County Building Permits
Lehigh County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Lehigh County is divided into municipalities. The county's own materials describe 25 municipalities in the county, and no separate unincorporated county permitting program was identified for general building permits.
- Department
- Not applicable for a separate countywide unincorporated territory permit office
- Address
- Lehigh County Government Center, 17 South 7th Street, Allentown, PA 18101
- Phone
- (610) 782-3000
- Website
- https://www.lehighcounty.org
Online Permit Portal
Platform: • Account required: No • Submission: In-person only
Application Process
- Confirm the parcel's actual municipality, because Lehigh County general building permits are handled at the municipal level rather than through a separate county unincorporated-area permit office.
- Apply to the city, borough, township, or state-designated third-party or Labor and Industry authority that has jurisdiction over that parcel.
Typical processing time: Varies by municipality.
Source: Not applicable for a separate countywide unincorporated territory permit office
General Requirements
Permit requirements depend on the municipality where the parcel is located.
Required Documents
- Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction
- Permit validity
- Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction.
- Building code
- Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as enforced by the municipality or designated enforcement agency.
- Owner-builder
- Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction.
- Contractor requirements
- Pennsylvania HICPA registration applies where required. Any additional local requirements depend on the municipality with jurisdiction.
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- Varies by municipality.
- Permit fee formula
- Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Not applicable for a separate countywide unincorporated territory permit office to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- Through the actual municipality or designated enforcement agency (phone)
- Inspection hours
- Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction.
Typical inspection sequence: Determined by the municipality with jurisdiction.
Additional Resources
- Building code: Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as enforced by the municipality or designated enforcement agency.
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Lehigh County Website
- Planning and Zoning
- License lookup guide: Pennsylvania Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: Pennsylvania Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- Pennsylvania hub: Pennsylvania Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Not applicable for a separate countywide unincorporated territory permit office before applying.
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