Rules by state
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania does not run one statewide municipal point-of-sale or resale inspection system; these requirements are set locally by boroughs, townships, cities, and sometimes sewer authorities. State law matters because when a Pennsylvania municipality does require a resale use-and-occupancy/certificate process, Act 99 of 2000—amended by Act 93 of 2024—controls temporary certificates, repair timing, and bans mandatory escrow or bond conditions. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- State law
- Under Pennsylvania’s Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act, as amended in 2024, municipalities that use resale inspections must issue the appropriate use-and-occupancy or temporary certificate based on findings, may not require escrow or bonds, and purchasers generally have 12 months—sometimes longer by municipal agreement—to cure cited violations. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
Official resources in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act (Act 99, as amended)
State law text governing municipal resale inspection certificates, temporary occupancy/access certificates, repair periods, and the ban on required escrow or bonds.
PA Department of Labor & Industry — Municipal Elections and Contact Information
State page linking the table of all 2,562 municipalities and their Uniform Construction Code enforcement status and local building-code contact information.
Penn State Extension — On-Lot Septic System Inspections During Real Estate Transactions
Penn State’s current fact sheet on septic inspections during home sales, including how local municipal mandates differ from private real-estate inspections.
City of Reading — Codes, Property Maintenance and Enforcement
Official city overview of Reading’s Certificate of Transfer and property-sale inspection process.
Emmaus Borough — Sewer Lateral Inspections
Official borough page explaining Emmaus’s sewer lateral inspection requirement before sale or transfer.
Key facts for Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania has no single statewide resale-inspection program; municipalities decide locally, and DLI’s statewide table is the main place to check local UCC enforcement status. ([pa.gov](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-services/labor-management-relations/bureau-of-occupational-and-industrial-safety/uniform-construction-code-home/municipal-elections-and-contact-information))
- If a municipal resale inspection finds violations but no substantial violations, the municipality must issue a temporary use-and-occupancy certificate. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
- If a municipal resale inspection finds at least one substantial violation, the municipality must issue a temporary access certificate; new occupants cannot move in under it. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
- A Pennsylvania municipality may not require escrowed funds, a bond, or similar financial security to issue these resale certificates. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
- Reading says the seller must apply for a Certificate of Transfer before sale, and the certificate is necessary for all properties sold in the city. ([readingpa.gov](https://www.readingpa.gov/codes-property-maintenance-and-enforcement))
- Emmaus requires sewer laterals/building sewers to be inspected before sale or transfer, and repairs/reinspection are required before sale if defects are found. ([emmauspa.gov](https://www.emmauspa.gov/298/Sewer-Lateral-Inspections?utm_source=openai))
Cities with sale-triggered rules in Pennsylvania
| City | program | type | fee | valid | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedminster Bucks | Resale Use & Occupancy Permit | U&O certificate | $60.00 | — | If the property has an on-lot septic system, a septic company must pump and inspect it and complete the Township forms. |
| Blawnox Allegheny | Sanitary Sewer Certification / Dye Test and Camera Inspection | sewer lateral | — | 12 months for prior dye test exemption | A dye test and camera sewer lateral inspection are mandatory for all sales unless the property passed a dye test within the prior 12 months. |
| Bridgeville Allegheny | Sanitary Sewer Certification | inflow/infiltration | $25.00 | — | The completed sewer certification with the $25 fee is included in the lien-letter packet before closing. |
| Collegeville Montgomery | Residential Resale Use & Occupancy Permit | U&O certificate | $125.00 | — | A separate sewer inspection by the Collegeville-Trappe Municipal Authority is required, and the Borough will not issue the U&O certificate until that inspection passes. |
| East McKeesport Allegheny | Occupancy Permit + Dye Test & Private Lateral Time of Sale | U&O certificate | Occupancy permit $75.00; dye test/private lateral time of sale $125.00 | — | Before the Borough releases lien documentation, the seller must arrange the occupancy permit inspection, zoning permit, and dye/lateral inspection. |
| East Norriton Township Montgomery | Use and Occupancy Permit Application | U&O certificate | — | — | The sewer lateral must be inspected and televised at the owner’s expense as part of the resale inspection. |
| Edgewood Allegheny | Application/Certification of Dye Test Compliance (Sanitary Sewer Certificate) | inflow/infiltration | $40.00 | — | The sanitary sewer certificate form is expressly marked 'Required for Sale of Property or Change of Rental Occupant.' |
| Falls Township Bucks | Residential Resales - Use & Occupancy Permit | U&O certificate | $100.00 | — | The Township still requires its certificate of occupancy, but only after receiving electrical, heating, chimney/flue/vent, and sewer certifications. |
| Ingram Allegheny | Sanitary Sewer Certification | inflow/infiltration | — | — | Applicants selling or mortgaging property must apply for sanitary sewer certification at least 14 days before closing. |
