What the state rule actually says
Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.62, an owner or authorized agent who plans to build, alter, repair or demolish part of a house, or install or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, has to apply to the building code official first and get the permit. The same section lets you skip that for:
- Ordinary repairs. But cutting into a load-bearing wall or beam, changing an exit, or adding or moving piping, wiring or ductwork is not an ordinary repair.
- Fences up to 6 feet, uncovered decks no more than 30 inches above grade, and driveways and sidewalks 30 inches or less above grade (not over a basement).
- Emergency repairs or equipment replacement, as long as you file the permit application within 3 business days.
Those state exemptions only apply if the work doesn't break a local law, and townships still enforce their own zoning. Bensalem, for example, has its own fence permit (see our Bensalem deck and fence guide), and our deck repair permit guide covers when a deck job needs a permit anyway.
Which office you file with
Use the property's actual municipality, not the mailing town. Bucks County's municipal directory lists Bristol Borough and Bristol Township separately, and they're different offices with different forms (here's how to tell them apart). Pennsylvania L&I says more than 90% of the state's municipalities enforce the UCC themselves, with their own staff or a certified third-party agency they hire, and each Bucks town sets its own fees and forms.
What Bristol Township and Bensalem publish
Bristol Township takes applications on its Self-Service Portal or in person at the municipal building. Its FAQ says residential permits are decided within 15 business days under UCC rules, and the clock restarts if you have to resubmit. The state rule (§ 403.63) drops that to 5 business days when a licensed design professional certifies the drawings.
Bensalem's Building and Planning Department handles plan reviews, permits and inspections for structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. Its forms page has the residential building permit package, construction drawing samples, a sample plot plan, the inspection requirements and the fee schedule, plus a separate emergency sewer repair form. None of those pages says whether an owner can do every trade, so ask before you plan to do your own wiring or gas work.
Before you put the permit in your name
Write a short scope (what you're adding, replacing or moving, and whether any walls, beams, wiring, piping or gas lines are involved) and ask the code office:
- Can I apply as the owner for this exact scope, and can I do any of the work myself?
- Does any part need a registered or licensed contractor, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit?
- What drawings, site plan and fees do you need, and who books inspections?
If you're hiring someone, decide in writing who pulls the permit. The permit holder is the one the township calls about failed inspections and corrections.
What happens after it's issued
In Bristol Township, you can start once the approved permit is paid for and issued. It has to be posted in a window or another spot visible to the public, and a copy of the approved plans stays on site. You call for inspections 48 hours ahead: a rough inspection while the walls are open, then a final. Work that wasn't approved can bring a stop-work order. When everything passes, the township issues a Certificate of Approval, which is your proof the job closed.
Being allowed to pull the permit isn't the same as being equipped to do the job. For structural, gas, electrical or sewer work, hire the right licensed trade even if the permit is yours.