Pennsylvania resale use and occupancy (U&O) inspections: a town-by-town table

What a resale U&O is, and what it isn't

A resale U&O (some towns call it a property transfer permit, resale certificate, certificate of occupancy, certificate of compliance or buyer notification inspection) is a municipal sign-off that the house meets local codes before a new owner uses it. The seller usually applies; Upper Darby says plainly that "the seller is responsible for obtaining the U&O Certificate" (Upper Darby).

It isn't a home inspection. Upper Darby and Norristown both describe their inspections as visual and non-invasive (Upper Darby, Norristown), and Spring Township's is limited to exterior conditions (Spring Township). A pass means the inspector saw no code violations on the checklist, not that the house is free of defects.

The state law: MCOCA and the temporary U&O

The Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act (Act 99 of 2000, amended by Act 133 of 2016 and Act 93 of 2024) sets the ground rules for any municipality that requires a U&O on resale (Pennsylvania General Assembly). Section 2.1 tells the town which certificate to issue:

The rest of the act, in plain terms (Act 99 text as amended):

• What "substantial" means. A substantial violation is one that makes a building "unfit for human habitation", which can include a significant fire or accident hazard, inadequate sanitary facilities, vermin, or disrepair so serious that repairs would cost more than half the agreed purchase price (§ 2).
• 12 months to comply. Within 12 months of the date of purchase, the buyer must bring the property into compliance or demolish the building. The town may agree to a longer period at the owner's request, but "the time periods stated in subsection (a) may not be shortened" (§ 3(a), (a.1)).
• Reinspection. When substantial violations are fixed but others remain, the temporary access certificate converts to a temporary U&O for the time left; once everything is fixed, the town issues a full U&O (§ 3(a.2)).
• No escrow or bond. A municipality "may not require the escrowing of funds or posting of a bond" or similar security as a condition of issuing a certificate, though it can require permits before work starts (§ 2.1(b), (c)).
• Penalties fall on the buyer. If the buyer misses the deadline, the temporary certificate can be revoked and the buyer is personally liable for the repair or demolition cost plus a fine of $1,000 to $10,000 (§ 3(b)).
• Exceptions. Banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and similar institutions that take title to recover a defaulted loan are exempt, except that a town may still require them to correct substantial violations (§ 2.2). Violations already the subject of a court fine or judgment before the purchase aren't covered by the 12-month rule (§ 3(f)).

Town forms put these rules into practice in different words. Norristown's page describes the same "Temporary Occupancy Certificate" and "Temporary Access Certificate" (Norristown), and Upper Darby gives the buyer one year to correct minor violations under a temporary U&O (Upper Darby). Some forms list a shorter correction window for buyers who sign an affidavit; Lansdowne's, for example, says 90 days "or other timeline approved by written permission by Borough code official" (Lansdowne). If a town's form and the statute seem to conflict, ask a Pennsylvania real estate attorney before you sign.

Town-by-town table: resale U&O and transfer inspections

We built this table only from each municipality's own website or published forms, read on October 20, 2026. "Not stated" means the official page or form we used doesn't say; it doesn't mean there's no rule. Fees and forms change, so confirm with the code office before you schedule anything. On a phone, scroll the table sideways.

Towns that publish no resale U&O for single-family homes

Not every town has a resale program. These official pages say there isn't one for ordinary houses, and Philadelphia uses a records certificate instead of an inspection:

A town without a resale U&O can still require other things at sale, such as rental registration, a sewer certification from the tax office or authority, or settlement of municipal bills. Abington, for example, directs sewer certifications to its Tax Office (Abington).

Not listed: towns whose official pages we couldn't open or verify on the review date, including Lower Merion, Cheltenham and Bristol Borough. If your town isn't in either table, call its code or zoning office and ask whether a resale U&O, transfer inspection or sewer lateral certification applies.

What inspectors commonly look for

Checklists vary, but several items appear again and again in the forms we read:

• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Upper Darby treats missing or non-working smoke and CO detectors as substantial violations (Upper Darby); Falls and Ambler have sellers sign letters or affidavits confirming working alarms (Falls, Ambler).
• Sewer laterals. Upper Darby, Falls, Jenkintown, Ambler, Sharon Hill, Lower Providence, North Wales and Collegeville tie the resale certificate to a sewer lateral or sewer inspection, often a video by a licensed plumber (sources in the table). Mount Penn adds a separate inflow and infiltration inspection (Mount Penn).
• Heating, chimney and electrical certifications. Bensalem, Falls and Langhorne want certificates for the electrical panel, heating system and a Level II chimney inspection; Norristown wants heating and chimney certifications from a registered contractor; Middletown requires the chimney inspection on its own (sources in the table).
• Sidewalks and curbs. Haverford's checklist has the seller replace cracked or uneven sidewalk and curb sections (Haverford), and Ambler and Jenkintown inspect curbs and sidewalks (Ambler, Jenkintown).
• Basics. House numbers visible from the street, GFCI outlets near water, handrails, cover plates on switches and outlets, and working heat and hot water show up on the Doylestown, Yeadon and Langhorne lists (Doylestown, Yeadon, Langhorne).

