Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-08-08
55 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties — 82% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 2nd-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is McKean County (84/100). 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 969 counties nationwide → Full Pennsylvania profile →
55 of 67 Pennsylvania counties · sorted by Index score
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 ↗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 ↗The county states it does not have a county-wide zoning ordinance or Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance; all zoning and subdivision regulation is administered individual…
Jefferson County PA Planning ↗The county states 'Venango County does not have a county-wide zoning ordinance,' though some municipalities within the county have adopted their own zoning.
Venango County - Subdivision & Land Development (SALDO) ↗The county Planning Commission reviews zoning ordinances and amendments submitted by municipalities, indicating zoning is enacted at the municipal level rather than county-wide.
Tioga County Planning Commission ↗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 ↗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 ↗Zoning in Perry County is municipal (township/borough) rather than countywide; e.g. Rye Township enforces its own Zoning Ordinance 11-01 via a township Zoning Enforcement Office…
Rye Township (Perry County, PA) - Permits ↗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 ↗Fulton County has no county-wide zoning; per the county Planning FAQ only McConnellsburg Borough has a zoning ordinance, so unincorporated townships are generally unzoned.
Fulton County, PA - Planning FAQ ↗The county states it has no adopted countywide zoning ordinance; 14 of 28 municipalities have their own zoning.
Wayne County, PA - Zoning ↗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…
Central Keystone COG - Residential Building Permits ↗Mifflin County does not have countywide zoning regulations; only individual municipalities (e.g., Brown, Derry, Granville, Union Townships and several boroughs) have adopted the…
Mifflin County - Zoning ↗Wyoming County does not have county-wide zoning; only ten individual municipalities have adopted their own zoning ordinances, administered at the municipal level.
Wyoming County PA 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) ↗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 ↗Sullivan County has no county-wide zoning; the county Planning & Development office administers only a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance under the PA Municipalities Pla…
Sullivan County, PA Planning & Development office ↗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 ↗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) ↗Snyder County has no countywide zoning; zoning ordinances are adopted by individual municipalities (currently Middleburg, Selinsgrove and Shamokin Dam boroughs and Monroe, Penn …
Snyder County Planning Commission ↗The county administers a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, but zoning is enacted and administered at the municipal level under the PA Municipalities Planning Code, not…
Franklin County Planning Department ↗Westmoreland County has no countywide zoning ordinance; zoning is entirely within the purview of local municipalities, some of which have adopted zoning and some of which have not.
Westmoreland County Subdivision, Development & Zoning ↗Zoning is municipal, not county-administered; all Pike County municipalities except Greene Township have adopted local zoning ordinances, and all have a Subdivision & Land Devel…
Pike County Office of Community Planning ↗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 ↗The county's planning role is limited to subdivision and land-development review; no countywide zoning ordinance is described (any zoning is adopted at the municipal level).
Susquehanna County Planning & Development - Questions & Answers ↗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 ↗Zoning exists but is adopted and enforced at the municipal level; municipalities within Lackawanna County (e.g., Scott Township, Scranton, Olyphant) have their own zoning/code e…
Scott Township (Lackawanna County) - Zoning & Code Enforcement ↗Zoning is administered at the municipal level in Cumberland County; municipalities require a zoning permit before construction (the county Planning Department advises but does n…
West Pennsboro Township (Cumberland County) - Planning & Permits ↗The county FAQ states 'Currently there is no county-wide zoning ordinance'; individual municipalities maintain their own zoning.
Lawrence County, PA Planning & Community Development FAQ ↗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 ↗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 ↗The county Planning Commission provides zoning assistance to municipalities but zoning is adopted and administered at the municipal (borough/township) level, not countywide.
Beaver County Office of Planning & Redevelopment ↗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 ↗Zoning in Lehigh County is administered by individual municipalities under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; the county administers subdivision/land development (SALDO), not …
Lehigh County Ordinances (Subdivision and Land Development) ↗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 ↗Zoning exists but is adopted and administered at the municipal level (townships/boroughs); the York County Planning Commission supports municipal planning and maintains a county…
York County Planning Commission - Zoning Ordinance Content Guide ↗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 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 administered municipally throughout Lancaster County; the Lancaster County Planning Commission supports municipal zoning ordinances.
Lancaster County Planning Department ↗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.
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.
