Falls Township, home to Fairless Hills and a large slice of Levittown, took an unusual path on resale rules: in 2021 it stopped sending its own inspectors into houses and instead asked sellers to bring certifications from the professionals who actually know the systems. No township walkthrough, but four specialist sign-offs: heater, chimney, sewer, and electrical panel. It is less adversarial than a municipal inspection and more logistical, which means the sellers who win here are the ones who book four contractors early.
The Falls Township seller picture
Demand in Falls runs on the same engine as the rest of Lower Bucks: first-time buyers chasing attainable single-family homes, with Levittown’s expanded capes and Fairless Hills ranchers as the core inventory. Supply comes heavily from original families and estates, so the typical listing pairs strong equity with dated systems, exactly the systems the township’s certification list targets. That overlap is useful: preparing for the U&O and preparing for the buyer’s inspection are largely the same work here.
The four certifications
Per the township’s U&O fact sheet and the 2021 ordinance reported by the township, an owner-occupied resale requires:
- 01Heating system certification from a qualified contractor.
- 02NFPA 211 Level 2 certification of the fireplace, heater, chimney, flue, and vent, the camera-scan standard used at property transfers.
- 03Sewer lateral inspection certificate, the underground camera check of the pipe from house to main.
- 04Electrical service panel certificate from an approved electrical underwriter confirming National Electrical Code compliance.
A Residential Safety Form rounds out the package: working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and house numbers compliant with the township’s numbering chapter. Once everything is submitted, in one email, in PDF, per the fact sheet, the certificate issues; the township asks sellers to allow 30 days for processing.
Assembling the package without drama
- Book all four contractors the week you list. Each certification is quick individually; the delays come from serializing them. Heater and chimney can often be one visit from the same company.
- Expect the chimney and sewer to be the findings. Level 2 chimney scans and lateral cameras are exactly the checks that find four-figure problems in sixty-year-old houses. Discovering them before a buyer exists converts a crisis into a pricing decision.
- Clear the permit file. Open permits must be finaled before the certificate issues, and the township’s history review prints open violations on the certificate itself, where every buyer reads them.
The money
The realty transfer tax is 2% of the sale price, half state and half local, per the Bucks County Recorder of Deeds, with the seller customarily paying 1%. Budget separately for the four certifications, which are contractor-priced rather than township-priced. Pennsylvania generally does not tax the gain on a longtime primary residence, and at Falls price points the federal exclusion covers everyone. The cost-to-sell guide covers the rest, and the PTRR guide is worth a look for fixed-income owners.
Getting started
The Falls order: a free valuation first, four contractor bookings second, the permit file checked third, and the U&O package submitted complete, in one PDF email, well ahead of the 30-day processing window. Estate sellers, common in Levittown’s original sections, should pair this with the parent’s-house guide, and the Bucks County downsizing guide maps where local downsizers land.