How to plan the timeline

1. Confirm the municipality. A mailing address like Levittown or Langhorne doesn't tell you which township or borough the house is in. Use the municipality on the tax bill.
2. Get the current form early. Allentown wants the request within 5 business days of offering the house for sale (Allentown); Norristown and Haverford want 30 days before settlement; Spring Township wants 30 business days (sources in the table).
3. Order contractor certifications. Sewer lateral videos, chimney inspections and heating certifications take scheduling time, and some must be dated close to settlement (Falls asks for certifications dated within six months; Norristown within 120 days of the application) (Falls, Norristown packet).
4. Decide who fixes what. Make repairs before settlement, or agree in the contract that the buyer will take them on and file the town's buyer form.
5. Give the certificate to the title company. Wilkes-Barre notes that its inspection report "may be required by a closing agent in order to proceed with a property closing" (Wilkes-Barre).

Selling as-is when the house won't pass

Most of the towns in the table publish a way for the buyer to take on the violations: a notarized letter of intent (Upper Darby, Norristown, Pottstown), an acceptance form (Allentown), an agreement of as-is (Coatesville), a buyer acknowledgement (Reading) or a conditional or provisional certificate (Lansdowne, Yeadon, Sharon Hill, Haverford). That shifts the repair deadline, and any fines for missing it, to the buyer.

For a seller, that is often the simplest route: the house sells in its current condition, and the buyer handles permits, contractors and reinspections afterward. Read the agreement of sale carefully so it says who is responsible for the listed violations, and keep a copy of the inspection report and any forms you delivered. You still have to disclose known material defects; see disclosure when selling as-is.

We buy houses in Pennsylvania in any condition, and where a town lets the buyer accept violations, we can sign that form as the buyer. See our pages for Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County, Reading and Allentown, or selling a house with code violations in Philadelphia.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Pennsylvania General Assembly, Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act, Act 99 of 2000, as amended by Act 133 of 2016 and Act 93 of 2024 (text as amended)
2. Bucks County: Bensalem Township resale U&O application; Falls Township resale U&O application and U&O fact sheet; Middletown Township resale requirements; Doylestown Borough permits page and residential U&O form; Langhorne Borough resale U&O application
3. Montgomery County: Municipality of Norristown U&O (property transfer) and fee schedule; Borough of Pottstown inspection information, property transfer application and letter of intent; Borough of Conshohocken U&O permits and application; Jenkintown Borough residential U&O application; Borough of Ambler resale U&O announcement; North Wales Borough resale U&O application; Collegeville Borough resale application; Lower Providence Township resale certificate application; Borough of Lansdale code FAQ; Abington Township forms and permit applications
4. Delaware County: Upper Darby Township Use & Occupancy; Haverford Township Use & Occupancy and application; Borough of Lansdowne property transfer permit application and conditional permit affidavit; Yeadon Borough transfer certificate request and provisional U&O rules; Borough of Sharon Hill resale application; Ridley Park residential resale permit; Borough of Darby certificate of occupancy application
5. Chester County: City of Coatesville use registration form; Borough of Phoenixville property transfer permit application and checklist
6. Berks County: City of Reading Property and Codes Enforcement, 2026 Certificate of Transfer and Property Sale Inspection application and buyer acknowledgement; Borough of Mount Penn property transfer; Spring Township property transfer
7. Other counties: City of Allentown pre-sale inspections and procedure; City of Lebanon Buyer Notification Certificates and 2026 application; City of Wilkes-Barre Buyer Notification & Certificate of Occupancy and request form; City of York Bureau of Permits and Inspections
8. City of Philadelphia, Get a Property Sales Certification

This is general information, not legal advice. Municipal ordinances, forms and fees change, and a town's current form controls. Confirm requirements with the township, borough or city code office before you schedule inspections or settlement, and talk to a Pennsylvania real estate attorney about your agreement of sale.