Pulling a Building Permit in Mt. Lebanon: How the New Online System Works

Quick Take: Mt. Lebanon now runs its building permits and inspections through Municity Connect, a cloud portal you reach inside the municipality’s MyLebo account. You apply, upload drawings, pay fees, request inspections, and track status from a phone or laptop, 24/7. The municipality’s stated target is a residential building permit within 15 business days; in our experience a clean, complete application often comes back faster. The single biggest thing that slows a permit down is not the system — it’s an incomplete submission.

We’re writing this from the middle of it. We’ve just broken ground on a rear addition here in Mt. Lebanon, and the permit for it went through the municipality’s newer online system rather than the old paper-and-counter routine. Enough homeowners have asked us “how does the permit part actually work?” that it’s worth laying out plainly — especially the software, because that’s the part that quietly changed the experience for the better.

The short version of who needs a permit

If you’re changing the structure, the footprint, or the systems of your house, you need a permit. Additions, removing or moving walls, finishing a basement, decks above a certain height, new electrical or plumbing or HVAC — all permitted. Cosmetic work — paint, flooring, cabinets that don’t move plumbing, like-for-like fixtures — generally is not. Smaller zoning items (an air-conditioning condenser, a driveway, a fence, a shed) ride a separate, simpler zoning-permit track. When we scope a project, we tell you exactly which permits it triggers before a dollar is committed, so there are no mid-build surprises.

Municity Connect: the part that actually changed

The thing worth knowing in 2026 is that Mt. Lebanon moved its permitting and inspections onto Municity, a cloud-based system. You don’t go to Municity directly — you reach it through MyLebo, the municipality’s resident portal. Log in to MyLebo, scroll to the Inspections Department Permits tab, and you’re into Municity Connect. The one bit of friction: you need an account for both MyLebo and Municity Connect, so set both up before you’re in a hurry.

Once you’re in, the portal is open around the clock and lets you, in one place:

• Apply for a permit
• Submit drawings and supporting documents for review
• Pay fees online
• Request inspections
• File a code-enforcement complaint
• Track every one of those items in real time — review status, inspection results, and the back-and-forth between the inspector, architect, and contractor

Residents, contractors, and design professionals can all hold accounts and be tied to the same project, which matters more than it sounds — see the next section.

How inspections get requested (and why the email matters)

Under the old way, an inspection meant a phone call, a paper card, and a result you found out about secondhand. In Municity Connect you request the inspection through the portal, and when the inspector closes it out, the system emails the result — exactly what passed or what failed and why — to everyone attached to that permit. The homeowner, the contractor, and the architect all get the same message at the same time.

That transparency is the real upgrade. When a homeowner can see the inspection result the moment we do, there’s no game of telephone about what the inspector flagged or whether we’re back on schedule. For an addition, where you’re moving through footing, framing, rough-in, and final inspections in sequence, that running record keeps everyone honest and the project moving.

How long it really takes

The municipality’s published targets: residential building permits issued within 15 business days, commercial within 30, and zoning permits (AC unit, driveway, fence, shed) within 30. In practice, a straightforward residential permit with a complete, well-documented application often turns faster than the 15-day ceiling. What blows the timeline is a thin submission — missing drawings, an unstamped structural detail, an unclear scope — which sends the application into a review loop. For anything structural, like an addition or a load-bearing wall removal, plan for engineered, stamped drawings and a longer review than a like-for-like bathroom.

This is most of what we do for clients on the permitting side: we assemble the application so it’s complete the first time. A permit that sails through on the first pass is almost always the product of work done before it was ever submitted.

If you’d rather not do it online

The portal is the fast path, but it isn’t the only one. The inspection office still accepts paper applications and hard-copy submissions for anyone who prefers them. And on the first Wednesday of each month, the office holds in-person permit Q&A sessions from 2 to 5 p.m. — 30-minute appointments you preregister for by calling (412) 343-3408. For a homeowner doing a first project, that half hour can save a week of guessing.

Where the contractor fits in

Here’s the honest part: you can do all of this yourself. The portal is built so a homeowner can. But on a real project — an addition, a structural change, anything with engineered drawings and a sequence of inspections — managing the permit is a job, and it’s one we’d rather carry for you. We pull the permit, package the drawings, pay the fees, schedule the inspections through Municity Connect, and stand in front of the inspector at each stage. You stay tied to the permit in the portal, so you see everything in real time without having to run it.

Common questions

What software does Mt. Lebanon use for building permits?

Mt. Lebanon uses Municity, a cloud-based permitting and inspection platform. Homeowners and contractors reach it through Municity Connect, accessed inside the municipality’s MyLebo resident portal under the Inspections Department Permits tab. You’ll need an account for both MyLebo and Municity Connect.

How do I request an inspection in Mt. Lebanon?

Log in to Municity Connect through MyLebo and request the inspection through the portal. When the inspector closes it out, the system emails the result — pass or fail, with detail — to everyone tied to the permit, including the homeowner and contractor.

How long does a building permit take in Mt. Lebanon?

The municipality targets residential building permits within 15 business days and commercial within 30; zoning permits (AC, driveway, fence, shed) within 30. Complete, well-documented residential applications often come back faster. Structural work requiring stamped engineered drawings takes longer to review.

Do I need a permit to build an addition in Mt. Lebanon?

Yes. Any addition changes the footprint and structure of the home and requires a building permit, almost always with stamped engineered drawings, plus a sequence of inspections from footing through final. Your contractor should pull the permit and walk it through the system on your behalf.

Can I still submit a paper application?

Yes. The inspection office continues to accept paper applications and hard-copy submissions. The office also holds in-person permit Q&A on the first Wednesday of each month, 2–5 p.m., by appointment — preregister at (412) 343-3408.

Where this leaves you

The permit process in Mt. Lebanon is in better shape than it was a few years ago — a single online portal that lets you apply, pay, and watch inspections happen in real time beats a paper card and a phone call. But the system only moves as fast as the application is complete, and on a structural project that completeness is the whole game. If you’re weighing an addition here, we handle the permitting end to end and keep you looped in through the portal the whole way. Get a starting range with our investment range tool, read the addition-vs-moving math if you’re still deciding, or book a consultation and we’ll walk your house with you.