INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE

BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION

Jones Township, Elk County administers and enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code program for all municipalities within Cameron County .  Payment of the Plan Review fees must be attached to the Building Permit Application when submitting the Application and construction drawings.  

Checks should be made payable to “Jones Township”.

 Plans and construction drawings must be submitted to Jones Township at 320 Faries Street, P.O. Box 25, Wilcox, PA  15870.  Questions should be addressed to the above address or by phone to (814) 929-5138 or by electronic mail to:  jonestwp@ncentral.com

Brief Project Description.  Provide a brief description of the project in this block - be brief but specific.

Estimated Construction Cost: Please indicate the amount that the construction is expected to cost; include both labor & materials.

Type of Application.  Indicate the type of construction you are planning.  If this Application is for an Alteration or Addition to existing structure, please indicate the intended use of the new construction.

Owners Last Name, First Name, MI, Suffix, Title.  Enter the requested information in this block.  This individual will ultimately be responsible for paying the Permit fees.

Mailing Address.  This is the mailing address of the property owner above.  It should not include locational data that is not appropriate for a mailpiece.  In addition to the street number and name, include a PO Box number, RR number, Box number, or Highway.

City, State, ZIP+4, Phone Information.  Do not use abbreviations for the city name.  Use the two-character abbreviation for the state.  Include the four-digit extension to the ZIP code, if known.

The Township needs to be able to accurately locate your site and to understand the physical nature of the surrounding area.   

Site Location. Indicate the nearest state or locally maintained road, also provide the physical address of the location where the permitted activities will occur. If available indicate the house number along with the street or road name assigned to this property under the 911 Rural Addressing Program. If a 911 house number has not yet been assigned, please contact the County’s 911 Coordinator at the County Courthouse for this information.  

DO NOT use PO Box numbers for site location information.  Provide the city (or municipality), state, and the ZIP Code.  If known, enter the latitude and longitude of the approximate center of the site.  

Detailed Written Directions to Site.  When providing written directions, Do not use PO Box address data.  Include landmarks and approximate distances from the nearest highway.

CONTRACTOR’S Last Name, First Name, MI, Suffix, Title.  Enter the requested information in this block.  If the homeowner will be performing the work, write “SELF”

Mailing Address.  This is the mailing address of the contractor above.  It should not include locational data that is not appropriate for a mailpiece.  In addition to the street number and name, PO Box number, RR number, Box number, or Highway.

City, State, ZIP+4, Phone Information.  DO NOT use abbreviations for the city name.  Use the two-character abbreviation for the state.  Include the four-digit extension to the ZIP code, if known.

Multiple permits, reviewed by other agencies, are often required for residential and commercial  land development.  The Township will use the information in this section to determine if any other permits or approvals are needed for your project prior to approving any Building Permits.

Remember that receiving approval for your Building Permit Application does not automatically guarantee the issuance of other permits that may be required by other local & state agencies for your project, nor does it relieve you of the responsibility of making timely application for any other necessary permits.

What Your “Yes” Answers Mean.  If you answer “Yes” to any of the questions in this section, you will probably need a specific permit or approval from the Township / County or other state governmental agency. 

The following information is required to be provided with and attached to the building permit application by using a set of construction plans, drawings and/or construction blueprints. 

The following information is required to be provided with and attached to the building permit application by using a set of construction plans, drawings and/or construction blueprints.  TWO (2) SETS OF DRAWINGS AE REQUIRED

Construction drawings and/or blueprints MUST be drawn to a scale of at least ¼ -inch equals one (1) foot and include the following information:

A.      A detailed drawing showing the front, rear, and side exterior elevations of the proposed structure indicating the size, type of construction, and location of walls, doors, windows, foundation walls and footers. 

B.      Detailed floor plans of the proposed construction showing dimensions and locations of all rooms, position of smoke detectors and a complete design of the electrical, plumbing, and heating/cooling layout.  Dimensions of all exterior and interior walls, windows, and door openings must be included.

C.      When wood framed floors, walls, and roofs are used, the drawings must indicate the type, size (2x4, 2x6, etc) and the spacing of all joists, studs, beams, and trusses. 

Question F-1: Indicate the type of heating or cooling appliances, if any, to be installed.

Question F-2:  Indicate the type of construction. Check all that apply.  Again, if engineered wood building products are to be used, a National Evaluation Service Bulletin or ICC Evaluation Report must be included for each product used.

Question F-3:  If the building is a manufactured dwelling (a mobile home or a modular home) please indicate the year of manufacture. ALSO, certification from the manufacturer that the structure meets the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards must be provided. Plan drawings for these buildings must include foundation and/or pier construction details.  Please refer to the “Manufactured Dwelling” handout for additional information.

Question F-4 & 5:  Indicate if new or additional electrical / plumbing work is proposed for this project. All electrical & plumbing work must also be described, in detail, on the plan drawings.

The information in this section about your property will be used by the Township to determine if the project area complies with local land use regulations.  This section also requires that certain information listed in the application be plotted on a plan that includes the project and adjacent areas.  Some of the information required can be found in land surveys, tax maps, topographic maps, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain maps and National Wetland Inventory maps. (Some of this information is available at the Township office.)

The plot plan should be of a sufficiently large scale to show the development area and adjacent areas so that the plotted items can be easily identified.  The plan is required to show the following:

a.   Lot lines and the size of individual lot of the proposed construction. Show the relationship of the construction boundaries to those of the currently existing lot. 

b.   Locations of existing and proposed adjacent streets, roadways and access roads.

c.       Existing and proposed rights-of-way.  Proof of legal recording of a right-of-way may be required when the right-of-way is necessary for access to a Township or State owned road.

d.       Existing and proposed drinking water supplies (wells, reservoirs, etc.)

e.       Location of existing buildings. Location of the proposed construction as well as the location of all other existing buildings and structures located on the property.

 f.    Indicate the dimensions of the proposed construction project. Show the relationship of the construction to that of any currently existing structures, if any.

g.   Any future or existing onlot or sewerage systems, pipelines, transmission lines, etc. which may impact the use of an onlot septic system. Show the location of proposed sewage system or sewer taps.

h.   Floodplains and floodways.  As with wetlands, these areas should be plotted on the plan as they are shown on   Federal Emergency Management Agency flood plain mapping.

i.  Location of proposed driveways or other access to a State of Township road.

j.    Location of surface water (ponds, lakes, streams, and wetlands) on the lot or adjacent to the proposed construction. Please note that if streams or wetlands are present, the applicant may be required to obtain permits for any construction activities such as encroachments (fill, roads, utility lines) or obstructions (bridges, walls, piers) in, along, or across the wetlands and/or streams. 

k.  Location of any underground utilities, both existing and proposed.

This section is to be used by the Property Owner, or in his behalf the owners agent, to attest that the Application is true and correct. If this form is completed by someone other than the applicant, such as a consultant, engineer or contractor, that individual should complete this section of the form.

Following the review by the Township Staff, Benezette Township must review and act upon a complete Building Permit Application within 15 days of receipt of a complete package or within such additional time as the applicant and municipality may agree to in writing.  Following municipal approval of the application, a Building Permit will be issued.