Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
54 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties — 81% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 4th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Clearfield County (85/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 1042 counties nationwide → Pennsylvania: owner-builder → Pennsylvania: no minimum home size → Full Pennsylvania profile →
From the Pennsylvania guide
Pennsylvania has 54 counties without countywide zoning and 13 with county zoning.310 The highest-scoring counties without countywide zoning include Clearfield County, Jefferson County, Venango County, Juniata County, Tioga County, Potter County, Elk County, Fulton County.3
A Pennsylvania county's absence of zoning does not settle a township's zoning requirements: county zoning authority applies where the municipality lacks its own effective zoning ordinance.4 Use the Pennsylvania no-zoning county list to narrow the search, then ask the township, borough or city about the parcel's permitted uses.317 We could not confirm uniform statewide minimum lot size, dwelling size or setbacks; ask the municipal zoning office for the parcel's district standards. Subdivision approval is another decision, and a county subdivision ordinance may apply where a municipality has no ordinance of its own.18
From the Pennsylvania guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
54 of 67 Pennsylvania counties · sorted by Index score
Clearfield County administers only a countywide Subdivision & Land Development Ordinance (SALDO), not countywide zoning; zoning is adopted municipally where it exists.
Clearfield County Planning Department ↗Countywide zoning regulation in Jefferson County, including unincorporated areas. Jefferson County has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Zoning and subdivision regulations are ad…
Planning – Jefferson County, Pennsylvania ↗County-administered zoning in Venango County, Pennsylvania. Municipalities within Venango County may have adopted and enforce their own zoning ordinances. The County advises tha…
Subdivision & Land Development (SALDO) ↗Countywide zoning ordinance administered by Tioga County. Zoning authority is maintained at the municipal level. Municipal zoning ordinances may apply within participating munic…
Tioga County Data Center Planning FAQ ↗Juniata County has no countywide zoning; subdivision, land development, and zoning ordinances are adopted municipality-by-municipality (some townships have none).
Juniata County - Municipal Ordinances ↗There is no countywide zoning; only Coudersport Borough has a zoning ordinance, and the county only recently heard a presentation on possible county-level zoning.
Potter County Planning Department ↗The Elk County Planning Department administers only the county Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and reviews municipal plans; zoning is enacted at the municipal level, …
Elk County Planning Department ↗Countywide zoning in Fulton County, including unincorporated areas. The official county plan identifies McConnellsburg Borough as the only municipality with a zoning ordinance. …
Fulton County Act 167 Plan - June 2010 ↗Countywide zoning ordinance in Wayne County. Fourteen of twenty-eight municipalities have adopted local zoning ordinances.
Zoning ↗McKean County has no countywide zoning; zoning is handled by individual municipalities (only 10 of 22 municipalities are zoned), though the county administers a subdivision/land…
McKean County Planning Commission ↗Zoning in Pennsylvania is administered at the municipal level; most Centre County townships have adopted zoning ordinances and a municipal zoning officer's approval is a prerequ…
Centre County PA - Planning & Community Development (municipal directory and local responsibilities) ↗Countywide zoning regulations in Mifflin County. The county page identifies municipal zoning ordinances in Brown Township, Burnham Borough, Derry Township, Granville Township, K…
Mifflin County - Zoning ↗Zoning is handled at the municipal/township level (townships have their own Zoning & Code Enforcement Officers); the county administers only a county-wide Subdivision and Land D…
Greene County - Washington Township (municipal officials) ↗County zoning administered by Wyoming County. Ten named municipalities have their own zoning ordinances; municipal zoning may apply within those municipalities.
Community Planning - Wyoming County, PA, USA ↗The county Community Planning & Mapping department administers a countywide Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and assists municipalities with ordinance development, but…
Bradford County - Community Planning & Mapping ↗The county administers a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (effective May 2023) but no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning in Pennsylvania is a municipal function.
Clarion County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance ↗Somerset County has no active countywide zoning; its former county zoning ordinances (Interchange and Rt. 31 West Corridor) have been repealed, and only individual municipalitie…
Somerset County - Planning Commission ↗Zoning in Cambria County is enacted at the municipal level, not countywide; the County Planning Commission only assists municipalities in developing their own zoning ordinances,…
Cambria County Planning Commission - Municipal Ordinances ↗The county has no county-wide zoning; the Conservation District & Planning Department administers only subdivision/land development (SALDO) and comprehensive planning, with any …
Forest County PA - Conservation District & Planning ↗Crawford County has no countywide zoning; the county adopted only a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (2025) for municipalities lacking local regulation, while zoning i…
Crawford County Planning Office ↗There is no county-wide zoning; land use ordinances are adopted municipality-by-municipality (the county publishes a per-municipality land use ordinance chart) and the county pl…
Bedford County Planning Department FAQ ↗Countywide zoning in Perry County, Pennsylvania. The source expressly states that zoning decisions remain with municipal officials rather than a countywide ordinance. Municipal …
2026 Perry County Subdivider/Developer Resource Guide ↗Zoning in Huntingdon County is adopted at the municipal level (e.g., Huntingdon Borough has a zoning ordinance); the County Planning & Development Department assists municipalit…
Huntingdon Borough Zoning Ordinance (Huntingdon County) ↗Countywide zoning in Snyder County. The county page states that zoning ordinances are adopted by local townships and boroughs. Municipal zoning may apply in Middleburg, Selinsgr…
Planning Commission – Snyder County, PA Government ↗Countywide zoning ordinance administered by Franklin County. Municipalities, rather than the county, control zoning and land-use policies. Municipal zoning may apply within inco…
Data Center Ordinance ↗Countywide zoning administration in Pike County. Pennsylvania municipalities, rather than the county, govern and regulate local land use and subdivision. All Pike County municip…
Planning and Mapping ↗Countywide zoning ordinance in Westmoreland County. Zoning is administered by local municipalities instead of the county.
