Every seller in Dormont assumes the home inspector hired by their buyer is the only inspection standing between them and a signed deed. It isn't. Dormont Borough requires two separate certifications before any sale can close, and one of them runs on a clock that starts ticking whether or not you have a buyer yet. Get the timing wrong, and the advice that speeds up sales everywhere else in the South Hills, get your paperwork done early, can cost you a second round of fees in Dormont specifically.
Two Certificates, Not One
The first is a Certificate of Use and Occupancy, the kind of point-of-sale inspection that confirms a property meets the Borough's building code before ownership changes hands. The second is a Sanitary Sewer Certification, and this is where Dormont diverges from most of its neighbors. Under Borough code, anyone selling or transferring property in Dormont must apply for the certification before the sale closes, and the application requires two separate tests, not one: a dye test to check for illegal stormwater or groundwater connections into the sanitary line, and a video camera inspection that sends a scope through the private sewer lateral to document its condition. Both have to be performed by a plumber registered and licensed by the Allegheny County Health Department. Many neighboring boroughs only ask for the dye test. Dormont asks for both.
The purpose isn't bureaucratic for its own sake. Illegal connections, downspouts, sump pumps, and driveway drains routed into the sanitary sewer instead of storm drainage, add stormwater volume to a system that's supposed to carry only wastewater. Older housing stock tends to accumulate these connections over decades of unpermitted work, which is exactly why the certification exists at the point of sale rather than as a one-time inspection at construction.
The Ninety-Day Problem
Here's the detail that catches sellers off guard. According to Dormont Borough's own FAQ page, a completed dye test is only valid for 90 days. If the property doesn't change hands within that window, a new test has to be scheduled and paid for again.
Ninety days sounds like plenty of time until you compare it to what nearby municipalities allow. Castle Shannon's dye test stays valid for a full year. Moon Township's is good for two years. Dormont's window is a fraction of either.
| Municipality | Sewer test required | Validity period |
|---|---|---|
| Dormont | Dye test and video camera lateral inspection | 90 days |
| Castle Shannon | Dye test | 1 year |
| Moon Township | Dye test and CCTV inspection | 2 years |
This matters because the standard advice for sellers, get your inspections and paperwork lined up before you list so nothing slows down the closing, works against you if you follow it literally in Dormont. A dye test completed the week before your home hits the market can easily expire before you've accepted an offer and cleared a 30 to 45 day closing window, especially in a slower season when a listing sits longer than expected. The certificate you paid for to save time ends up costing you a second inspection fee instead.
Why Six Neighboring Municipalities Skip This Entirely
Dormont's approach looks even more distinctive next to municipalities that don't require a resale occupancy inspection at all. According to a rundown of current Allegheny County ordinances from a Pennsylvania real estate law firm, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Scott Township, Sewickley Borough, South Fayette Township, and Upper St. Clair Township currently require no Use and Occupancy inspection at resale. Dormont sits on the other side of that line, alongside the City of Pittsburgh, Bethel Park, Brentwood, Green Tree, and roughly fifteen other older, denser boroughs where point-of-sale inspection has been standard practice for years.
None of this makes Dormont's process wrong. It makes it different in a way that a seller who's sold a home in Mt. Lebanon or Upper St. Clair before will not be expecting. If your last sale didn't involve a Borough inspector at all, budget extra planning time for this one.
The Order That Keeps the Clock on Your Side
The fix isn't complicated once you know the clock exists. It's about sequencing, not extra work.
- List the home and let the market run its course before scheduling the sewer certification. There's no requirement to have it done before you have an accepted offer.
- Once you're under a signed agreement with a realistic closing date, apply for the Sanitary Sewer Certification and schedule the plumber for both the dye test and the video inspection at the same visit.
- Submit the Certificate of Use and Occupancy application in parallel. It runs on a separate track from the sewer certification and doesn't share the 90-day limit.
- If you're scheduling during winter, build in a buffer. Dormont's ordinance allows a temporary certification when weather prevents dye testing, but it requires a $200 security deposit to the Borough and completion of both tests within 14 days once conditions allow. That's a workable option, not a shortcut.
- Keep the closing date and the certification date close together. The 90-day window is measured from test to sale, not from test to listing.
Sellers who front-load this paperwork before listing are usually trying to look organized and buyer-ready. In Dormont, the better version of organized is knowing which certificate to front-load and which one to hold until you have a contract in hand.
If the Inspection Finds Something
A failed dye test or a lateral that doesn't pass the camera inspection doesn't necessarily stall a sale, but it does change the sequence. No sanitary sewer certification is issued until the illegal connection is corrected and verified, so if a downspout or sump pump has been routed into the sanitary line, that work needs to happen before the certificate can be reissued.
The Use and Occupancy side works differently, and this is where Pennsylvania's Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act matters. The law requires a municipality to issue the certificate rather than hold a sale hostage over repairs. Instead, violations found at the point-of-sale inspection typically come with a compliance period that transfers to the buyer, and the Borough can't invent special fees that apply only because the repair was flagged during a U&O inspection. The one exception worth knowing: if a violation was already the subject of a fine or judicial enforcement action before the point-of-sale inspection happened, MCOCA's protections don't apply, and the Borough's standard enforcement rules take over instead. That distinction matters most for sellers with unpermitted work already on the Borough's radar, which is a separate conversation worth having with a real estate agent before you list, not after an inspector shows up.
FAQ
How much does the Dormont Sanitary Sewer Certification cost? The fee is set by Borough Council resolution and adjusted from time to time, so the exact figure is worth confirming against the Borough's current fee schedule before you budget for it, rather than relying on a number from a prior sale.
What if the ground is frozen and the plumber can't run a dye test? Dormont's ordinance allows a temporary certification in that situation. You'll need to provide a $200 security deposit to the Borough, and the dye test and video inspection have to be completed within 14 days once weather allows.
Does the certificate carry over if my sale falls through and I sell to someone else? No. The 90-day validity is tied to the sale itself. If ownership doesn't transfer within that window for any reason, including a deal that falls through and gets re-listed, a new certification is required before the next closing.
Can the Borough stop my closing over a Use and Occupancy violation? Generally no. State law requires the certificate to issue, with a compliance period that follows the property to the new owner. The exception is a violation already under active enforcement before the inspection, which follows separate rules.
If you're getting ready to list in Dormont, or you're comparing it against a neighboring borough with a different set of rules, Theresa Doran can walk through the sequencing with you before it becomes a surprise at closing. Schedule a free consultation and we'll build a timeline that works with Dormont's rules instead of against them.
