Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Haines Township, Pennsylvania

Haines Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Haines township that are subject to the UCC building permit requirement (agricultural buildings excepted)

  • Agricultural buildings are exempt from the UCC building permit requirement but remain subject to other local, county and state approvals and zoning permits.
  • Exemption requires an ag exemption affidavit filed with the township before work begins.
  • Applicants choose between Bureau Veritas and Penns Valley Code Enforcement Agency for permit administration (since 2025-01-06).

  “agricultural buildings are exempt from the ucc building permit requirement, but still subject to all other local, county & state approvals and/or zoning permits.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Haines township under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC)

  • Permit administration is through one of two UCC agencies the township offers (Bureau Veritas or Penns Valley Code Enforcement Agency), per the township building permits page.
  • Agricultural buildings are exempt from the UCC building permit requirement (see separate claim).

  “the pa ucc code was adopted under township code ordinance #36.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Haines township limits (not the county unincorporated area): zoning is administered by the township under its own Zoning Ordinance Chapter 51

  • Zoning permits are required for many uses and structures; the township zoning officer administers the ordinance.
  • Ordinance amended 1st time on 2021-12-14 (amendment date is in the title; the 2026 zoning application and fee schedule are linked from the township zoning page).

  “zoning administration & enforcement for haines township: chris a. dobson, zoning officer”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Haines township

  • District boundaries are on the Haines Township Zoning Map (2021), which the zoning page links.
  • Dimensional rules per district are only partly extracted (see minimum lot, setback and height claims).

  “51.3.1 districts for the purpose of this ordinance, the township of haines is hereby divided into districts, which shall be designated as follows”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwellings in the Rural Residential (RR) district, Haines township

  • Table extracted from PDF text is partly garbled; verify the column alignment on the official PDF.
  • Agriculture (A) district minimum lot sizes were not extracted.

  minimum lot size, single-family detached dwelling: 1 acre

  “7. single family 1 acre detached dwelling 8. short-term rental 1 acre 9. church and place 2 acres of worship”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Conditional uses in the Rural Residential (RR) district, Haines township

  • These are the conditional-use setbacks only; principal-use setback table in 51.6.5 was not resolved from the extracted text.
  • Accessory uses take the setbacks of the primary use.

  front setback, conditional uses: 25 feet · side setback, conditional uses: 10 feet · rear setback, conditional uses: 25 feet

  “b. conditional uses the following setbacks apply to all conditional uses in the rural residential district: front setback – 25 feet side setback – 10 feet rear setback – 25 feet”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the Rural Residential (RR) district, Haines township

  • Height is governed by the general height regulations in Article XII; exceptions (for example, telecommunications towers and similar structures) are listed there and were not fully reviewed.

  maximum height, principal building: <= 55 feet (subject to Article XII general regulations)

  “the height of principal building shall not exceed fifty-five (55’) feet in accordance with the requirements of article xii of this ordinance.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Parking or storage of campers and recreational vehicles in the front yard within the Village Mixed Use (V-1) and Village Residential (V-2) districts of Haines township only

  • Applies only to front yards in the village districts.
  • Rule covers storage or parking; it does not state whether living in an RV is allowed elsewhere in the township, which was not verified.

  “in the village mixed use and village residential zoning districts, no boats, campers, recreational vehicles, trailers, and/or trucks with more than two (2) axles, except personal pickup trucks, shall be stored or parked within any front yard.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Farmstead accessory dwelling listed as an accessory use in the Rural Residential (RR) district schedule, Haines township

  • Listed only as a farmstead accessory dwelling, not a general accessory dwelling unit.
  • The list block is adjacent to the RR minimum-lot table; confirm it belongs to the RR use schedule (Article VI). Use-specific conditions in Article XI were not reviewed.

  “2. farmstead accessory dwelling 3. farmstead business 4. kennel”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Agricultural buildings inside Haines township, exempt from the UCC building permit requirement

  • Exemption does not remove zoning, county or state approvals.
  • An ag exemption affidavit must be completed and filed with the township before any work begins.

  “to claim the exemption, an ag exemption affidavit must be completed and filed with the township prior to beginning any work.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rental as a permitted primary use in the Rural Residential (RR) district, Haines township

  • Listed in the RR table with a 1-acre minimum lot; the table text is garbled, verify on the official PDF.
  • Use-specific standards for short-term rentals (Article XI) were not reviewed, so other limits may apply.

  minimum lot size: 1 acre

  “7. single family 1 acre detached dwelling 8. short-term rental 1 acre 9. church and place 2 acres of worship”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit application process for UCC building permits in Haines township

  • Applicants choose a UCC agency; questions go to that agency.
  • Process steps and zoning permit steps are not fully extracted; the zoning page answers permit-need questions for sheds, fences, pools and demolitions.

  “applicants may choose which agency to work with.”

Rules another office applies inside Haines Township

Haines Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  UCC building permit fees for construction inside Haines township

  • Fees are set by each agency; the applicant picks which agency to use.
  • Township zoning fee schedule is linked on the zoning page but was not opened.

  “each agency has its own fee schedule and should be contacted for permit fees.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Haines Township or Centre County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from UCC permits in Haines township
• Inspections — UCC building inspections for construction inside Haines township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings in Haines township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Haines township
• Lot coverage — Impervious or building coverage limits in Haines township districts

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.