We recently made a blog post about Preparing Your Home To Be Sold This Spring. One of the topics we discussed was about completing Use & Occupancy repairs. Completing these repairs before putting your house on the market can save you money. For example, Nether Providence Township charges $70 per inspection, and $50 per re-inspection. If you complete these repairs before the first inspection, you only have to pay once. As a homeowner, you can go on to your townships website to find the requirements for your home. We want to give you an idea of what some of the requirements could be, so we went onto the Nether Providence Township’s website to find out what is on their check list for a single family home.

Here are some of Nether Providence Township’s requirements:

House numbers:

• Must be affixed to, painted, or carved on the front of the main building or on a permanent standard, base, or support between the main building and the street.

• Each number must be at least 3 inches high, and be visible from the street.

Smoke detectors:

• Smoke Detectors must be installed and in working condition.

• There has to be at least 1 unit on each occupied floor, including the basement.

• A unit must be placed in or near an area that is intended to be used for sleep.

• If a unit is powered by electricity, it must have a battery backup, and give an audible or visual signal when the batteries need to be replaced/recharged.

Sidewalks and curbs:

• Sidewalks and curbs must be in good condition.

• Any sidewalk block that is fragmented and/or deteriorating (except for hairline cracks), must be replaced.

• Curbing that is deteriorating or missing must be replaced.

Hot water heaters and boilers:

• Hot water heaters and boilers must have a relief valve that extends to within 6 inches of the floor elevation.

Stairs:

• Every flight of stairs that is 4 or more risers high, must have a handrail on at least 1 side of the stair.

• Handrails must not be less than 30 inches high or more than 42 inches high, measured vertically above the nosing of the stair tread.

Guardrails:

• Every open portion of any stair, landing, or balcony that is more than 30 inches above the floor or grade must have guardrails.

• Guardrails must not be less than 30 inches high above the stair, landing, or balcony.

Sump Pump:

• Sump pump discharge pipes cannot drain into the sanitary sewer system.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

• Carbon monoxide detectors must be installed and in working condition with at least 1 unit on each occupied floor, including the basement.

• If the carbon monoxide detector is powered by electricity, it must have a battery backup.

Additions/alterations/repairs:

• Any additions, alterations, repairs, or changing use to which the Uniform Construction Code, as approved and adopted by the Township of Nether Providence, applies, the building or structure must be in compliance with the requirements of said Uniform Construction Code.

Violations:

• There must be no known violations of any Township Ordinances pertaining to the subject property that have not been resolved, including the full payment of any and all costs and fines assessed against the owner of the property.

Electric Panels:

• Electric panels must not have any open breakers.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI):

• GFCI receptacles are required for receptacles in bathrooms, powder rooms, laundry rooms, kitchen countertops, garages, outside receptacles, and in the vicinity of pools, saunas, etc.

• A receptacle with a single yolk that is dedicated for an appliance does not need to have a GFCI installed.

Egress Door:

• An egress door must be readily openable from the inside dwelling, without the use of a key or special effort.

Sewer Lateral Inspection:

• A sewer lateral inspection is required by a private plumber (Ordinance 782). Call Township office for more info.

This information was obtained from The Nether Providence Township’s website, and is for informational purposes only. Each township has different requirements so if you are looking for specific use and occupancy requirements for your area, make sure you check your townships website.