Building permits are public records in Pennsylvania. Federal and state laws or judicial orders can exclude some records from being disclosed to the public, but building permits are generally accessible.
A building permit is permission to begin construction – a legal document that provides a permanent construction record to certify a building project met the current building code requirements and, when necessary, conformed to approved plans and specifications.
THE FOLLOWING WORK DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUILDING PERMIT: Fully detached accessory buildings to single-family dwellings less than 1,000 square feet. Agricultural Buildings. Manufactured and industrialized housing (mobile homes and modular homes).
Building Codes Construction in Pennsylvania, including the City of Pittsburgh, is regulated by the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act or PA Act No. 45 of 1999, which is also commonly referred to as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC). The UCC adopts, in whole or part, the International Code Council's (ICC) I-Codes.