Lien Information

Sewer Lien Letters and Dye Tests

Sewer Lien Letters and Dye Tests go hand in hand. Both are completed at the same time.

A Sewer Lien request letter is sent to
Elizabeth Township at

522 Rock Run Road, Elizabeth, PA 15037

A $35.00 check is required. You may send a paid self addressed postage envelope if you require more than a faxed copy.

These letters are usually sent by the closing company. You should check to make sure this is being handled. On rare occasions, the seller has had to handle this themselves. Information that should appear on the request letter is:

Whether the request is for a purchase or a refinance of the property
Seller’s name
Purchaser’s name
Property address
Parcel #
Closing date

It is not necessary to do a dye test for a refinance but a lien letter must be completed. Sewer Lien letters and dye tests are not required for properties with a septic system. Lien letters are good for 1 month.

To order a dye test, the seller must contact a plumber that is licensed in Allegheny County. The plumber will arrange a time to Elizabeth Township’s Sanitation personnel at the home. Someone must be present to let them into the house. When the dye test is completed, our Sanitary person will deliver the text to the Municipal Building. The dye test form is available on the Elizabeth Township web page.

Once the dye test is delivered to the Municipal Building, an email will be sent to Legal Tax Service to see if there are any sewer liens on the property. When we hear back from Legal Tax Service, we will complete the process. A letter will be faxed (and mailed if you provide a paid postage envelope) along with the dye test certificate and print-outs of the sewage bills for the property. If any monies are owed, it states on the letter that the check(s) should be made payable and mailed to:

Legal Tax Service
P.O. Box 10020 Pittsburgh, PA 15236

No payment should be sent to Elizabeth Township.

Dye tests are good for 1 year, UNLESS the property changes hands within 1 year. If this is the case, a new dye test will need to be performed. If the home was sold less that 1 year ago, please indicate this on your Sewer Lien request letter.

Municipal Liens

A Municipal Lien Letter is required anytime a property is sold or refinanced. A $35.00 check made payable to Elizabeth Township should be mailed with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Municipal Building at:

522 Rock Run Road Elizabeth, PA 15037

You must have a Lien Letter with the official Township Seal at the time of closing.

The information required on the letter:

The seller’s name
The property address
The lot and block number of the property
The closing date

If there is a lien on the property, the closing company/property owner will be notified and a letter will not be issued until that lien has been satisfied with the Allegheny County Court. The Municipal Lien Letter is valid for thirty (30) days from the date of issue, after which a new letter must be requested.

Liens Required to Sell a House:

Municipal Lien – $35.00

Sewer Lien – $35.00

Dye Test – Seller pays a plumber for this

Occupancy Inspection – $75.00

*SEPERATE CHECKS PLEASE*

Make Municipal Lien Check out to:

"ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP"

Make Sewer Lien Check out to:

"ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP SANITARY"

Certificate of Occupancy

A Certificate of Occupancy is required every time a property changes hands. A Certificate of Occupancy is earned by passing an Occupancy Inspection. The premise of the inspection is to ensure the property substantially conforms to the code and that it is safe to occupy.

A list of what our inspections will be looking for during the Occupancy Inspection can be found here.

The application for a Certificate of Occupancy can be found here.

Applications and payment must be received BEFORE the scheduling of an inspection. Checks should be made out to Elizabeth Township.

The fees are:

$75.00 for Residential
$50.00 for Apartments per unit
$100.00 for Commercial

The first reinspection is included in the original payment, but any additional re-inspections require a fee of $35.00 per additional re-inspection.

Application and payments can either be:

Mailed to: 522 Rock Run Road Elizabeth, PA 15037
Dropped off in the box labeled "TOWNSHIP OFFICES" in front of the Municipal Building
Dropped to the Administrative Assistants in the Municipal Building

Once both the application and payment are received, someone from the Municipal Building will call the contact person on the application to set up an inspection appointment. Scheduling calls are usually done the same day application and payment are received, and inspection appointments are usually able to be made within 1 week of scheduling call. The inspection process will take about 30 mins.

Although it is preferred to have someone available at the house to escort our inspector(s), no one is required to be present at the time of inspection. If no one will be present during the inspection, please let the person scheduling know and give them information on how the inspector will be able to get into the home.

Once the property substantially conforms to code, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued within 1-2 business days.

ALL APPLICATIONS BECOME NULL AND VOID 30 DAYS AFTER BEING RECIEVED BY THE TOWNSHIP.

Please do not send in an application if you are not planning to have the inspection done within 30 days.

ALL CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY BECOME NULL AND VOID 30 DAYS AFTER THE CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED.

Please do not schedule an inspection if the property is not due to close within 30 days.

ALL APPLICATIONS/INSPECTIONS THAT EXTEND BEYOND THE 30 DAY POINT WILL HAVE TO REAPPLY AND REPAY FOR THE PROCESS.

If a home is being sold "as-is", a Temporary Occupancy Certificate or a Temporary Access Certificate can be issued to allow closing.

A Temporary Occupancy Certificate means that the home does not substantially conform for code, but it is safe to occupy while the new owners make the corrections. Given the violations identified by the inspector, the inspector will determine a reasonable timeline for the corrections to be made. The Temporary Occupancy Certificate will expire on that date, and the buyer will be responsible for reach out to the Township on or before that date to schedule a reinspection. Once the reinspection passes, an Occupancy Certificate will be issued and no further action will be required at that time. If the buyer fails to reach out the the Township for a reinspection, a violation will occur and fines may follow.

A Temporary Access Certificate means that the home does not substantially conform for code, and it is NOT safe to occupy while the new owners make the corrections. Given the violations identified by the inspector, the inspector will determine a reasonable timeline for the corrections to be made. The Temporary Access Certificate will expire on that date, and the buyer will be responsible for reaching out to the Township on or before that date to schedule a reinspection. NO ONE SHOULD OCCUPY THE HOUSE BEFORE AN OCCUPANCY CERTIFICATE IS ISSUED. Once the reinspection passes, an Occupancy Certificate will be issued and no further action will be required at that time. If the buyer fails to reach out the the Township for a reinspection, or the house is occupied before the Occupancy Certificate is issued, a violation will occur and fines may follow.