Bolthole Index

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Verona borough, Pennsylvania

Verona borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania adopts its own zoning chapter1 and enforces the state Uniform Construction Code as the borough building code2. Building permits are required in Allegheny County and are filed with the municipality where the work happens3. Where a public sanitary sewer abuts the lot, the borough requires a sewer connection4; on-lot septic permits come from the Allegheny County Health Department5.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes: the borough has its own zoning chapter with seven districts16
Building permit
Required; the borough adopts the state Uniform Construction Code23
Sewer
Connection required where a sanitary sewer abuts the property4
Septic
On-lot systems: Allegheny County Health Department5
R-1 lot size
At least 2,500 sq ft per family7
R-1 height
35 feet for a one- or two-family dwelling8
Mobile homes in R-1
Not permitted as one-family dwellings9

Who to call

Building permits

Verona Borough Office (building and zoning permits)

Zoning permit applications, zoning hearing applications and building permit information inside Verona borough

412-828-8080

[email protected]

736 E. Railroad Avenue, Verona, PA 15147

Septic permits

Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program

Plumbing permits and contact point for on-lot sewage permitting

412-578-8036

2121 Noblestown Road, Suite 207, Pittsburgh, PA 15205

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Verona means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Verona, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Verona borough divides its land into seven zoning districts under its own zoning chapter1. The districts are R-1 single-family residential, R-2 limited residential, R-3 multiple-family residential, C commercial, P public and private recreation, and LM and LM-2 light manufacturing6.

In the R-1 district, a dwelling lot needs at least 2,500 square feet per family7. The front yard is 20 feet and the rear yard for dwellings is 30 feet10. Buildings may cover no more than 40% of the lot11, and a one- or two-family dwelling may be 35 feet high and no more than 2 1/2 stories8. R-1 also lists one-family detached dwellings except a mobile home9. Standards for the other districts were not confirmed; ask the borough office.

Do you need a building permit in Verona, and who issues it?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before construction work starts3, and Verona has adopted that code as the borough building code2. Allegheny County does not issue these permits; they are filed in the municipality where the work happens12.

In Verona, the borough's page says a zoning permit application comes first: "To complete a building permit, you must first complete the zoning permit application."12 Commercial building and zoning reviews go to a third-party code enforcement agency the borough employs12. We could not confirm who reviews and inspects residential permits or what they cost; fees are set by council resolution13, so call the borough office.

How do septic and sewer work inside Verona?

Verona is a sewered borough. Every dwelling on a property that abuts a street or easement with a sanitary sewer must connect to it, and a connection permit is required4.

For an on-lot system where no sewer is available, septic permits for Allegheny County are carried out by the Health Department's Sewage Enforcement Officers under Pennsylvania's Sewage Facilities Act5. The Allegheny County Health Department Plumbing Program is the contact point14. Soil ratings are county-wide: about 11.6% of Allegheny County soils are rated not limited for a conventional drain field15, so expect a site evaluation.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Verona?

We could not confirm Verona's rules on RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny homes. The borough's zoning chapter has a special provisions article that may cover them, so ask the borough office before you buy or park anything on a lot. Mobile homes are excluded from one-family dwellings in R-19.

What stays with Allegheny County, and what should you check before buying in Verona?

Zoning and building permits are the borough's. Septic permits come from the Allegheny County Health Department5. Land outside the borough follows different municipalities' rules; see the Allegheny County page.

County-wide, the effective property tax rate is 1.6%16 and the median property tax bill is $3,399 a year17. A driveway that touches a state highway needs a state highway occupancy permit18.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Verona's residential building permit process, owner-builder exemptions, certificate of occupancy or well rules; call the borough office at 412-828-808012.
  • Verona, New Jersey and other Veronas show up in searches; this guide covers the borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania1.