| Jenkintown Montgomery | Residential Use & Occupancy Certification | U&O certificate | $300.00; $50.00 where no sewer lateral is inspected; $100.00 application fee if applicant hires a NASSCO-certified plumbing technician | — | The published U&O fee is largely used to offset the engineer’s review and report of the sanitary sewer lateral video. |
| Langhorne Bucks | Residential Resale Use and Occupancy Inspection and Certificate | U&O certificate | $100.00 per residential unit | 30 days | For resale U&O inspections, the Borough requires third-party electrical, heater, and chimney inspections, and the permit is valid for 30 days. |
| Lansdowne Delaware | Property Transfer Permit / Resale Use and Occupancy Certificate | interior+exterior | — | — | If deficiencies are found and the buyer agrees to correct them after settlement, the buyer must obtain a Conditional Resale Certificate and submit a notarized affidavit. |
| Lower Frederick Township Montgomery | Residential Resale Use & Occupancy Permit | U&O certificate | — | — | If the home is on public sewer, the sewer certification form must be completed for a sale; if it has on-lot septic, pumping and inspection must be compliant. |
| Lower Makefield Township Bucks | Private Sewer Lateral Inspection at Sale or Transfer | sewer lateral | — | — | If the private sewer lateral is noncompliant, it must be repaired or replaced before the Township will approve the transfer. |
| Norristown Montgomery | Property Transfer Inspection + Sewer Lateral Inspection | U&O certificate | — | — | No owner or agent may transfer ownership without the property transfer inspection, sewer lateral inspection, and a U&O or temporary U&O certificate. |
| North Wales Montgomery | Residential Resale Use and Occupancy Permit | U&O certificate | $100.00 | — | The application states a $100 permit fee for the residential resale U&O permit. |
| O'Hara Township Allegheny | Sanitary Sewer Certificate | inflow/infiltration | $125.00 residential | 1 year from initial inspection | The Township requires the application at least 30 days before closing and says repairs must be made before closing. |
| Oxford Chester | Certificate of Use & Occupancy Application for Resale | U&O certificate | — | — | The resale U&O application includes Borough approval lines for sewer and water certifications and mentions a $50 reinspection fee before a temporary certificate is issued. |
| Parkesburg Chester | Use & Occupancy Permit at Time of Sale | U&O certificate | $150.00 | — | Parkesburg requires a U&O, temporary U&O, or temporary access permit prior to sale, and separately requires a $25 trash certificate. |
| Pen Argyl Northampton | Residential Re-Sale Inspection | evaluation (TISH) | $75.00 residential resale inspection; sewer certification $20.00 with at least 5 days notice or $35.00 with 4 days or less notice | — | The Borough’s sewer certification form says all properties being sold in Pen Argyl must have a resale inspection before closing. |
| Phoenixville Chester | Municipal Services Certification + Property Transfer Permit Inspection | evaluation (TISH) | — | — | The Municipal Services Certification must be submitted and paid at least 7 days before settlement, and Codes schedules the PTP inspection before settlement. |
| Red Hill Montgomery | Borough Use & Occupancy Inspection | U&O certificate | — | — | Red Hill says every property resale requires a Borough U&O inspection plus separate trash, tax, sewer, and water certifications. |
| Upper Uwchlan Township Chester | Residential Re-Sale Use & Occupancy Inspection | U&O certificate | $100.00 | — | The Township asks applicants to schedule the inspection at least two weeks prior to settlement. |
| Warminster Township Bucks | Private Sewer Lateral Inspection | sewer lateral | — | — | The Authority says this sewer lateral inspection is separate from the U&O inspection performed by Warminster Township. |
| West Reading Berks | Property Transfer Inspection / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection | U&O certificate | $300.00 | — | The Borough’s property transfer inspection fee includes the initial inspection and one reinspection, if necessary. |
| Westtown Township Chester | Resale Certificate of Use & Occupancy | U&O certificate | — | — | Westtown’s FAQ states all properties transferred in the Township must obtain a U&O before transfer. |
What to do next
- Start with your exact municipality—not just the county—because Pennsylvania resale, U&O, and sewer-lateral rules are hyperlocal; use the DLI municipal table, then the borough/township/city site. ([pa.gov](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-services/labor-management-relations/bureau-of-occupational-and-industrial-safety/uniform-construction-code-home/municipal-elections-and-contact-information))
- If the home uses on-lot septic, ask the municipality’s Sewage Enforcement Officer whether a local transfer inspection is mandated, and separately consider a certified septic inspection for the transaction. ([extension.psu.edu](https://extension.psu.edu/on-lot-septic-system-inspections-during-real-estate-transactions?utm_source=openai))
- If a municipal inspection finds problems, review whether the property can close with a temporary certificate and buyer repair responsibility; Pennsylvania law generally gives at least 12 months, with possible longer negotiated time. ([legis.state.pa.us](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/PDF/2000/0/0099..PDF))
Helpful guides
- What is a point-of-sale inspection?
- Point-of-sale inspection vs. a buyer's home inspection
- Minnesota Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing (TISH) evaluations explained
- Ohio point-of-sale inspections: how the Cleveland-area programs work
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