Allentown building department

Allentown’s Bureau of Building Standards and Safety (BSS) issues building permits, inspects construction, and licenses electrical, plumbing, and sheet metal trades for property inside the City of Allentown. It also runs the city’s rental licensing, presale inspection, and community housing programs. Building and trade licensing, permits, and inspections are on the 4th floor of City Hall, 435 Hamilton Street. The other divisions are on the 3rd floor. The bureau is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Allentown is in Lehigh County, but permits for Allentown addresses come from the city. Pennsylvania lets each municipality enforce the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), and more than 90% do so locally with their own staff or a certified third-party agency. Neighboring boroughs and townships therefore have their own permit offices.

Codes in effect

Allentown began enforcing the 2021 codes adopted by Pennsylvania on January 1, 2026:

• 2021 International Building Code (IBC), Chapters 2–10 and 12–35. Chapter 11 and Appendix E (accessibility) remain on the 2018 IBC.
• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC)
• 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation, and Existing Building Codes
• 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, Wildland-Urban Interface Code, and ICC Performance Code
• 2021 International Fire Code, only where another code references it

Under Section 304 of the UCC, a permit can still be issued under the older code if a contract with a contractor or design professional was signed before January 1, 2026, and the application is filed within six months of the new code’s effective date. The city’s adoption is in § 225-1 of the City Code.

One permit per project

Allentown issues one permit per project, and it covers every trade. There are two building permit types:

• Residential: one- and two-family dwellings and townhomes
• Commercial: commercial buildings and any residential building with three or more units. All commercial projects must submit building plans.

Every trade contractor on the job must hold a City of Allentown business license and the right city trade license, and must be listed on the first application. Otherwise the application is denied. Residential trade licenses cover electrical and plumbing. Commercial jobs add sheet metal.

Homeowners doing their own work in their primary residence don’t need a business license or a trade license. See owner-builder permits for how this usually works.

A zoning permit may be needed before you apply for a building permit. Application fees are non-refundable.

Applying in the Citizen Self-Service portal

Allentown takes applications for permits, plans, inspections, and business licenses through its Citizen Self-Service (CSS) portal, which runs on Tyler EnerGov. The city says paper and online applications are both accepted for now, but it plans to move to 100% digital permitting. Tips from the city’s CSS help page:

• Address not found? Many properties span a range of addresses, such as 3301–3359 Tilghman St. Look up the property’s Ward Account Number in the City of Allentown GIS Public Viewer, then search CSS by that number.
• Checking status: use the “Search Permits” tool. Authorized contacts can see more detail under the “Reviews” tab in their account.
• Logging in: don’t use your email address as your username. The city recommends Google Chrome.
• Paying: pay online by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. A transaction fee applies to card payments. To pay in person, bring the invoice number, not just the permit number or address.

The CSS helpline is (610) 439-5996 during business hours.

Permit fees

Building fees are set in § 270-31 of the City Code and apply to all building and trade work, including electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire systems, signs, and tanks.

Fee	Residential	Commercial
Application fee (non-refundable)	$50	$100
Plan review and inspection	Greater of $50 or 1% of total cost of work	Greater of $75 or 1.5% of total cost of work
State UCC fee	$4.50	$4.50
Temporary certificate of occupancy	$200	$350
Building Appeals Board	$250 (one- and two-family)	$500

“Total cost of work” means materials and labor for all trades. BSS can check or correct a stated cost using the International Code Council’s building valuation data. Expedited plan review (10 working days) costs an extra $0.05 per square foot. A zoning permit application costs $100. An appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board costs $500, or $150 for an owner-occupied single-family home.

Permit timelines and occupancy

An approved application isn’t a valid permit until the fee is paid. A permit becomes invalid if work doesn’t start within 180 days of issuance, or if work stops for 180 days. You can ask the Building Code Official in writing to extend the start date for just cause. No permit is valid for more than five years from its issue date. See also building permit expiration and extensions.

No residential or commercial building may be occupied without a certificate of occupancy (CO). The CO fee is included in the permit fee. A change of use or occupancy with no required alterations is charged the minimum permit fee. That includes a change of ownership or address. A temporary CO is issued only after all fire alarm, suppression, fire-rated, and other life-safety work is complete and approved.

Other city permits that often come up

• Zoning: required under the city’s zoning ordinance, with a site plan, floor plan, or sign plan as needed. Contact [email protected] or (610) 437-7630.
• Floodplain development: no work of any kind may begin in the 100-year floodplain until this permit is issued under City Code Chapter 298. Planning handles it.
• Historic districts: work on properties in a historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, which may go to the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB). Apply through Planning with a current photo.
• Driveway crossover: needed for a new driveway entrance. An approved crossover is not a permit to do the work. A contractor licensed with the city must pull the work permits. Engineering, (610) 437-7589.
• Curb and sidewalk: only contractors with a city business license and at least $300,000 in liability insurance can pull these permits.
• Rental units: rental properties must be registered with the BSS rental unit inspection program, (610) 437-7694.