Most permit applications are not rejected because the project is wrong. They come back because a page is missing, a line is unsigned, or the check is written to the wrong office. If you have ever stood at a borough counter with a folder full of hope and a zoning map you cannot read, you know the feeling. The good news is that the reasons applications stall are remarkably consistent, and almost all of them can be caught at your kitchen table. Before you file for a fence, a deck, or work in the sidewalk right of way, work through the items below.

Start With the Property Line, Not the Sketch

Almost everyone draws the fence from the back door outward. That is the wrong starting point. Setbacks are measured from your legal property line, not from the edge of the lawn, the line of the hedge, or where the neighbor's mower turns around. If your lot has never been surveyed, pull the plat from the county assessor or recorder's office and keep a copy in the folder.

A plat is not a survey, and it will not settle a boundary dispute, but it gives you a defensible starting point for the drawing you submit. If the proposed work sits close to a line you are unsure about, have the corners located by a surveyor before you spend money on materials. This is also the moment to talk to the neighbor whose yard you are fencing along. A five-minute conversation now is cheaper than a stop-work order later.

The Paperwork Most Applications Are Missing

Requirements vary by borough, but the same handful of documents goes missing over and over. Read your borough's own application instructions and use them as the authority over anything you read elsewhere, including here.

  • A complete, signed application. If a contractor is filing on your behalf, the owner still signs. Property held in a trust or owned by two people needs the right signatures on the right lines.
  • A scaled site plan. Show lot lines, existing structures, the proposed fence or deck, and the distance from each proposed element to each property line. A hand sketch is often accepted if it is drawn to scale and labeled.
  • Proof of ownership or authorization. A deed, tax bill, or a notarized letter from the owner if someone else is applying.
  • Contractor credentials. Current license and certificate of insurance, naming the property owner or borough as required.
  • Construction details for decks. Footing depth, joist spacing, railing height, and stair detail. Many boroughs want a specification sheet or stamped drawing for anything attached to the house.
  • Homeowner association approval, if your subdivision has one. The borough will not adjudicate your HOA's rules for you.

Zoning: The Approval That Stops Everything Else

Zoning review is frequently a separate step from the building permit, and it is the step that can add weeks rather than days. Ask at the counter whether your application needs a zoning permit, a special exception, or nothing at all. Then check three numbers yourself.

Setbacks, height, and lot coverage

Fence height is usually limited, and the limit often differs between a front yard and a rear yard. Decks count toward lot coverage in many ordinances even when they are not roofed, and a deck that pushes you over the coverage limit needs relief. Measure to the top of the railing, not the deck boards.

Corner lots and sight triangles

If your lot sits at an intersection, a clear-sight triangle near the corner may cap fence height and push it back from the sidewalk. This trips up more applicants than any other single rule, because the fence looks perfectly reasonable on a site plan that does not show the intersection.

A variance means a public hearing, a mailed notice, and a waiting period. If your project needs one, file early and expect the schedule to stretch. If a boundary dispute or a variance is involved, talk to a land-use attorney before you submit anything.

Fees, and the Small Details That Delay a Check

Fee schedules change, and they are almost always published on the borough website or available as a printed sheet at the counter. Confirm the current amount the week you file, not the week you started planning. Then check the mechanics.

  • Who is the check payable to — the borough, the township, or the county?
  • Is zoning review a separate fee from the building permit?
  • Does the borough require an escrow deposit for engineering review?
  • Can you pay by card, or is a check or money order required?
  • What is the fee for a re-inspection if you miss an inspection window?

Note the last one. Pouring a deck footing before the footing inspection is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes on this list, because it usually means excavation and a second fee.

Neighbor Notice: Who Has to Hear About It

Not every application requires notice, but fences and decks near a side or rear lot line often do, and any variance certainly will. The details matter more than the fact of the notice:

  • Who receives it. Owners of record, not tenants. Get names and mailing addresses from the county, not from memory.
  • How far it reaches. Typically a radius measured in feet from the property line. Ask the clerk for the exact number.
  • How it is sent. Certified mail, hand delivery, or both — and who is allowed to deliver it.
  • When it must arrive. Usually a set number of days before the hearing. Late notice means a postponement.
  • Proof. A signed or notarized affidavit of mailing is frequently required with the application.

Send the notice, then knock on the door. Neighbors rarely object to a fence. They object to finding out about it from a certified letter.

Sidewalk Work Adds a Second Layer

Work in the right of way is a different permit from a building permit, even when it is part of the same project. Expect to supply a certificate of insurance for the contractor, a pedestrian and traffic control plan, material specifications for the concrete, and sometimes a restoration deposit. A tree protection plan may be required if the work is near a street tree, and utility clearance is essential before anyone breaks ground — call 811 and wait for the marks. Pedestrian access has to be maintained throughout, which means cones, signage, and a plan someone has actually thought through.

A Five-Minute Check Before You Walk In

  1. Is the application signed by the owner?
  2. Does the site plan show distances to every property line?
  3. Do you know whether zoning approval is separate?
  4. Is the fee amount current, and is the check payable to the right entity?
  5. If notice is required, has it already gone out with proof of mailing?

Count the pages against the borough's own checklist one last time, make a photocopy of the entire packet for your records, and write the clerk's name and the date you filed on the copy. When the inspector calls about the footing, you will be glad you kept the folder. And if anything in the ordinance reads ambiguously, ask the zoning officer before you build, not after.

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