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Home / Pennsylvania Permits / Pittsburgh

Building Permits in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

City in Allegheny County
Verified August 2026

Adopted Construction Codes

These are the state-level code editions for Pennsylvania. They apply in Pittsburghunless a verified local adoption or amendment is noted — in local-adoption states, confirm the city or county's own code editions with the building department.

CodeEditionAdoption
IBC — International Building Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IEBC — International Existing Building Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IECC — International Energy Conservation Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IFC — 201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IFGC — International Fuel Gas Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IMC — International Mechanical Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IPC — International Plumbing Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
IRC — International Residential Code201834 Pa. Code § 403.21 (Uniform Construction Code), amended February 11, 2022, effective 2/14/2022: adopts the 2018 International Code series. PA L&I: "The revised regulations adopting the 2018 I Code series as reviewed and amended by the Review and Advisory Council (RAC) have an effective date of February 14, 2022." NOTE: the regulation additionally incorporates NARROW 2021 material — IBC 2021 Chapter 11 and Appendix E, and the accessibility provisions of the 2021 IPC and IEBC — and Commonwealth Court enjoined the 2021 accessibility provisions on 10/26/2022, leaving the 2018 accessibility standards in effect. This row records the whole-code edition (2018); the partial 2021 incorporations are not a 2021 adoption. · source ↗
How much does a permit cost in Pittsburgh? →
Published fee amounts by permit type, how Pittsburgh calculates them, plan review and surcharges — quoted from the official fee schedule.
Permit checklists by project →
Deck, fence, shed, water heater and more — whether Pittsburgh requires a permit, what to submit, which inspections it publishes, and what it charges. Every line quoted from a Pittsburgh document.

Permit Requirements

building permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
deck permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
electrical permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
fence permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
reroof permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
retaining wall permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
shed permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial
water heater permit
Pittsburgh specifics
Fees, required documents and the inspection sequence is available to BuildSpec members. Sign inShow fees — free trial

Building Department

Building department website ↗

Phone: 412-255-2175

Apply online — Pittsburgh permit portal ↗

Permit fee schedule ↗ · fee schedule checked August 2026

The 2026 fee schedule of the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections took effect on January 1, 2026 and sets no flat fee for any individual permit type. Residential construction permits are priced at $6.00 for each $1,000 of construction value, with a floor of $130 and a ceiling of $8,000; commercial work is $7.00 for each $1,000, with a floor of $605 and a ceiling of $95,000. Forty percent of the base fee is due and non-refundable at application and the rest at issuance. Every permit also carries a $4.50 State Education and Training Fund charge, a $5.00 digital record retention charge and a technology fee of $2.00, $5.00, $15.00 or $25.00 according to the size of the base fee. A 15 percent discount applies where a third party agency is used. The city issues no plumbing permit; plumbing is permitted by the Allegheny County Health Department.

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