Montgomery County building department

Montgomery County is a patchwork of 62 townships and boroughs, from Lower Merion and Abington to Pottstown and Norristown, and each runs its own building-code program. The county government in Norristown does not issue building, electrical, plumbing, or occupancy permits. Its development role is the Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC), which writes advisory reviews of subdivisions and land developments under Act 247. The county Office of Public Health issues permits for on-lot septic systems and private wells. A typical Montco project therefore involves a municipal permit, possibly an MCPC review, and possibly a health department permit.

Getting the municipal building permit

The county keeps a municipal websites directory that links to every township and borough. The building or code-enforcement office there takes UCC permit applications, schedules inspections, and issues certificates of occupancy. The zoning officer at the same office handles setbacks, fence and shed rules, and variances. Postal place names in Montco often don’t match municipal lines, so check the parcel’s municipality before applying. Our guide on who issues your building permit explains the split.

Every municipality enforces at least the state Uniform Construction Code. Under 34 Pa. Code §403.62, a residential permit application must be acted on within 15 business days, or within 5 business days if a licensed design professional certifies the plans. The state rules do not require a UCC permit for uncovered decks no more than 30 inches above grade, fences up to 6 feet, or detached sheds, garages, and carports under 1,000 square feet accessory to a single-family house. Townships can and often do require a zoning or local permit for those items anyway.

MCPC Act 247 subdivision and land development review

The Municipalities Planning Code requires every subdivision and land-development proposal in the county to be sent to MCPC before the municipality acts on it. MCPC’s letter is advisory, and the township or borough makes the final decision. The submission process works like this:

1. Applicant to municipality. You give the township or borough your complete plans and supporting materials as PDFs, along with a completed Applicant Request for County Review form.
2. Municipality to county. Municipal staff upload the package through MCPC’s 247 Submission Portal, which only registered municipal users can access. Applicants do not file with MCPC directly.
3. Invoice. The county no longer collects fees at submission. Once MCPC verifies the package, the applicant’s representative gets an emailed payment request and can pay online by credit card or e-check, or offline by check or money order.
4. Public record. MCPC’s 247 interactive map shows subdivision and land-development proposals from 2008 to the present, with plan documents and MCPC review letters. It is the most practical way to look up a pending or past project.

MCPC review fees

Application	Fee
Sketch plan	No fee
Residential, 1–3 lots or units	$150 flat
Residential, 4–10 lots or units	$180 + $32 per unit
Residential, 11–20 lots or units	$300 + $30 per unit
Residential, 21–50 lots or units	$500 + $28 per unit
Residential, 101+ lots or units	$1,060 + $20 per unit
Nonresidential land development, up to 3,000 sq ft	$300 flat
Nonresidential, 3,001–10,000 sq ft	$400 + $44 per 1,000 sq ft
Nonresidential subdivision, 1–3 lots	$555 flat
Residential lot line change	$65
Conditional use or miscellaneous review	$260
Private petition for zoning or SALDO change	$1,000

A resubmission that is essentially the same plan costs $125 for residential and $190 for nonresidential, and resubmissions of three lots or units or fewer are free. A plan does not count as a resubmission if more than five years have passed, the land use changes, or the unit count or square footage changes by more than 40%. Government units are exempt from fees. So are volunteer fire companies and ambulance squads, but other nonprofits are not.

Septic systems and wells

The Montgomery County Office of Public Health handles on-lot sewage permits and individual water supply well permits. It also licenses public pools and food facilities. Applications go through its regional offices:

• Norristown: (610) 278-5117
• Pottstown: (610) 970-5040
• Willow Grove: (215) 784-5415

The county asks applicants to read the Public Health Code and fee schedule before they apply. The general contact is [email protected].

County contact

Montgomery County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311. Main county phone (610) 278-3000. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Plan recording is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.