Sources

  1. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. IV Classification of Districts (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  2. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 110 Building Construction (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  3. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  4. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 202 Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Art. II Connections (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  5. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
  6. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. IV Classification of Districts (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  7. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. V R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  8. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. V R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  9. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. V R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  10. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. V R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  11. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 250 Zoning, Art. V R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  12. Verona Borough Office (building and zoning permits) (veronaborough.org)
  13. Borough of Verona, PA Code, Ch. 110 Building Construction (Borough of Verona), quoted and re-checked
  14. Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program (alleghenycounty.us)
  15. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  16. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  17. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  18. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (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.

Answers from the rulebook for Borough of Verona

Borough of Verona’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Verona borough

    • Administration may be by borough employee, third-party agencies, intermunicipal agreement, contract with another borough, or the PA Department of Labor and Industry for structures other than one- and two-family dwellings and utility/miscellaneous-use structures, as set by council resolution (§ 110-8).
    • Ordinances in effect before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code continue (§ 110-10).
    “the uniform construction code, contained in 34 pa. code, chapters 401 to 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the borough of verona building code.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Verona borough, which adopts its own zoning chapter (Chapter 250)

    “the borough is hereby divided into seven zones or districts as shown on the official zoning map”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Verona borough

    • Districts: R-1 single-family residential, R-2 limited residential, R-3 multiple-family residential, C commercial, P public and private recreation, LM and LM-2 light manufacturing and industrial.
    • Official zoning map is on file in the borough office.
    “the borough is hereby divided into seven zones or districts as shown on the official zoning map”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Verona borough

    • Lot area is per family on any lot containing a dwelling.
    • Minimum lot width 25 feet at the front setback line for dwellings; 50 feet for other principal permitted uses.
    • Other districts (R-2, R-3, C, P, LM, LM-2) not reviewed.

    minimum lot area per family: >= 2500 sq ft · minimum lot width, dwellings: >= 25 ft

    “a. lot area: a lot area of not less than 2,500 square feet per family shall be provided on any lot containing a dwelling.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Verona borough

    • Side yards for dwellings: two required, totaling 15 feet, neither less than five feet.
    • Corner lots with dwellings: one side not less than five feet, the other not less than the front yard setback or 10 feet, whichever is greater.
    • Accessory buildings in rear yard: 10 feet, not closer than five feet to a side line; accessory building of 120 sq ft or less needs no setback.
    • Front yard exception on partially developed streets (§ 250-65e).

    front yard: >= 20 ft (partially developed streets) · rear yard, dwellings: >= 30 ft

    “a. front yard: 20 feet, except as may be permitted on partially developed streets (see article xii, § 250-65e).”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Verona borough

    • Other districts not reviewed.

    maximum building coverage: <= 40 percent of lot

    “c. coverage: not more than 40% of the area of any lot may be occupied by buildings or structures.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Verona borough

    • Other principal permitted uses: 45 feet.
    • Accessory use: 14 feet, not more than one story.
    • Other districts not reviewed.

    maximum height, one- or two-family dwelling: <= 35 ft (not more than 2 1/2 stories)

    “a. one- or two-family dwelling: 35 feet but not more than 2 1/2 stories.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Mobile homes in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Verona borough

    • Only the R-1 district was reviewed; other districts and any manufactured-home (HUD code) provisions not checked.
    “a. one-family detached dwelling except a mobile home.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Dwellings and other buildings discharging sewage inside Verona borough

    • Applies where the property abuts or adjoins a street, public way, right-of-way or easement in which there is a sanitary sewer.
    • Owner is responsible for the connection; roof water and stormwater are excluded.
    • A connection permit is required (§ 202-7).
    “every building in the borough of verona used as a dwelling and every other building from which sewage and/or waste matter is discharged, if located upon property abutting and/or adjoining any street, public way, right-of-way or other easement or place in which there is a sanitary sewer, shall be connected with and shall use such sanitary sewer.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Building code administration and enforcement fees inside Verona borough

    • Amounts are set by council resolution, not in the code; the current fee schedule was not located.
    “fees assessable by the borough for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this article and the code shall be established by the governing body by resolution from time to time.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Verona or Allegheny County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Verona borough
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Verona borough
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Verona borough
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Verona borough
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Verona borough
15 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit process

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Borough of Verona publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Allegheny County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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