Code committee talks plumbing permits, projects

Staff reviews which types of projects would require permits from the borough

Each month, Lansdale’s Code Enforcement committee gets an update from borough staff on what questions residents are asking often, and the correct answers to those questions.

June’s topic? Assistant Borough Manager John Ernst gave a rundown of the do’s and don’ts of obtaining plumbing permits.

“If you are replacing a sink, or a toilet or a faucet, or anything like that, you do not need a permit — if you are replacing fixture for fixture, you do not need a permit,” Ernst said.

“However, if you are relocating a drain line or a water line, or moving a toilet from one side of a room to another, for that you will need a permit,” he said.

Borough staff typically don’t get involved when a current fixture breaks or ages and needs to be replaced, Ernst told the committee, but only for larger projects that move the utility lines leading to those fixtures.

“If you’re just changing a fixture, you’re fine. If you are relocating a fixture or adding a fixture — adding a double bowl (sink) to a master bathroom or a second toilet or a powder room, then you’re going to need a permit,” he said.

For plumbing work outside a home, borough staff and the local water authority — in Lansdale, it’s the North Penn Water Authority — should always be contacted before doing any digging.

“Outside the house, you will always need a permit for sewer lateral replacement. Once you start digging on your property, you will need a permit,” Ernst said.

Typically, borough staff will check the materials used on pipe projects and look for voids or open space underneath lines that are revealed during excavations, while the water authority will test the lines themselves for obstructions. When new pipes are installed, they are typically pressure-tested, and Ernst and committee chairman Leon Angelichio said an example of that can be seen near Cannon Avenue, as developer W. B. Homes prepares a site for construction of townhomes there.

“You’ll see their new pipes probably six or eight feet out of the ground, as they do the excavation around the new houses,” Ernst said.

Homeowners doing any project larger than replacing a fixture should check with the borough’s Code department first, and should not assume the contractor doing the work will get the permits, Ernst and Angelichio said.

“I’ve handled it both ways: I’ve acquired permits, and given all of my info to John and gotten them, and there have been homeowners that have gotten their own permits,” Angelichio said.

Larger projects such as adding a room to a home would need their own building or addition permit, which would typically cover “all of the different trades of the job in one permit,” Ernst said.

Each month, the borough files permit data to Montgomery County, so property records in both places stay up-to-date, and records can be easily assessed by property owners and insurance companies that need documentation.

“That’s our role: to become a clearing house and repository” for permit data, Ernst said.

Ernst asked the Code committee for other topics of discussion at future meetings, and residents suggested talks about yard waste, grading and terrain changes, trash containers, and contractor licenses, all of which could be discussed at future Code committee meetings.

“One of the reasons we have these types of committees is that if the residents and general public are aware of things like this, they bring it to our attention, but also they can help us come up with ideas of how to approach these types of issues,” Ernst said.

The Code committee also heard updates on several other ongoing topics and projects, including a project at 490 Cypress Street that has been discussed at length by the borough planning commission in recent months. Plans have been discussed at length on a project to reconfigure the interior of the building there under a new subdivision plans, but the applicant has chosen to withdraw those plans, Ernst said.

“That does not mean he can’t revisit it at some time down the road. I don’t know exactly where it’s doing. I do know, at this point, the borough is not involved, so we’ll see where it goes and what happens in the future,” he said.

Staff have finalized an ordinance setting out rules and regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries seeking to operate in the borough under state permits, and a hearing on the medical marijuana code will be held during borough council’s June 21 meeting, Ernst said.

The borough zoning hearing board will discuss two projects when it meets later this month, including a proposal by the North Penn Commons complex on the 600 block of East Main Street to install a monument sign containing the names of the four nonprofits that comprise the nonprofit collaborative.

“It will not be a digital sign. There will not be any moving or scrolling messages. However, it will be a sign that will be slightly larger” than current codes allow, Ernst said, to fit each agency’s name.

The zoning board will also hear a proposal from Boardroom Spirits, a local distillery located on 3rd St., for a use variance needed to expand. Boardroom plans to keep their distilling equipment in place, but use an adjacent industrial building to increase their storage capacity and add space for visitors, Ernst said. Lansdale’s zoning hearing board next meets at 7:30 p.m. on June 20 and borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on June 21, both at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine St. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www. Lansdale.org or follow @ LansdalePA on Twitter.

“That’s our role: to become a clearing house and repository” for permit data. — Assistant Borough Manager John Ernst