Borough of Mount Oliver, PA: building permits, zoning and sewage rules

At a glance

Building permits

Required before UCC-covered residential construction; contact Building Inspection Underwriters¹³

Zoning

Borough zoning applies; district-specific standards need parcel review⁷⁸

Sanitary sewer

Written connection permit from the borough building inspector⁶

Septic permits

Allegheny County Health Department approval for on-lot sewage systems⁵⁹

Owner-builder

No general statewide contractor license for most construction; building approval still applies¹⁰¹

Occupancy

UCC-covered residential buildings require a certificate of occupancy¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Does the Borough of Mount Oliver have zoning for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Mount Oliver has its own zoning ordinance, administered through a zoning officer and zoning hearing board.⁷ Mount Oliver’s districts include R single-family residential, RMU residential mixed use, MU mixed use, C general commercial, TND traditional neighborhood development and P parks.⁸

Before buying a Mount Oliver parcel, ask the borough Code Enforcement Office to identify the zoning district and confirm the proposed dwelling use, minimum lot area, setbacks, building height and lot coverage.⁴ We could not confirm Mount Oliver’s rules for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or minimum dwelling size; request a parcel-specific answer from the borough Code Enforcement Office before relying on any of those uses.⁴

Do you need a building permit in the Borough of Mount Oliver, and who issues it?

Mount Oliver has adopted Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code.² A building permit is required before residential construction covered by the UCC begins, subject to the code’s scope exclusions and listed exemptions.¹ Building Inspection Underwriters is Mount Oliver’s appointed building code official and handles residential and commercial building permits.³

Contact the building code official at 412-526-4278 or [email protected] to establish the required building application and inspections for your project.³ The borough forms library provides a residential building permit application and a zoning permit application.¹² Mount Oliver’s construction-code fees are set by council resolution; ask the borough for the current schedule before budgeting approval costs.²

How do sewer connections and septic permits work inside the Borough of Mount Oliver?

A connection to Mount Oliver’s sanitary sewer requires a written permit from the borough building inspector, and the plumbing must conform to the Allegheny County plumbing code.⁶ For new construction, the borough sewer-connection fee is included in the building permit fee.⁶ County plumbing plans must be approved and a plumbing permit obtained before plumbing work begins; the county requires a final plumbing inspection.¹³

If a Mount Oliver property would use on-lot sewage disposal, the Allegheny County Health Department’s Sewage Enforcement Officers handle soil testing, system-design review and septic permits.¹⁴ An on-lot sewage permit is necessary before construction of a proposed disposal system.⁹ Ask the borough and Health Department to resolve sewer availability before planning an independent sewage system: county rules can require public-sewer connection where a sewer is available within the specified distances.⁶¹⁵

Building a home in the Borough of Mount Oliver: what are the steps?

1. Ask Mount Oliver’s Code Enforcement Office to review the parcel’s zoning district and proposed residential use.⁴⁸
2. Obtain the borough zoning and residential building application forms, then confirm the project’s building-permit requirements with Building Inspection Underwriters before covered work begins.¹²³¹
3. Resolve the borough sewer-connection permit and county plumbing approvals; contact the Health Department if on-lot sewage is proposed.⁶¹³¹⁴
4. Keep permitted construction accessible and notify the construction code official when work is ready for required inspections.¹⁶
5. Obtain the required residential certificate of occupancy before using or occupying a UCC-covered home.¹¹

What stays with Allegheny County, and what should a Mount Oliver buyer check?

Mount Oliver’s borough zoning and building-code administration do not replace Allegheny County’s on-lot sewage and plumbing approvals.⁷²⁵¹³ For a property elsewhere in the county, consult the Allegheny County guide and identify the municipality that controls the parcel’s zoning.¹⁷

For a Mount Oliver building project in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the municipality must review floodplain-development applications and inspect for compliance with its floodplain ordinance.¹⁸ Construction in an Allegheny County right-of-way requires a county highway occupancy permit; that rule does not establish a permit requirement for every private or borough driveway.¹⁹ Ask the borough building official which approvals fit the proposed work before committing to a construction budget.³

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Mount Oliver’s RV or tiny-home occupancy rules, residential district dimensions or minimum dwelling size; ask the borough Code Enforcement Office for a parcel-specific zoning determination.⁴
• Pennsylvania’s lack of general statewide contractor licensing for most construction does not remove the building-permit requirement for UCC-covered residential work in Mount Oliver.¹⁰¹
• A composting toilet in a new Pennsylvania residence still requires an approved method of treating washwater or excess liquid; confirm the sewage proposal with the Allegheny County Health Department.²⁰¹⁴

Sources

1. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 88 Construction Codes, Uniform - Borough of Mount Oliver, PA (eCode360) (Borough of Mount Oliver), quoted and re-checked
3. Building Inspection Underwriters — Borough Building Code Official (mtoliver.com)
4. Mount Oliver Borough Code Enforcement Office (mtoliver.com)
5. alleghenycounty.us, quoted and re-checked
6. Chapter 191 Article I Sanitary Sewers - Borough of Mount Oliver, PA (eCode360) (Borough of Mount Oliver), quoted and re-checked
7. Chapter 260 Zoning - Borough of Mount Oliver, PA (eCode360) (Borough of Mount Oliver), quoted and re-checked
8. Chapter 260 Zoning - Borough of Mount Oliver, PA (eCode360) (Borough of Mount Oliver), quoted and re-checked
9. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
10. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Mount Oliver Borough Forms Library (mtoliver.com)
13. Project Plans and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
14. Allegheny County Health Department — Water Pollution Control (alleghenycounty.us)
15. Article XIV Sewage Management, quoted and re-checked
16. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Land Use Planning, quoted and re-checked
18. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Permits and Licenses, quoted and re-checked
20. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 14, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.