Building permits, zoning and septic in New Garden Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permits

Required for UCC-covered residential work; apply through the township¹²

Zoning

Township Department of Community Development and Safety enforces zoning³

Septic permits

Chester County Health Department; required for proposed individual systems without community sewer⁵⁶

Private wells

Chester County Health Department permits well construction⁷⁴

Owner-builder

State licensing relief does not remove building-permit requirements⁸¹

Building fees

Set by township resolution; office gives the fee after approval⁹²

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in New Garden Township, PA?

A new home in New Garden Township needs a building permit before construction under Pennsylvania’s residential Uniform Construction Code rules.¹ Covered alterations, demolition, changes of occupancy and regulated building systems also fall under the residential permit requirement, with exceptions for specified limited work and ordinary repairs.¹ Pennsylvania’s exemption for qualifying agricultural buildings excludes habitable space and does not eliminate other municipal land-use requirements, so a farm-building exemption is not permission to build a home in a barn.¹⁰ Township construction-code fees are established by resolution rather than a fixed amount in the code.⁹

Who handles New Garden Township building applications?

Submit New Garden Township building and zoning applications to the township office; the office forwards applications to the inspector for review.² Mail applications to the address listed below or deliver them during office hours; the township says not to email building or zoning applications.² After approval, the office contacts the applicant for pickup and states the building-permit fee.² The applicant must arrange the final inspection directly with the inspector.² Pennsylvania requires construction covered by a residential building permit to remain accessible for inspections, including a final inspection.¹¹

Does New Garden Township have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

New Garden Township’s Department of Community Development and Safety enforces township zoning, subdivision and land-development ordinances.³ Bring the parcel and proposed use to that department before committing to an RV residence, tiny home or accessory dwelling.³ We could not confirm New Garden Township’s rules for long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes or accessory dwellings; ask the township zoning office for the applicable use classification and approval route.³ We also could not confirm numeric lot-size, setback, dwelling-size or height requirements for a particular district; request the district requirements for your parcel from the same department.³

How do septic permits work inside New Garden Township?

For a New Garden Township lot without community sewage service where an individual sewage system is proposed, a sewage-system permit is required through Chester County Health Department.⁶⁵ The county requires permits for new on-lot systems and repairs or modifications, except repairs that can be completed without digging equipment; new major permits require soil testing.¹² County inspection rules prohibit covering any part of the system before final inspection and written approval from the Sewage Enforcement Officer.¹³ In township subdivision development, on-site disposal must meet DEP approval and county standards, and available trunk-line public sewer facilities trigger connection requirements.¹⁴

Building a home in New Garden Township: what are the steps?

1. Ask the township Department of Community Development and Safety to address zoning and any subdivision or land-development review for the parcel and proposed home.³
2. If individual sewage disposal is proposed without community sewer, contact Chester County Health Department about the sewage permit before buying; the township’s protected sewage district provision expressly directs buyers to do so.⁵⁶
3. Submit township building and zoning applications, and obtain the required residential building permit before starting covered construction.²¹
4. Keep permitted construction accessible for required inspections and arrange the final inspection with the inspector.¹¹²
5. Obtain the residential certificate of occupancy before using or occupying the home.¹⁵

What stays with Chester County, and what should you check before buying?

Chester County Health Department handles sewage-system and well-construction permits inside New Garden Township; township building and zoning applications do not replace those approvals.⁴² For new construction requiring a well, county rules require public sewerage or a valid sewage permit, and an appropriately licensed contractor must apply for the well permit.¹⁶ A driveway built or changed on state highway land, or connecting to a PennDOT drainage facility, requires a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit.¹⁷ For land outside the township, consult the Chester County guide for the county’s sewage and well responsibilities.⁴

Watch-outs

• Pennsylvania’s owner-builder licensing relief does not waive the building permit required for covered residential construction in New Garden Township.⁸¹
• We could not confirm private-land RV or tiny-home occupancy rules in New Garden Township; ask the township zoning office before planning to live on the parcel during construction.³
• We could not confirm township floodplain development standards or township-road driveway requirements; start with the Department of Community Development and Safety for the local approval route.³

Sources

1. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. New Garden Township Office (newgarden.org)
3. New Garden Township Department of Community Development and Safety (newgarden.org)
4. Chester County Health Department (chesco.org)
5. Article IV Protected Sewage District (New Garden Township), quoted and re-checked
6. Article IV Protected Sewage District (New Garden Township), quoted and re-checked
7. Sewage & Water, quoted and re-checked
8. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Chapter 75 Construction Codes, Uniform (New Garden Township), quoted and re-checked
10. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Permits for On-Lot Sewage Disposal Systems, quoted and re-checked
13. Application & Permit Procedure for On-Lot Sewage Disposal Systems, quoted and re-checked
14. Article VI Design and Improvement Standards (New Garden Township), quoted and re-checked
15. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Chester County Health Department Rules and Regulations, quoted and re-checked
17. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 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.