Real Estate & Property Law
Lower Bucks Municipal Code Directory
Last updated June 2026
4 min read
Every municipality in Bucks County adopts its own zoning ordinance, subdivision and land development ordinance, building code, and property maintenance code. There is no countywide zoning; each of the 54 municipalities controls its own land use. The first step in any real estate matter is identifying which municipality governs the property and finding the applicable code.
Below are direct links to the municipal codes for Lower Bucks County municipalities near the office. Most are hosted on eCode360 (General Code), a free, searchable platform. Bookmark the one that covers your property.
| Municipality | Code Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Borough | eCode360 | Ch. 27 Zoning |
| Bristol Township | eCode360 | Ch. 205 Zoning; Ch. 177 Subdivision & Land Development; Delaware Canal overlay provisions |
| Falls Township | eCode360 | Ch. 209. Zoning (amended in entirety 2018); includes Fairless Hills, Levittown (partial) |
| Bensalem Township | Municode | Bensalem uses Municode, not eCode360, different platform, same concept |
| Middletown Township | eCode360 | One of the more populous Lower Bucks municipalities; includes Levittown (partial), Oxford Valley, Woodbourne |
| Morrisville Borough | eCode360 | Delaware River borough bordering Trenton, NJ |
| Tullytown Borough | eCode360 | Small borough between Bristol and Falls Townships |
| Penndel Borough | eCode360 | Small borough within Middletown Township area |
| Langhorne Borough | eCode360 | Historic borough; separate from Langhorne Manor |
| Langhorne Manor Borough | Borough website | Zoning code hosted on borough site (not eCode360); 1993 code with amendments |
| Hulmeville Borough | Borough website | Code available as PDFs; zoning ordinance adopted 2012 |
Several Lower Bucks municipalities require a Use & Occupancy (U&O) inspection or resale certificate before property can change hands. This is separate from any home inspection the buyer orders. It is a municipal code compliance inspection, and the sale cannot close without it. Out-of-area attorneys and agents miss this regularly.
The U&O inspection typically checks for building code violations, unpermitted work, property maintenance issues, and zoning compliance. If the property fails, the seller (or sometimes the buyer, depending on the agreement of sale) must make repairs before closing or escrow funds for the work.
Common requirements by municipality:
Not every municipality requires U&O inspections. Some smaller boroughs (Hulmeville, Langhorne Manor, Penndel) may not, but confirm with the municipality directly. Do not assume.
⚠ Schedule Early
U&O inspections take time, typically 2 to 4 weeks from application to inspection to certificate. If you wait until the week before closing to schedule, you will delay settlement. Request the inspection as soon as the agreement of sale is signed. Your real estate attorney should confirm U&O requirements on day one of any transaction.
Virtually every municipality requires a building permit for structural work, electrical work, plumbing changes, new construction, additions, decks, sheds over a certain size, and HVAC changes. Pennsylvania adopted the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) statewide, so the International Building Code, International Residential Code, and related codes apply everywhere, but each municipality enforces them locally.
The most common problem I see in real estate transactions: unpermitted work. The seller finished the basement, added a bathroom, enclosed a porch, or built a deck, all without permits. This creates several issues: the buyer's lender may refuse to close, the U&O inspection may fail, the title company may flag it, and the buyer inherits the code violation. If the work does not meet code, the municipality can require it torn out and redone properly.
If you are selling property with prior renovations, confirm with the municipality that permits were pulled. If they were not, talk to an attorney about your options before listing.
Why This Matters
Municipal codes control what you can build, how you can use your property, where you can park, how close to the property line your fence can go, whether you need a permit for a shed, and dozens of other daily-life questions. The code for your municipality is the single most important document governing your property rights, and most people have never read it. Before you renovate, build, subdivide, or change the use of your property, check the code first.
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