Building permits, zoning and septic in Borough of Oakmont, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permits

Required before UCC-regulated residential construction¹²

Zoning

Borough zoning ordinance applies inside Oakmont³

Septic permits

Allegheny County Health Department; required before on-lot system construction⁴⁵

Building-permit fees

Borough Council sets UCC administration fees by resolution; request the current schedule⁶

Occupancy

A UCC-regulated residential building needs a certificate of occupancy before use⁷

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in Borough of Oakmont, PA?

Oakmont has adopted Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code, and covered residential construction requires a building permit before work begins.¹² Pennsylvania exempts certain limited work and ordinary repairs from its residential building-permit requirement, but those exemptions apply only where the work does not violate another law or ordinance.² Ask Oakmont’s building office to classify the proposed work before relying on an exemption.⁸ Borough Council sets UCC administration and enforcement fees by resolution; request the applicable schedule for the actual project.⁶

Who handles building permits and inspections in Borough of Oakmont?

Oakmont’s Building & Zoning page says BIU completes all building permits and inspections; building-permit questions go to BIU at 412-766-2565.⁸ For a residential building permit, bring the completed application to the Borough office at 767 Fifth Street, Oakmont, PA 15139.⁸ The borough’s application instructions require payment by check payable to BIU.⁸ Use that municipal application route for a project inside Oakmont, while directing on-lot sewage questions separately to the Allegheny County Health Department.⁸⁴

Does Borough of Oakmont have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Borough of Oakmont has a zoning ordinance, so a parcel inside the borough must be considered under Oakmont’s land-use rules.³ We could not confirm Oakmont’s rules for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum dwelling size, lot size or setbacks; ask the Borough Building & Zoning office for the proposed use and parcel’s requirements before buying.⁸ Oakmont also has a subdivision and land-development chapter; a proposal to divide land needs a separate discussion with the borough rather than relying only on the home’s construction-code approval.⁹¹

How do septic permits work inside Borough of Oakmont?

Allegheny County Health Department Sewage Enforcement Officers handle on-lot sewage permits inside Oakmont, and a permit is necessary before construction of a proposed on-lot disposal system.⁴⁵ County sewage rules also restrict continued use of private sewage systems where a public sewer is available within the applicable distances.¹⁰ Before budgeting for septic, ask the Health Department whether the parcel must connect to public sewer and what approval the proposed sewage arrangement needs.¹⁰⁴ County plumbing plans require approval before plumbing work begins, with a final inspection for issued plumbing permits.¹¹

What are the steps to build a home in Borough of Oakmont?

Start by asking the Borough Building & Zoning office to confirm the intended use and parcel requirements under Oakmont zoning.³⁸ Resolve the sewer or on-lot sewage arrangement with the Allegheny County Health Department before committing to a septic design.¹⁰⁴ Submit the residential building-permit application through the Borough office and obtain the required building permit before covered work begins.⁸² During construction, keep work accessible and notify the code official when required residential inspections are ready.¹² Obtain the residential certificate of occupancy before using the completed UCC-regulated home.⁷

What stays with Allegheny County, and what should Oakmont buyers check?

On-lot sewage approval stays with the Allegheny County Health Department even though Oakmont has its own zoning and construction-code adoption.⁴³¹ We could not confirm Oakmont-specific well-permit or off-grid sanitation requirements; ask Borough Building & Zoning which approvals the proposed arrangement needs, and ask the Health Department about sewage disposal.⁸⁴ For land outside Oakmont, use the Allegheny County guide to identify the county services involved, then confirm the property’s municipal zoning requirements.¹³

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm residential RV or tiny-home siting permission in Oakmont; ask Borough Building & Zoning before planning either use.⁸
• Public sewer availability can prevent continued use of a private sewage system under Allegheny County’s sewage rules; confirm the parcel’s connection obligations before planning septic.¹⁰

Sources

1. Oakmont Code Chapter 82 Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Oakmont), quoted and re-checked
2. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
3. Borough of Oakmont, PA code of ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Borough of Oakmont), quoted and re-checked
4. alleghenycounty.us, quoted and re-checked
5. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
6. Oakmont Code Chapter 82 Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Oakmont), quoted and re-checked
7. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Oakmont Borough Building & Zoning / Building Inspection Underwriters of PA, Inc. (oakmontborough.com)
9. Borough of Oakmont, PA code of ordinances table of contents (eCode360) (Borough of Oakmont), quoted and re-checked
10. Article XIV Sewage Management, quoted and re-checked
11. Project Plans and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
12. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Land Use Planning, 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.