Permit guide
Pennsylvania permits, for basements and remodels
Written for Lehigh County homeowners, from the sets we draw and file ourselves. Every code section here is cited so you can check it.
- Code in force2021 I-Codes
- EffectiveJanuary 1, 2026
- Transition closedJuly 1, 2026
- Who draws the setWe do, in house
Last checked against the Pennsylvania Code on September 16, 2026.
Start here
Which code applies to your job
Most permit guides you will read do not say. That is a problem this year, because Pennsylvania changed editions.
Pennsylvania adopted the 2021 I-Codes at 34 Pa. Code 403.21, amended November 7, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026. Contracts signed before January 1 could still be permitted under the 2018 set if the application was filed by June 30. That window closed. Since July 1, 2026, every application is reviewed under the 2021 codes.
The accessibility provisions are the one exception. Those stay on the 2018 edition, because the 2021 updates were permanently enjoined in Pennsylvania Builders Association v. Department of Labor and Industry in October 2022.
Some municipal websites still describe the 2018 series. The state adoption governs unless the municipality filed its own amendment, so read the code criteria on the permit set rather than the township web page.
The question that moves the price
Are you adding a bedroom?
It decides whether your basement needs an egress window, and that single answer is worth more than every other line on the quote.
Egress
Most finished basements do not need an egress window
This is the most expensive misunderstanding in basement remodeling, and it goes in the homeowner's favor. IRC R310.7 is a two way switch.
New sleeping rooms created in an existing basement need an emergency escape and rescue opening. Other than new sleeping rooms, where an existing basement undergoes alterations or repairs, an emergency escape and rescue opening is not required.
So a basement finished as living space, a theater, a gym, a bar or an office does not need a foundation cut, a window well, or the engineering that comes with them. Add one bedroom and all of it arrives at once.
| Requirement | Number | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Net clear opening area | 5.7 sq ft | R310.2.1 |
| Net clear area, grade floor openings | 5.0 sq ft | R310.2.1 exc |
| Net clear opening height | 24 in minimum | R310.2.2 |
| Net clear opening width | 20 in minimum | R310.2.2 |
| Sill height above finished floor | 44 in maximum | R310.2.3 |
Ceiling height
Measure the lowest thing, not the joist
The duct, the main, the sprinkler line and the beam all count. This is the table that decides whether a low basement can be finished at all, and Pennsylvania amends it in your favor on a beam and girder basement.
| Where | Minimum | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Habitable space and hallways | 7 ft 0 in minimum | R305.1 |
| Bathrooms, toilet rooms, laundry | 6 ft 8 in minimum | R305.1 |
| Shower or tub with a showerhead | 6 ft 8 in over a 30 in by 30 in area | R305.1 exc 2 |
| Beams, girders and ducts | May drop to 6 ft 4 in | R305.1 exc 3 |
| Beams spaced 36 in or more apart | 6 ft 6 in clear under the beam | PA amendment, 403.21(a)(7)(iv)(B) |
| Habitable room size | 70 sq ft, and 7 ft 0 in in any direction | R304 |
Insulation
Three legal ways to build the wall
Lehigh County and Northampton County are Climate Zone 5A. The basement wall requirement is written 15/19, reprinted in the Pennsylvania amendments at 34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(9)(vi)(D).
R-15 continuous insulation on the interior or exterior. Or R-19 cavity insulation on the interior of the basement wall. Or R-13 cavity plus R-5 continuous, which is the one that fits a 2x4 wall and a low ceiling.
The insulation runs from the top of the basement wall down to 10 feet below grade or to the floor, whichever is less. Full height, not just the exposed portion.
The application
You do not need an architect for a basement
The residential permit application is 34 Pa. Code 403.62a. It asks for an application, construction documents with plans and specifications, and any other related approvals. It does not require an architect or an engineer.
The sentence people quote about a licensed architect or professional engineer lives at 34 Pa. Code 403.42a(c), which is the commercial subchapter. It is the wrong subchapter for a house. Do not quote it at a residential reviewer, and do not let one quote it at you.
An engineer is genuinely required when the design leaves the prescriptive tables. A new beam, girder or header with no IRC span table, or cutting the foundation wall for an egress window, are the two that come up on basements. That trigger is IRC R301.1.3.
Lehigh County
Who reviews your permit, by municipality
Pennsylvania lets each municipality administer the code in house, hire a third party agency, or opt out entirely. Which one yours chose changes what you file and how long it takes.
| Municipality | Who reviews and inspects | Plan sets | Trade permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown | In house | 2 or 3, published inconsistently | Bundled into one permit |
| Bethlehem | In house | 2 | Separate, all filed the same day |
| Whitehall Township | Keycodes | 2 | Separate |
| Emmaus | In house, BIA for electrical and mechanical | 2 | Separate |
| Macungie | Barry Isett | 3 | Separate |
| Alburtis | Barry Isett | 3 | Separate |
| South Whitehall | Township, Barry Isett for trades | 3 plans plus 3 plot plans | Separate |
| Upper Macungie | Township inspectors, split plan review | 3 | Separate |
| Lower Macungie | In house | 2 | Bundled into the alteration fee |
| Coopersburg | Keycodes | 3 | Electrical separate |
| Salisbury Township | Township BCO, Keycodes | Not published, ask | Building, energy and electrical bundled |
| North Whitehall | You pick, Barry Isett or Keycodes | 3, no plot plan on interior work | Separate permit numbers |
Questions
The short answers
Do I need a permit to finish my basement in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Framing, electrical and plumbing all trigger a building permit. The permit is what puts an inspector on the wiring before the drywall closes it in, which is the entire point.
Do I need an architect or an engineer?
Not for a normal basement. The residential permit application at 34 Pa. Code 403.62a does not require one. An engineer is required when the work leaves the prescriptive tables, for example a new beam with no span table, or cutting the foundation for an egress window.
How long does the permit take?
Two to four weeks in Lehigh County, depending on the municipality and whether the trades are bundled or filed separately.
Who schedules the inspections?
We do. We draw the set, file it, and schedule every inspection through to the final.
What happens if the work was done without a permit?
It surfaces at resale, and the fix is worse than the original permit. Unpermitted finished space can be excluded from the square footage, and a buyer's inspector will find open wiring behind a wall.
We draw the set and we file it
Pennsylvania lets a registered builder prepare its own construction documents for a project this size. That is why our permits do not sit waiting on somebody else's schedule.
- PA Registered Home Improvement Contractor PA225448
- Fully insured
- Macungie, Pennsylvania