Selling Your Bucks County Home? What Your Township Requires First

by Nick Rau

Wait too long to tell the Warminster Municipal Authority about your sale, and the same certification letter climbs from $150 to $250. In Lower Southampton, the township's October 2026 resale application now says it plainly: there's no expedited processing, so an application filed less than 30 days before settlement may not be ready in time. Most Bucks County townships want some kind of certificate before a home changes hands, and the sellers who start the week they list are the ones whose settlements stay on schedule.

The short answer is that it depends on your township, but "it depends" doesn't help much when you're trying to plan a closing date. So I pulled the current fee schedules and application forms for five townships I work in every week and laid out exactly what each one asks for, what it costs and how much lead time to give it. If you're selling somewhere else in the county, the same questions apply, and I've listed them at the end.

Township by township, as of Oct. 31, 2026

• Warminster: two separate approvals. The township charges $125 for a resale use and occupancy (U&O) certificate under its Licenses and Inspections fee schedule (updated Jan. 6, 2026), and applications go through the township's online portal. On top of that, the Warminster Municipal Authority requires its own certification letter, property inspection and application for service on every sale in its service area, including family sales and $1 transfers, and the township won't issue the U&O without that letter. The Authority's fee is $150 if it's notified 10 or more business days before settlement, $200 at 9 to 5 days and $250 at 4 to 1 days, and its inspection has to be finished at least 10 business days before settlement. Since March 10, 2025, the Authority has also required a private sewer lateral inspection before any sale, done by a PSL-certified master plumber who submits a video and report. More on the town in my Warminster guide.
• Lower Southampton (Feasterville-Trevose): U&O plus a sewer video. A single-family resale U&O costs $125, and the township's October 2026 application says it must be filed at least 30 days before settlement, with no expedited processing and temporary approvals considered case by case, never guaranteed. Under Ordinance No. 598, a certified contractor registered with the township has to video your sewer lateral and send in the passed video and report, and the application says the township needs at least five business days to review a submission. The fee schedule lists a $75 residential reinspection. See my Feasterville-Trevose guide.
• Upper Southampton: a Real Estate Certification and a sewer authority letter. Here the township's version is called a Real Estate Certification, and the June 2026 fee schedule sets it at $150. The township's Real Estate Certificate application covers zoning district and use, plus any pool, shed or patio on the lot. Separately, the Upper Southampton Municipal Authority's 2026 certification request costs $100, warns that a missing sump pump inspection means a $1,000 escrow charge, and adds another $100 fee if you move your settlement date without telling the Authority first. More in my Southampton guide.
• Bensalem: a resale U&O and three certificates. The township's June 2026 resale use and occupancy application asks for three certificates before it issues the occupancy certificate: an electrical panel certificate from an approved underwriter, a heating system maintenance certificate from a licensed mechanical contractor, and an NFPA 211 Level II chimney/flue/vent certificate from a licensed chimney sweep. File it one month before settlement with a $100 fee. See my Bensalem guide.
• Bristol Township (much of Levittown): the lightest list. Since Jan. 4, 2022, according to a township notice reported by the Suburban Realtors Alliance, the township hasn't required resale inspections or chimney, heater and electrical certificates. You still need a Residential Change of Occupancy permit, $100 on the township's 2026 fee schedule, which lets the township confirm every old permit on the house is closed out. A sewer lateral inspection is still required in the Croydon treatment plant's service area, and the joint municipal sewer authority serving parts of Levittown (LBCJMA) asks for at least 30 days' notice for point-of-sale easement inspections, per the Suburban Realtors Alliance. See my Levittown guide.

What these inspections usually look for

None of this is a full home inspection, which is good news for most sellers. Where a township does inspect, the checklist can include items like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, visible house numbers and handrails, so ask your township for its list. The sewer programs are after something more specific: sump pumps, downspouts and cracked laterals that send rainwater into the sanitary sewer. That's why the sewer step is the one that tends to surprise people. A lateral that fails its video means a repair, a new video and another review before the certificate is issued, and that's exactly where a settlement date can slip if the paperwork started late. Open permits are the other quiet trap, since a deck or shed that never got its final inspection can hold up the paperwork in Bristol Township and elsewhere.

What I'd do, and the mistakes to avoid

I'd call the township and the sewer authority the week the house goes on the market, not the week it goes under contract. Filing early costs nothing extra, and it turns any repair into a calm to-do item instead of a scramble the week before closing, which matters even more now that Lower Southampton has put "no expedited processing" in writing. The mistakes I see most often are assuming your township works like the one you used to live in, forgetting that the sewer authority is a separate office with its own form and fee, changing a settlement date without telling the authority, and leaving an old permit open. Requirements and fees change, so confirm everything with your township and authority before you list, and talk to a real estate attorney about anything that touches your agreement of sale.

Not on this list? The same three questions work anywhere in the county: Does the township require a resale U&O or certification, and what does it cost? Does the sewer authority require a lateral inspection or certification letter? And how many days before settlement does each office need the paperwork? If you're also planning your timeline, my posts on selling in fall or spring and who pays the transfer tax cover the other big questions.

Quick answers

Do I need a U&O to sell a house in Bucks County, PA?

In many townships, yes. Warminster, Lower Southampton and Bensalem require a resale use and occupancy certificate, Upper Southampton requires a Real Estate Certification, and Bristol Township requires a Change of Occupancy permit without an inspection. Check your own township before you list.

How much does a resale U&O cost in Bucks County?

On current township fee schedules and forms, $100 to $150 for a single-family home in these five townships, before any sewer authority fees, certificates or repairs.

How early should I apply for a resale U&O?

Start at least 30 days before settlement. Lower Southampton requires it, and Warminster's sewer authority needs its inspection done at least 10 business days before settlement.

Is a sewer lateral inspection required to sell in Bucks County?

In several places, yes, including Warminster, Lower Southampton, Upper Southampton and the Croydon area of Bristol Township. Ask your sewer authority, since it's often separate from the township.

Thinking about selling? Start with my seller questionnaire or get a free home valuation, and browse my Bucks County neighborhoods guide.

Note from Nick

Here's what five Bucks County townships require before you sell, and when to start each step so your settlement stays on schedule. I'm Nick Rau, President of Sales with the Rarity Real Estate Team, ranked in the Top 1% of agents nationally (RealTrends 2025, individual), with more than 135 Google reviews, and I live right here in Bucks County.

Rarity Real Estate Team, 1100 N Delaware Ave Suite A, Philadelphia, PA 19125 · (215) 593-7498 · [email protected]

Questions about selling in your township? Call (215) 593-7498 or email [email protected].

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Featured image: Lower Southampton Township Hall, Feasterville. Photo (cropped): Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons.

Sources (checked Oct. 31, 2026): Warminster Township L&I fee schedule; Warminster Municipal Authority, Sale or Transfer of a Property; Lower Southampton Township residential U&O application, Oct. 2026; Lower Southampton Ordinance No. 598; Upper Southampton Township fee schedule, June 2026; Upper Southampton Municipal Authority certification request, 2026; Bensalem Township Residential Resales Use & Occupancy application (June 2026); Bristol Township 2026 fee schedule; Suburban Realtors Alliance municipal database.