Do you need a permit to build a deck in Lancaster County?

Short answer: if the deck attaches to the house, or is more than 30 inches above the ground at any point, or has a roof, you need a building permit in essentially every borough and township in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. A small, free-standing platform under 30 inches with no roof is usually exempt, but check, because a few municipalities regulate even those.

I pull the permits on every deck and porch I build and I have been to a lot of inspections. Here is how it works, what it costs, and why it is worth it even when no one would ever notice.

Why decks are permitted

Decks fall down. Not often, but when they do it is usually at a party, with a lot of people on them, and the cause is almost always the same: the ledger board that attaches the deck to the house was nailed instead of bolted, never flashed, and rotted the rim joist of the house until it let go. The second most common failure is undersized or unbraced posts. The third is railings.

The residential building code that Pennsylvania uses, the Uniform Construction Code based on the International Residential Code, has a whole section on decks because of this. The permit is how the township makes sure a deck meets it. The inspector is not there to be difficult; he is there to look at the three things that drop decks.

Who issues the permit

Pennsylvania municipalities handle their own permits. Lancaster County has 60 of them and Lebanon County has 26, and each one either has its own code office or contracts with a third-party inspection agency. Ephrata Borough, Ephrata Township, West Earl Township, Warwick Township, Lititz Borough, East Cocalico Township, Manheim Township and so on each have a permit application, a fee schedule and an inspector. Some share an agency. The process is similar everywhere; the forms and fees are not.

Your contractor should know which office covers your address and handle the application. I do this as part of the job. If a contractor tells you a permit is not needed for an attached deck, that is a sign to get another contractor.

What the application needs

• A site plan showing the house, property lines, and the deck's location and setbacks from the lines
• A drawing of the deck: dimensions, post locations, footing sizes, beam and joist sizes and spacing, ledger attachment detail, stair layout, railing height
• The materials: pressure-treated lumber for the frame, the decking and railing products
• The contractor's name and Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor number
• The fee

I draw these myself for the decks I build. For a straightforward deck, the drawing is a page or two. For a porch with a roof, it includes the roof framing and how it ties into the house.

What the inspector looks at

There are usually two inspections, sometimes three.

Footing inspection. After the holes are dug and before concrete goes in. The inspector checks that the footings are below the frost line, which is 36 inches in Lancaster County, and are the right diameter for the load. This is the inspection that catches the deck set on patio blocks, which heaves every winter.

Framing inspection. After the frame is built and before the decking goes on. The inspector checks the ledger, which must be through-bolted or lag-screwed into the rim joist on a specified pattern and flashed; the post bases, which must hold the post above the concrete; the beam-to-post connection; the joist hangers; the lateral ties that connect the deck framing to the house framing; and the stair stringers. This is the one that matters most.

Final inspection. After everything is done. Railings at 36 inches with openings under 4 inches, stairs with consistent risers and a graspable handrail, the stair landing, and lighting at the stairs if required.

If something is wrong, the inspector writes it up and comes back. On a deck built to the code it is a ten-minute visit each time.

What it costs and how long it takes

Permit fees for a deck in this area run from about $75 to $300 depending on the municipality and the size of the deck; some charge by square footage, some a flat fee, some a percentage of the job value. Porches with roofs cost more because they are a structural addition. The fee is a line item on my estimate, at cost.

Turnaround is usually one to two weeks from application to permit in hand, longer in spring when everyone is applying. The inspections are scheduled a day or two ahead. A deck that takes a week to build takes two or three weeks start to finish once the permit and the inspection waits are included.

HOA approval is separate

If your neighborhood has a homeowners association, it probably requires its own approval for a deck, and it will want the same drawing plus material and color choices. The township does not care about your HOA and your HOA does not care about the township; you need both. I can provide the drawing and material list the HOA asks for.

What happens if you skip it

Three things, in rough order of likelihood.

You sell the house. The buyer's inspector notes an unpermitted deck. The buyer asks for proof it was built to code. There is none. You either get a retroactive permit, which means an inspector looks at a finished deck and may require parts of it opened up, or you negotiate the price down, or you tear it off.

Something goes wrong. If a deck fails and someone is hurt, an unpermitted deck is a serious problem with your homeowners insurance and in any lawsuit.

A neighbor reports it. The township can require you to stop work, apply for a permit, and open up anything the inspector needs to see. Fines vary.

None of those are worth saving a $150 fee and two weeks.

What about repairs?

Replacing deck boards and railings on an existing sound frame usually does not need a permit. Replacing the frame, the ledger, the posts or the footings does, because that is structural. Replacing a whole deck is a new deck. If you are not sure, the code office will tell you in a phone call.

The practical version

If you are hiring a contractor: ask whether they pull the permit, ask for their PA HIC number, and expect the permit fee and inspection waits to be part of the schedule. If you are building it yourself: call your township's code office before you dig, get the deck drawing requirements, and plan on the footing and framing inspections. Either way, the frost line is 36 inches, the ledger gets bolts and flashing, and the railing is 36 inches high with balusters under 4 inches apart.

I build decks and porches across Lancaster and Lebanon counties, permits included. If you want a drawing and a number, the estimate is free.