Pennsylvania Code › Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Part XIV - Uniform Construction Code › Chapter 403 - ADMINISTRATION › PERMIT AND INSPECTION PROCESS FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS › Section 403.63 - Grant, denial and effect of permits

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) A building code official shall grant or
				  deny a permit application, in whole or in part, within 15 business days of the
				  filing date or the application is deemed approved. If the drawings were
				  prepared by a design professional who is licensed or registered under the laws
				  and regulations of the Commonwealth and the application contains a
				  certification by the licensed or registered design professional that the plans
				  meet the applicable standards of the Uniform Construction Code and ordinance as
				  appropriate, a building code official shall grant or deny a permit application,
				  in whole or in part, within 5 business days of the filing date or the
				  application is deemed approved. Reasons for denial must be in writing,
				  identifying the elements of the application which are not in compliance with
				  the relevant provisions of the Uniform Construction Code and ordinance as
				  appropriate and providing a citation to the relevant provisions of the Uniform
				  Construction Code and ordinance as appropriate, and sent to the permit
				  applicant. The building code official and the applicant may agree in writing to
				  extend the deadline by a specific number of days.
(b) A building code official shall examine
				  the construction documents and shall determine whether the construction
				  indicated and described is in accordance with the Uniform Construction Code and
				  other pertinent laws or ordinances as part of the application
				  process.
(c) A building code
				  official shall stamp or place a notation on each page of the set of reviewed
				  construction documents that the documents were reviewed and approved for
				  Uniform Construction Code compliance before the permit is issued. The building
				  code official shall clearly mark any required nondesign changes on the
				  construction documents. The building code official shall return a set of the
				  construction documents with this notation and any required changes to the
				  applicant. The applicant shall keep a copy of the construction documents at the
				  work site open to inspection by the construction code official or an authorized
				  representative.
(d) A building code
				  official may not issue a permit for any property requiring access to a highway
				  under the Department of Transportation's jurisdiction unless the permit
				  contains notice that a highway occupancy permit is required under section 420
				  of the State Highway Law (36 P. S. §
											670-420) before driveway access to a
				  Commonwealth highway is permitted.
(e) A building code official may issue a
				  permit for the construction of the foundations or other parts of a building or
				  structure before the construction documents for the whole building or structure
				  are submitted if the permit applicant previously filed adequate information and
				  detailed statements for the building or structure under the Uniform
				  Construction Code. Approval under this section is not assurance that the
				  building code official will issue a permit for the entire building or
				  structure.
(f) Issuance of a permit
				  does not bar prosecution or other legal action for violations of the act, the
				  Uniform Construction Code or a construction ordinance. A building code official
				  may suspend or revoke a permit issued under the Uniform Construction Code when
				  the owner does not make the required changes directed by the building code
				  official under subsection (c), when the permit is issued in error, on the basis
				  of inaccurate or incomplete information or in violation of any act, regulation,
				  ordinance or the Uniform Construction Code.
(g) A permit becomes invalid unless the
				  authorized construction work begins within 180 days after the permit's issuance
				  or if the authorized construction work permit is suspended or abandoned for 180
				  days after the work has commenced. A permit holder may submit a written request
				  for an extension of time to commence construction for just cause. The building
				  code official may grant extensions of time to commence construction in writing.
				  A permit may be valid for no more than 5 years from its issue date.
(h) The permit holder shall keep a copy of
				  the permit on the work site until the completion of the construction.
(i) A permit applicant may request extensions
				  of time or variances or appeal a building code official's action on the permit
				  application to a board of appeals under §
										403.122 (relating to appeals,
				  variances and extensions of time) in a municipality which has adopted an
				  ordinance for the administration and enforcement of the act or municipalities
				  which are parties to an agreement for the joint administration and enforcement
				  of the act.
(j) Work shall be
				  installed in accordance with the approved construction documents. The permit
				  holder shall submit a revised set of construction documents for approval for
				  changes made during construction that are not in accordance with the approved
				  construction documents.
(k) A
				  permit is not valid until the required fees are collected under §
										401.2a (relating to municipal and
				  third-party agency fees).
This section cited in 34 Pa. Code §
												403.61 (relating to residential
						buildings); and 34 Pa. Code §
												403.103 (relating to
						municipalities electing not to enforce the Uniform Construction
						Code).