§ 403.62a. Permit application.
(a) Applications for a permit required under § 403.62 (relating to permit requirements and exemptions) shall be submitted to the building code official in accordance with this section.
(b) A permit applicant shall submit an application to the building code official and attach construction documents with plans and specifications.
© A building code official may waive the submission of construction documents if the nature of the construction does not require the review of the construction documents to determine compliance with the Uniform Construction Code.
(d) A permit applicant for a building or structure located in a flood hazard area under the National Flood Insurance Program shall submit the following information with the construction documents:
(1) Delineation of flood hazard areas, floodway boundaries and flood zones and the design flood elevation, as appropriate.
(2) The elevation of the proposed lowest floor including basement and the height of the proposed lowest floor including basement above the highest adjacent grade is to be included in the documents if the building or structure is located in areas of shallow flooding (Zone AO).
(3) Design flood elevations contained on the municipality's Flood Insurance Rate Map produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The building code official and the applicant shall obtain and reasonably utilize design flood elevation and floodway data available from other sources if this information is not contained on the municipality's Flood Insurance Rate Map.
(e) The application must contain a site plan showing the size and location of the new construction and existing structures on the site and the structure's distance from lot lines. If the construction involves demolition, the site plan must indicate construction that is to be demolished and the size and location of existing structures and construction that will remain on the site or plot. A building code official may waive or modify the site plan requirement when the permit application is for an alteration or a repair or if the waiver is warranted for other reasons.
§ 403.63. Grant, denial and effect of permits.
(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.
© 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 ©, 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).
