Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Zoning

Centre Hall has its own zoning chapter (Chapter 27); district rules not confirmed¹

Building permit

Required through the borough office for decks, porches, driveways, sheds and signs; Pennsylvania's building code requires a permit before construction work²⁵

Permit fee

Calculated by the borough office for each application⁶

Septic

Permit from a local agency under Act 537; agency for Centre Hall not confirmed³⁷

Driveway

Borough permit; PennDOT permit too if it meets a state highway⁸⁹

Subdivision

Regulated; Centre Hall's code has a subdivision chapter¹⁰

RV / tiny home

Not confirmed; depends on the borough's zoning text¹

Who to call

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

Does Centre Hall, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. The Borough of Centre Hall has its own zoning chapter, Chapter 27 of its code of ordinances¹. Zoning in Centre Hall is set by the borough, not by Centre County, which has no countywide zoning ordinance⁴.

We could not read the text of the zoning chapter, so we cannot say which districts exist, what minimum lot sizes or setbacks apply, or whether RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings are allowed on a given lot¹. Do not assume an RV or tiny home is allowed because the county has no zoning. Ask the Centre Hall Borough Office for the zoning map and the rules for your parcel's district before you buy¹¹.

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

Yes. Centre Hall requires borough permits for the construction of decks, porches, driveways, sheds and signs, and the borough's own list ends with "etc.", so ask about anything else you plan to build²¹¹.

Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code also requires a building permit before construction work starts, and who issues it depends on how the municipality enforces the code⁵. We could not confirm from the borough's published code which building code official handles dwellings in Centre Hall, so ask the borough office who inspects new homes².

A certificate of occupancy is required before a building can be used¹².

How much do Centre Hall building permits cost, and how do you apply?

The borough has no fee schedule posted on its permit page. Instead, the fee is calculated by the borough office for each application⁶.

The process: print and complete the permit application PDF from the borough's website, call or email the borough office to get the calculated fee, then submit the completed application and fee to the borough office¹³¹¹. Review and inspection timelines are not published on that page¹³.

A driveway in Centre Hall needs a borough permit⁸. If it connects to a state highway, a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit is also required⁹.

How do septic permits work in Centre Hall?

In Pennsylvania, a local agency issues permits for individual on-lot sewage systems, and the state Department of Environmental Protection oversees the program³. A permit must be obtained before installing, constructing or occupying a building served by an on-lot system⁷.

We could not confirm whether Centre Hall addresses are on public sewer or which local agency handles on-lot permits for the borough³. The borough office is the first call, and it can tell you whether your lot is served by public sewer or needs an on-lot system¹¹.

Well drilling: Pennsylvania licenses drilling companies, but not homeowners who drill their own well on their own land¹⁴.

Building a home in Centre Hall: the steps, in order

1. Call the Centre Hall Borough Office and ask for the zoning map and the district rules for your parcel¹¹¹.
2. Confirm sewer or on-lot septic and get any septic permit before you build⁷.
3. If the lot needs a new driveway, plan for the borough permit and, on a state road, a PennDOT permit⁸⁹.
4. Get the calculated fee, then submit the building permit application and fee to the borough office¹³.
5. Have required inspections done during construction¹⁵.
6. Get a certificate of occupancy before moving in¹².

If you split or combine lots, Centre Hall's code has a subdivision and land development chapter¹⁰.

What stays with Centre County, and what should you check before you buy?

Centre County does not run a countywide zoning ordinance, so Centre Hall's borough rules govern zoning inside the borough⁴. Subdivision review by the county applies only where a municipality has not adopted its own subdivision ordinance¹⁶. For land outside the borough, see the Centre County page.

Before buying, check whether the parcel lies in a flood plain, because construction there needs sealed documentation from a registered design professional¹⁷. County-wide, the effective property tax rate is about 1.1%¹⁸.

One statewide note: Pennsylvania has no statewide license for most construction contractors, though municipalities may add their own requirements¹⁹.

Watch-outs

• Centre Hall's zoning text, building code chapters and sewer chapters could not be read in full, so confirm district rules, RV and tiny home rules, and who inspects new homes with the Centre Hall Borough Office before you buy¹¹¹.
• The borough's permit page lists decks, porches, driveways, sheds and signs and ends with "etc.", so do not assume other projects are exempt².

Sources

1. Borough of Centre Hall, PA Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
2. Permit Applications – Centre Hall Borough (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
3. Act 537 Sewage Facilities (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. Centre County Housing, quoted and re-checked
5. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
6. Permit Applications – Centre Hall Borough (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
7. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Permit Applications – Centre Hall Borough (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
9. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Borough of Centre Hall, PA Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
11. Centre Hall Borough Office (centrehallborough.org)
12. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
13. Permit Applications – Centre Hall Borough (Borough of Centre Hall), quoted and re-checked
14. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
16. Subdivision & Land Development, quoted and re-checked
17. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
19. Contractor Licensing (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.