The fouling behavior of UF membranes by secondary effluent of municipal wastewater was investigated using both original PVDF membranes and PVA, PVP and PMMA modified PVDF membranes. The results showed that the structure parameters of UF membranes were optimized by blending; PVP and PVA could effectively improve the hydrophilicity and permeate flux of the membranes. The hydrophilicity and structure properties of UF membrane had stronger effect on the anti-fouling properties. Pore plugging resistance was the main reason for the unrecoverable fouling. For UF membranes with stronger hydrophilicity, there was some flux reduction in the initial filtration, which was attributed to the formation of concentration polarization layer. However, this layer can be easily removed and the irreversible fouling index (r(ir)) was 0, thus guaranteeing the membrane a better anti-fouling property. The dense membrane surface could prevent low-molecular-weight pollutants from entering the internal pores of the membrane. For UF membrane with fully developed macropores in the cross-section and loose spongy layer structure, pollutants deposition to membrane internal pores, which would cause membrane pore plugging, could be effectively inhibited. In contrast, for membranes with porous surface and not fully developed macropores in the cross-section, pore plugging was more prone to occur. As a result, flux declined seriously and was difficult to be recovered by physical cleaning, which gave rise to the irreversible fouling.