Palmer Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, 35 P.S. §§ 7210.101 through 7210.1103, as amended from time to time, and its regulations.
The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Municipal Building Code of Palmer Township.
Administration and enforcement of the Code within Palmer Township shall be undertaken in any of the following ways, as determined by the governing body of Palmer Township from time to time by resolution:
A. 
By the designation of an employee of Palmer Township to serve as the municipal code official to act on behalf of Palmer Township;
B. 
By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of Palmer Township;
C. 
By agreement with one or more other municipalities for the joint administration and enforcement of this Act through an intermunicipal agreement;
D. 
By entering into a contract with another municipality for the administration and enforcement of this Act on behalf of Palmer Township;
E. 
By entering into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for plan review, inspections and enforcement of structures other than one-family or two-family dwelling units and utility and miscellaneous use structures.
The certified inspectors of any inspection agency approved by the Palmer Township Board of Supervisors to do electrical inspections are hereby exclusively authorized to make inspections and reinspections of all electrical installations and work within Palmer Township on behalf of the Township. In no event, however, will the cost or expense of any such inspection or reinspection be a charge against the Township of Palmer. For purposes of liability, the aforesaid approved inspectors and agencies shall be considered independent contractors. All electrical inspection agencies shall keep all required Palmer Township licenses current in order to perform electrical inspections.
It shall be the duty of the Palmer Township approved electrical inspectors to report violations of the Electrical Code to the Palmer Township Building Inspector, who may enforce any and all provisions of the Electrical Code. In addition, the approved electrical inspectors shall make inspections of any property or electrical project within the Township upon reasonable notice of a request for such inspection by the holder of a Palmer Township electrical permit or when deemed necessary by a Palmer Township code officer in order to protect the health, safety and/or welfare of any person or property.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Supervisors of Palmer Township may designate by resolution an additional agency or agencies as authorized electrical inspectors of Palmer Township, and these agencies shall have the same duties, rights, responsibilities and liabilities as set forth in the Palmer Township Basic Electrical Code.
The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to the electrical installations in mines, ships, railway cars, automotive equipment or the installation of equipment employed by a railway nor to any work involved in the manufacture, assembly, tests or repair of electrical machinery, apparatus, materials and equipment by persons, firms, partnerships or corporations engaged in the electrical manufacturing as their principal business. They shall not apply to any building which is owned or leased in its entirety by the government of the United States or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A Board of Appeals shall be established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of Palmer Township in conformity with the requirements of the relevant provisions of the code, as amended from time to time, and for the purposes set forth therein. If at any time enforcement and administration is undertaken jointly with one or more other municipalities, said Board of Appeals shall be established by joint action of the participating municipalities.
Any person, partnership, corporation, trust or other entity aggrieved or affected by any provision of this ordinance or the code or any order issued thereunder may appeal the same to the Board of Appeals. The Board of Appeals may not act upon appeals, requests for variance or requests for extension of time relating to accessibility under Act 45 of 1999.
A. 
All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by Palmer Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the code shall continue in full force and effect until such time as such provisions fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the code, as amended from time to time.
B. 
All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which are in effect as of the effective date of this ordinance and whose requirements are less than the minimum requirements of the code are hereby amended to conform with the comparable provisions of the code.
C. 
All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of Palmer Township not governed by the code shall remain in full force and effect.
Fees assessable by Palmer Township for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this ordinance and the code shall be established by the Board of Supervisors of Palmer Township by resolution from time to time.
In addition to all types of construction, placement of structures, repairs, and alterations for which the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code requires a permit, pursuant to the authorization of Act 92 of 2004, as amended, the Township of Palmer shall require persons to obtain permits under the Municipal Building Code of Palmer Township for all of the following:
A. 
Installation of electric, gas, plumbing or mechanical serving carports, detached private garages, greenhouses and sheds having a building area of less than 1,000 square feet. The applicant shall obtain a building permit only for the purpose of inspection for the utility or utilities being installed or provided to the accessory structure.
B. 
All alterations or repairs to residential buildings and replacement of residential equipment, which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required:
(1) 
Repair or replacement of any nonstructural deck surface.
(2) 
Replacement of an appliance switch or receptacle with a switch or receptacle which is the same or has a like rating.
(3) 
The repair or replacement of any sink, toilet, tub, shower, or similar fixture and trap without relocation of any drain or venting device.
(4) 
The repair or replacement of any nonstructural member.
(5) 
The repair or replacement of kitchen cabinets, flooring, trim or drywall, provided that such drywall is not part of a fire-resistance-rated assembly.
(6) 
Replacement of windows when there is no change in the size of the existing opening.
(7) 
Reroofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage.
(8) 
Installation, alteration or repair of generation, transmission, distribution, metering or other related equipment under the ownership and control of public service agencies.
(9) 
The installation of aluminum or vinyl siding onto an existing residential or an existing commercial building.
(10) 
Replacement of doors.
C. 
Pursuant to Section 403.62(c), zoning permits are required for the following:
(1) 
Utility and miscellaneous use structures under 1,000 square feet.
(2) 
Fences of any height.
(3) 
Retaining walls of any height.
(4) 
Sidewalks and driveways.
(5) 
The installation of an uncovered deck where the floor of the deck is no more than 30 inches above grade.
(6) 
Prefabricated swimming pools that are less than 24 inches deep.