Delaware County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester & Southeast Pennsylvania

Barndominium Builders in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

A Delaware County barndominium is a harder find than one in most of the state, and it is better to say so up front. Delaware County is compact, with forty-nine municipalities packed into about 184 square miles, and the eastern half, from Upper Darby and Haverford Township toward the Philadelphia line, is built out almost lot for lot. Projects there are replacements on existing lots. The more realistic ground lies in the western townships, where parcels are larger and some areas still have no public sewer. Pennsylvania Barndominium Builders works with owners in both settings: a kit for someone who wants to finish the building with their own crew, a plan drawn around an odd-shaped or sloping lot, or a turnkey build we coordinate from permit drawings to move-in. The county offices never issue the building permit: the township or borough where the land sits handles it, along with zoning and inspections. At the county level, the Delaware County Health Department permits on-lot septic systems and private wells, the Planning Department reviews subdivisions in an advisory role, and the Conservation District handles erosion control. Describe your parcel in the survey and we will sort out which of those offices it touches before design begins.

Delaware County at a glance

County: Delaware County
Building permit: Each municipality, not the county
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Delaware County

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

Set by each municipality in the countyWho issues the permit

Each of Delaware County's 49 municipalities issues its own building permit through its code department or retained agency

The township or borough where the lot sits reviews plans, issues the building permit and inspects. Upper Darby's Department of Licenses & Inspections and Haverford Township's Building & Codes Department are two examples. Delaware County's Planning Department reviews subdivisions and land developments only in an advisory role, and on-lot septic and well permits are issued by the Delaware County Health Department.

Source: Development Review, Delaware County Planning Department (delcopa.gov)

Septic and well permits: The Delaware County Health Department is responsible for inspections, permit issuance and enforcement under Act 537, and it processes and issues permits for individual on-lot sewage systems and for well construction, including private water wells and geothermal wells (county page, updated 29 May 2026).
Soil testing before a septic permit: The Health Department's application procedure requires at least one acceptable percolation test and at least two acceptable test pits for soil profile examination. It notes that a lack of public sewer in many areas makes properly designed on-lot systems critical, and that an issued permit is valid for three years.
County subdivision review is advisory: The Delaware County Planning Department conducts advisory reviews of all subdivisions, land developments and ordinances, and the Planning Commission makes official recommendations at monthly meetings. A plan is recorded only after the Commission has reviewed it and the municipality has approved and signed it (page updated 24 Sep 2026).
Upper Darby permits and small buildings: Upper Darby Township's Buildings Division reviews plans, issues permits and inspects. Under local requirements adopted in 2005, a residential accessory structure of 120 square feet or more needs a permit, and a smaller one needs a permit if it has electrical, plumbing or mechanical service.
Haverford Township code office: Haverford Township's Building & Codes Department reviews and issues construction permits and inspects work for compliance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code and the Code of Haverford Township. Single residential permit applications can be filed online.
Erosion control and one-acre permits: The Delaware County Conservation District holds delegation agreements with DEP for the Chapter 102 erosion and sediment control program and for Chapter 105 waterway work. Construction that disturbs one acre or more of earth needs a Chapter 102 permit (page updated 12 Aug 2026).

Building on land around Delaware County

Land for a barndominium in Delaware County comes in two kinds. In Upper Darby, Haverford and the other eastern townships, you are almost always buying an existing sewered lot, and the township's height, setback and coverage limits cap the building's size. In the western townships, parcels are larger and some sit beyond the sewer lines, so the Delaware County Health Department has to accept the soil, through test pits and a percolation test, before a septic permit is issued. Clearing and grading also carry paperwork: a written erosion control plan once the disturbed area passes 5,000 square feet, and a Chapter 102 permit, handled with the Conservation District, at one acre. A compact pole barn home can suit a narrow suburban lot as well as open ground.

Where we build in this part of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester & Southeast Pennsylvania

Barndominium Kits and Plans in Delaware County

A kit you finish with your own crew, a custom plan, or a turnkey build. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for sale in Pennsylvania: steel and pole barn packages sized to your municipality's snow and wind values, delivered and put up.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium plans for Pennsylvania land: floor plans and house plans fitted to your slope, your sewage area and your municipality's code.

Turnkey Builds

Turnkey barndominiums in Pennsylvania: land checks, plans, permits, site work, shell and finishes under one contract, from raw land to move-in.

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Pole Barn Homes near Delaware County

A pole barn home puts the living space inside a wood-framed building set on posts, the same bones as a farm building, finished as a house. Whether it suits a parcel near Delaware County depends on the local answers above: who reviews the plans, what the zoning allows, and how the lot handles sewage.

Pole Barn Homes

Have land in or around Delaware County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Delaware County: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Delaware County?

On a built-out lot the extra costs are demolition, tight-site access and reconnecting to public utilities; on a western parcel they are soil tests, a septic system and possibly a well. The building itself then scales with size and finish. See the barndominium cost guide for sourced per-square-foot ranges, and use the survey so we can price your actual site.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Delaware County, Pennsylvania?

Yes. Apply to the township or borough where the land is; Delaware County's government does not issue building permits. Upper Darby, for example, runs permits through its Department of Licenses & Inspections, and Haverford through its Building & Codes Department. If the lot needs a septic system or a well, those permits come separately from the Delaware County Health Department.

Is there room for a barndominium in Upper Darby or Haverford?

Only on an existing lot, in most cases. Both townships are densely developed, so a project is usually a replacement house, and the township's zoning decides height, setbacks and lot coverage. Owners who want acreage for a shop or animals generally look to western Delaware County, or across the line into Chester County.

Who tests the soil for a septic system in Delaware County?

The Delaware County Health Department reviews the site under its on-lot sewage procedure. It requires at least one acceptable percolation test and two acceptable test pits before a permit can be issued, and the permit then remains valid for three years.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Delaware County allows.

Cost to Build a Barndominium in Pennsylvania

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Can You Build a Barndominium in Pennsylvania?

Zoning, sewage and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Delaware County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Other places we build around Delaware County

Across a municipal or county line the permit office, zoning and sewage agency can change, so each place has its own page.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Chester County

Pennsylvania county

West Chester

Chester County, Pennsylvania

Montgomery County

Pennsylvania county

Building in Delaware County?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

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