Pittsburgh
City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections
In short
City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections issues 5 permits we publish for Pittsburgh, last verified 2026-09-04. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections | $7.00 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $605 minimum and an $80,000 maximum — 40% due, non-refundable, at application, the remainder at issuance — plus a $4.50 State Education and Training Fund fee, a $5.00 digital record retention fee, and a tiered $2 to $25 technology fee. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-04 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections | $7.00 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $350 minimum and an $80,000 maximum, plus a $90 sign contractor license — initial and annual renewal — required of the installer. | per sign; the sign contractor license itself renews annually | 2026-09-04 |
| Child Care Facility Lead Registrationonly if it applies to you | City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections | $50 initial and annual renewal | 1 year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections | $130–$575 $575 for a standard commercial certificate, $130 for a temporary event, structure or seating certificate | permanent — required as supporting evidence for nearly every PLI business or trade license | 2026-09-04 |
| General Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections | $90 initial and annual renewal | 365 days from the license start date | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Commercial Building Permit
An optional accelerated review exists at a real premium — 1.5% of construction value for a building development application, or 1.0% for other commercial permits, each with its own $1,500 to $2,500 minimum and an $80,000 ceiling shared with the standard fee.
Sign Permit
A sign's own certificate of occupancy is issued at no charge, a deliberate exception carved out of the standard fee.
Child Care Facility Lead Registration
Applies specifically to a child-occupied facility — an active day care, preschool or kindergarten classroom — inside a building constructed before 1978, when lead paint was still in common use. Registration requires proof of general liability insurance at $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, a valid certificate of occupancy for childcare use, and a lead-dust-wipe inspection; a facility that passes is re-inspected every three years, one that fails every year.
Certificate of Occupancy
Runs through a two-step process — a Department of City Planning zoning review, then PLI issuance. A sign's own certificate of occupancy is issued free of charge, a deliberate exception to the standard commercial fee.
General Contractor License
Requires general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, workers' compensation coverage or a notarized exemption affidavit, and, since May 2022, a federal EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting certification — but no surety bond appears anywhere in the City's licensing rules for this trade or any other it licenses. A contractor already holding a current Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration may use that in place of this City license, and an owner doing their own work on a one- or two-family home they occupy is exempt entirely.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Pittsburgh
- Phone
- (412) 255-2175
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Pittsburgh — Child Care Facility Lead RegistryCity of Pittsburgh · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Pittsburgh PLI Business Licensing Rules and Regulations, amended March 12, 2026City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- City of Pittsburgh PLI fee schedule, effective January 1, 2025City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Other offices serving Pittsburgh
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Pennsylvania jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.