a Set of Plans:
Every Residential Building Permit requires two (2) identical sets of plans to be submitted. They must show what work you intend to do and the details of how you plan to do it. You can find many of the current code requirements right here on our website under the “Helpful Code Hints” link. These plans can be drawn by the homeowner or by the contractor doing the work. Most people find it advantageous to use an architect or professional designer to prepare their plans when undertaking a large project or constructing new home.
While these plans don't always need to be professionally prepared, they should be "drawn to scale, on a substantial paper size sheet…and shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and extent of the work proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of (the) code and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations" (IRC 106.1). That means they should be clear enough that you could give them to a responsible builder and he could build what you desired without further information from you.
When your plans are reviewed, the plans examiner will be looking for compliance with the building codes, including placement of smoke detectors, egress windows, stair height and guarding, structural adequacy both for vertical loads (including snow) and lateral loads (such as wind), and much more. Your plans must include the following information: a typical or sectional drawing, elevation drawings, foundation drawings, floor plans, electrical, plumbing, venting riser plans and a “Res Check” or residential energy worksheet (or the PA Alternative worksheet).
Specific notes may be added to the drawings by the plans examiner reviewing the documents. One set of these approved plans will then be returned to the applicant to be used during construction and one set of plans will be retained by CKCOG office.
Inspections and Occupancy:
There are inspections required at each stage of the construction process and you and/or your builder will be given a list of these inspections (click here for list) when you pick-up your Permit. It is very important that each inspection be performed when required.
It is the responsibility of the Permit holder to ensure all required inspections are completed and approved. Failing to schedule Building Code required inspections may result in the delay or NON-ISSUANCE of your Certificate of Occupancy. The Certificate of Occupancy may be required by your Mortgage Company and Insurer or by a purchaser’s Mortgage Company if the home is sold.
Upon completion of the project and after the issuance of the “Certificate of Occupancy” to the applicant, the homeowner has the option of picking up the retained set of plans. Plans not picked up within ten (10) working days after the Certificate of Occupancy has been issued will be shredded.