Subdivision, Development & Zoning ↗Armstrong County has no county-wide zoning; zoning is handled by individual municipalities (some have zoning ordinances, some have none). The county administers only a Subdivisi…
Armstrong County - Planning and Development ↗There is no single county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning in Dauphin County is adopted and administered by individual municipalities (townships and boroughs), and codes vary by mu…
Dauphin County - Municipalities ↗Zoning in Pennsylvania is administered by municipalities, not the county; Blair County municipalities (e.g., Township of Blair) maintain their own zoning/design standards.
Township of Blair, PA - Design Standards (eCode360) ↗Zoning and subdivision control are municipal under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; 26 of Erie County's 38 municipalities have their own subdivision/land development ordinan…
Erie County Planning - Subdivisions and Land Development ↗Susquehanna County countywide zoning; the county's own comprehensive plan states that the Board of Commissioners did not adopt a county-wide zoning ordinance. The county adopted…
Susquehanna County Comprehensive Plan ↗The county Planning Commission administers a countywide Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) but zoning is adopted and enforced at the municipal level (e.g., Butle…
Butler County Planning Commission ↗Washington County has no countywide zoning; zoning, subdivision, and land development ordinances are enacted and administered by the individual municipality where the property i…
Washington County PA - Planning / Subdivision & Land Development ↗There is no countywide zoning; zoning is adopted at the municipal level, with 30 of 48 (63%) Mercer County municipalities having locally adopted zoning ordinances.
Mercer County Regional Planning - Municipal Zoning Ordinances ↗Zoning in Pennsylvania is administered at the municipal level; several Union County municipalities (e.g. Union Township, East Buffalo Township) have adopted zoning ordinances, a…
Union County Planning - Zoning Information ↗Zoning is administered at the municipal level in Pennsylvania; many Northumberland County municipalities have adopted their own zoning ordinances, while the county maintains a S…
Northumberland County Planning ↗Countywide zoning in Lackawanna County, including unincorporated areas. The county report states that all forty county municipalities have local zoning ordinances in effect; mun…
Lackawanna County Land-Use Planning Annual Report 2019 ↗County-administered zoning authority throughout Cumberland County. The official county page states that zoning regulations are established and administered by municipalities; mu…
Municipal Information ↗Zoning is administered at the municipal level in Pennsylvania; Monroe County Planning maintains model ordinances and a municipal zoning repository, and Pocono townships have zon…
Monroe County Planning Department ↗Countywide zoning ordinance in Lawrence County Municipal zoning ordinances may apply within listed municipalities.
Lawrence County Planning Department Frequently Asked Questions ↗The Carbon County Office of Planning & Development reviews subdivision and land development plans but does not administer countywide zoning; zoning is handled at the municipal l…
Carbon County Office of Planning & Development ↗Countywide zoning adopted and administered by Beaver County. The county comprehensive plan states that land-use control is administered by each individual municipality. Municipa…
Beaver County FOCUS Comprehensive Plan ↗Zoning in Allegheny County is administered at the municipal level; all land lies within incorporated municipalities that adopt their own zoning ordinances.
Allegheny Places - Zoning Planning Series ↗Countywide zoning authority in Lehigh County, including unincorporated areas. Lehigh County states that it has no authority regarding zoning laws. Municipal zoning regulations m…
2018 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing ↗Berks County has no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning is enacted by individual municipalities, with the County Planning Commission facilitating multi-municipal planning.
Berks County Planning Commission - Multi-Municipal Planning ↗Zoning in Pennsylvania is administered at the municipal level; the Lebanon County Planning Department serves as zoning officer and issues zoning permits (required before a code …
Lebanon County - Applying for a Building and Zoning Permit ↗Zoning in Northampton County is municipal, enacted by individual townships and boroughs under the PA Municipalities Planning Code (e.g., Lehigh Township Zoning Ordinance); the L…
Lehigh Township (Northampton County) - Zoning FAQ ↗Countywide zoning ordinance authority in York County. The county states that zoning and land-use policy is delegated to municipalities. The York County Planning Commission influ…
Data Center Development in York County ↗Zoning in Pennsylvania is enacted by municipalities under the Municipalities Planning Code; the Chester County Planning Commission supports but does not administer municipal zon…
Chester County PA - Planning Commission ↗Zoning is administered municipally throughout Lancaster County; the Lancaster County Planning Commission supports municipal zoning ordinances.
Lancaster County Planning Department ↗Zoning in Bucks County is administered by its individual municipalities under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; the county itself does not administer county-wide zoning.
Bucks County Ordinances & Resolutions ↗Zoning is enacted by Montgomery County's municipalities under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; the county Planning Commission assists but does not administer municipal zoning.
Montgomery County PA - Planning Commission ↗Zoning is enforced at the municipal level; the county Planning Commission only provides advisory subdivision/land-development review, and the county directs zoning questions to …
Delaware County Planning Department - Development Review ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Pennsylvania state page for all 67 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Pennsylvania counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
