Pull Your Permits By March 31, 2019, Or Your Construction Contract May Need To Be Amended

 After nearly a decade of only minor changes to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code ("UCC"), the Department of Labor and Industry, by recommendation from the Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council, acted in May, 2018 to approve significant changes to the UCC. The UCC changes adopt most of the 2015 International Building Code, taking effect on October 1, 2018.

All construction contracts entered into after October 1, 2018 require compliance with the new UCC provisions. However, if a design or construction contract for proposed work was executed prior to October 1, 2018, a contractor can pull a permit based on the old UCC provisions until March 31, 2019.

In other words, on and after April 1, 2019, contractors cannot pull a permit for a construction contract, based on old UCC standards, if executed prior to October 1, 2018. Contractors who timely pull permits by March 31, 2019 can continue construction and do not need to pull a subsequent permit