What do these permits involve in Allegheny County?

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Plumbing Fixture and Ancillary Fees

On top of the plan-review fee listed separately for this jurisdiction, ACHD's Plumbing Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2023, still current) charges $22 per fixture on every plumbing permit. Related flat fees on the same schedule include a $27 fixture-replacement card, a $48 site-work fee for private storm, sanitary or water line work of 2 inches or more up to 125 feet (plus $45 per additional 125 feet), a $75 module fee, and a $75 re-inspection fee. Late payment adds $144 within 72 hours of the due date or $280 after that, and inspections scheduled outside normal hours cost $360 for evenings and Saturdays or $705 for Sundays.

On-Lot Septic Site Testing (Percolation, Deep Pit, Soils Verification)

Before ACHD will approve a new on-lot septic system, the site is tested: the January 1, 2026 fee schedule prices a percolation test at $235, each additional deep pit test at $120, and soils verification at $185. These testing fees are charged in addition to the new-system permit fee listed separately for this jurisdiction and apply wherever a property is not on public sewer, county-wide.

County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) Filing Fee

This ordinance, and the filing fee it requires, applies only where a municipality has not adopted its own subdivision and land development ordinance — per the county's own October 2025 Municipal SALDO List, exactly 26 of the county's 130 municipalities: Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Blawnox, Brackenridge, Braddock, Chalfant, Coraopolis, Dravosburg, East Pittsburgh, East McKeesport, Elizabeth Borough, Etna, Glenfield, Haysville, Heidelberg, North Braddock, Pennsbury Village, Pitcairn, Reserve Township, Springdale Borough, Tarentum, Versailles Borough, Wall, West Elizabeth, and Wilmerding. The other 104 fall into two different categories instead: 103 municipalities have adopted their own SALDO, and the City of Pittsburgh is separately exempt from county SALDO review altogether under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. Any of the ten industries this site tracks subdividing land or undertaking land development in one of the 26 named municipalities needs this county approval; the same activity in any of the other 104 municipalities goes through that municipality's own process instead.

Plumbing Permit (Plan Review by Fixture Count)

Any of the ten industries this site tracks doing new construction or a remodel involving fixture work in Allegheny County needs a plumbing permit from ACHD's Plumbing Program, priced here by fixture-count level per the Plumbing Fee Schedule that took effect January 1, 2023 and, on a re-check of the county's own live PDF, is still the current schedule in force. This applies county-wide including inside the City of Pittsburgh — ACHD's own Plumbing Program page names Pittsburgh's Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections only as a source of complaint referrals into ACHD's process, confirming Pittsburgh runs no plumbing program of its own and goes through ACHD like every other municipality. A legacy provision may allow some other municipality that already ran its own plumbing administration before Article XV to continue doing so, but no current source names any such municipality, so none is excluded from this record's scope.

On-Lot Septic Permit — New System

Any Allegheny County business not connected to public sewer needs an on-lot septic permit from ACHD, acting county-wide as the Sewage Enforcement Officer under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, before installing a new system. The On-Lot Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026 prices a new system by type: $615 for Commercial or Multi-Family, $470 for a Single Family (Residential) system ($390 if the lot is in a tested/approved subdivision), $390 for a Holding Tank, and $225 for Privies. Article XIV contains no provision letting any municipality run its own on-lot sewage program instead of ACHD, so this applies wherever in the county a property lacks public sewer, with no municipal exception.

On-Lot Septic Permit — Repair

Repairing an existing on-lot septic system anywhere in Allegheny County requires a permit from ACHD's On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program. The fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 sets the repair fee at $360 for a Commercial, Multi-Family or other Non-Residential system and $185 for a Residential system. As with a new-system permit, this applies wherever a property is not connected to public sewer, county-wide, with no municipal carve-out under Article XIV.

On-Lot Septic Inspection (Site Visit, Pre-Construction, Interim, Final)

Installing an on-lot septic system in Allegheny County requires a series of ACHD inspections — a site visit, a mandatory pre-construction inspection, an interim inspection, and a final inspection — each priced at $185 under the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. A separate review fee applies if the system design itself needs engineering review: $320 for an engineer-designed or alternate/experimental system, or $90 for a conventional design.

Contractor Information Program Certification (voluntary)

This is a voluntary business certification, not a mandatory contractor license: §223-3 says a contractor operating in Allegheny County 'may participate' in the program, and only a participant owes the fee. §223-2 defines 'contractor' broadly — anyone performing construction, reconstruction, remodeling, renovation or repair of real estate under contract — so it can reach any of the ten industries this site tracks when doing its own build-out work, not only businesses that call themselves contractors. The per-address annual certification fee is $100, per §223-16's exact wording ('The annual fee for the business certification available under this article shall be $100'), payable each January 1 per §223-5, with the certification running through December 31. A late payment carries a 5%-per-month penalty under §223-10, capped at 30% of the fee due for the year. This is administered separately from, and is not a substitute for, any municipality's own business-privilege license.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Plumbing Fixture and Ancillary Feesonly if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program	$22 per fixture, per permit	per permit	2026-09-30
On-Lot Septic Site Testing (Percolation, Deep Pit, Soils Verification)only if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program	$120–$235 one-time — percolation test $235; additional deep pit test $120 each; soils verification $185	one-time, per test	2026-09-30
County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) Filing Feeonly if it applies to you	Allegheny County Economic Development, Planning Division	Allegheny County Code §780-303C.1.c requires a filing fee with every SALDO application, stating verbatim: 'A filing fee, in the form of a check or money order payable to the Allegheny County Treasurer, shall accompany the application. The amount of the fee shall be in accordance with a fee schedule adopted by resolution of County Council.' That fee-setting resolution's dollar figures are not published in the 168-page SALDO ordinance text, the Planning Division's March 2024 County Approvals guidance, or the March 2024 SALD application form, whose 'Fee enclosed: $___' line is left blank with no printed amount or attached schedule.	per application	2026-09-30
Plumbing Permit (Plan Review by Fixture Count)only if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program	$80–$985 plan review by fixture count — Level 1 (0-5 fixtures) $80; Level 2 (6-50) $117; Level 3 (51-100) $218; Level 4 (101-200) $425; Level 5 (201+) $985	per permit	2026-09-30
On-Lot Septic Permit — New Systemonly if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program	$225–$615 one-time, by system type — Commercial/Multi-Family $615; Single Family (Residential) $470 ($390 in a tested/approved subdivision); Holding Tank $390; Privies $225	one-time, per new system	2026-09-30
On-Lot Septic Permit — Repaironly if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program	$185–$360 one-time — Commercial/Multi-Family/Non-Residential repair $360; Residential repair $185	one-time, per repair	2026-09-30
On-Lot Septic Inspection (Site Visit, Pre-Construction, Interim, Final)only if it applies to you	Allegheny County Health Department, On-Lot Sewage Disposal Program	$185 per inspection (site visit, mandatory pre-construction, interim, or final)	per inspection	2026-09-30
Contractor Information Program Certification (voluntary)only if it applies to you	Allegheny County Treasurer	$100 per year, per business address	annual — expires December 31; renewal payment is due by January 1 each year	2026-09-30

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