Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

No county office; required under the statewide UCC, enforced by your township or borough (or a certified third party if it has opted out)¹

Zoning

Varies by municipality; county subdivision review covers 31 municipalities but does not decide land use³⁴

Septic permits

A Pennsylvania Act 537 local agency issues the permit; the multimunicipal Clearfield County Sewage Committee serves many townships⁶

Owner-builder exemption

Yes, for a qualifying recreational cabin that meets Act 92's definition and safety-equipment conditions⁷

Building code

Pennsylvania's statewide UCC applies; a 2025 triennial update takes effect January 1, 2026²

Agricultural building exemption

Available for qualifying farm buildings with no habitable space⁸

Subdivision plan review

County Planning Commission decides within 90 days of the meeting a plan is submitted for, in the 31 municipalities under the county SALDO⁹

Private well permit

Not required by the state for a homeowner drilling their own well¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 28, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania?

Yes, in most cases, but Clearfield County government doesn't decide or issue that permit. Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC) requires an owner or authorized representative to obtain a building permit before starting construction or building work, and a residential building can't be used or occupied until a certificate of occupancy is issued¹¹¹². Enforcement, though, sits with the township or borough, not the county: more than 90% of Pennsylvania municipalities administer and enforce the UCC themselves, using municipal employees or certified third-party agencies, while in municipalities that opt out, the state Department of Labor and Industry handles commercial code enforcement and certified third-party agencies handle residential enforcement². Two narrow exceptions matter for rural buyers here: a qualifying recreational cabin can be excluded from the UCC entirely if it meets Act 92's definition, is equipped with a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, and carbon monoxide detector, and the owner files the required affidavit or insurance proof with the municipality¹³, and a genuine agricultural building with no habitable space, such as a barn or hay shed, is excluded from the Construction Code Act altogether⁸.

Who issues building permits in Clearfield County, and how do you reach them?

There's no single Clearfield County building department to call, because permit issuance and inspection happen at the municipal level under the UCC¹. The Clearfield County Planning Department is at 212 East Locust Street, Clearfield, PA 16830, and its department line is 814-765-5149¹⁴. The department provides technical assistance to municipalities and the Planning Commission reviews subdivisions and land developments in 31 municipalities¹⁴. Ask Planning to identify the correct township or borough, then ask that municipality who administers its residential UCC permits. Inspections, once a permit is issued, must cover foundation; plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems; frame and masonry; wallboard; and a final inspection, done by whichever construction code official or certified third-party agency the municipality uses¹⁵. If the municipality opted out of local UCC administration, a certified third-party agency handles residential enforcement, while the state Department of Labor and Industry covers commercial work².

Does Clearfield County have zoning?

Zoning varies across Clearfield County: some municipalities have zoning ordinances and others do not, so the controlling answer comes from the township or borough governing the parcel¹⁶. Clearfield County's subdivision and land-development ordinance is a different tool; it covers 31 of the county's 50 municipalities but does not control how land or buildings are used¹⁷. The remaining 19 municipalities have their own subdivision and land-development ordinances⁴. Pennsylvania law also limits county zoning authority to municipalities without their own zoning ordinance¹⁸. We could not confirm a complete, current municipality-by-municipality zoning schedule, so ask the governing municipality about setbacks, minimum lot size, building height, RV use, and tiny homes. The Clearfield County Planning Department provides technical assistance to municipalities and can help identify the relevant local office¹⁴.

How do septic permits work in Clearfield County?

Every new or altered on-lot sewage system in Pennsylvania needs a permit from a local agency before installation, construction, occupancy, or use, under the state's Act 537 program¹⁹⁵. In Clearfield County, that local agency is usually not the county itself but a municipality, joint agency, or county department of health, and for many Clearfield County townships that local agency is the multimunicipal Clearfield County Sewage Committee, which acts as the Sewage Enforcement Officer for its participating municipalities⁶⁵. Because the exact agency varies by municipality and this guide couldn't confirm a single office contact for the Sewage Committee, call the Clearfield County Planning Department first to be pointed to the correct local agency for your parcel¹⁴. Once a system is installed, it can't be covered until the permit-issuing body approves, though if 72 hours pass after you notify them of completion (excluding Sundays and holidays) without a refusal, you may cover it²⁰. Pennsylvania exempts an individual system from permitting only in narrow cases, such as an owner or immediate-family residence on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres that meets siting, notification, and owner-of-record conditions, so don't assume a large tract is automatically exempt without confirming the details with the local agency¹⁹. Composting, incinerating, or recycling toilets still require an approved onlot system or other method for washwater unless the residence and its system are existing and unaltered²¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Clearfield County?

No official Clearfield County or state source reviewed for this guide establishes a right to live full-time in an RV or tiny home on ordinary private rural land here, so treat it as a question for whichever municipality your parcel sits in. Pennsylvania's clearest RV-occupancy rules apply only to state park campgrounds, capping stays at 14 consecutive nights in summer or 21 the rest of the year and limiting sites to two sleeping units, of which only one may be wheeled; that framework says nothing about occupancy on private land²². Manufactured homes follow a separate track: new, labeled manufactured housing installed per the manufacturer's approved design is largely exempt from the UCC, but utility connections, grading, additions, resale, and relocation after the original installation all trigger UCC requirements²³. Because zoning in Clearfield County is set municipality by municipality rather than countywide, whether your township allows RV living, a tiny home, or an accessory dwelling depends entirely on whether that municipality has adopted its own zoning ordinance and what it says; the county Planning Department can tell you who administers zoning where your land sits¹⁴.

Building a home in Clearfield County: the steps, in order

First, call the Clearfield County Planning Department to find out whether your municipality has its own zoning and SALDO or falls under the county's, and to confirm which office administers UCC building permits there¹⁴. Second, if you're creating a new lot, submit your subdivision plan to the Planning Commission (for the 31 county-SALDO municipalities) at least one week ahead for a minor subdivision or two weeks for a land-development plan, and expect a decision within 90 days of the meeting it's submitted for⁹. Third, apply for your septic permit through the applicable Act 537 local agency before you finalize house plans, since site and soil conditions can shape your design¹⁹⁵. Fourth, submit your building-permit application to your township or borough's UCC administrator (or the certified third-party agency it uses) before starting construction¹¹. Fifth, schedule the required foundation, systems, frame, wallboard, and final inspections as construction proceeds¹⁵. Sixth, get your certificate of occupancy, which the building code official must issue within five business days of a compliant final inspection report¹². Seventh, if your parcel is in a mapped flood hazard area, your municipality (not the county) reviews and issues the floodplain development permit²⁴. Eighth, if your driveway connects to a state highway, apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, usually issued within about 30 days of a complete application²⁵.

What to check before you buy land in Clearfield County

Soils are the biggest surprise here: only 1.3% of Clearfield County's land is free of severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so budget for a site evaluation and likely an engineered or alternative system rather than a standard gravity field²⁶. Terrain and cover are more forgiving: 60.5% of the county sits at 15% slope or less, though 84% is wooded, so clearing costs add up even on buildable ground²⁷²⁸. Precipitation runs about 43.6 inches a year, with severe drought hitting only about 0.5% of years, which is favorable for a well but doesn't substitute for a real water-yield test²⁹³⁰. Building-permit administration and zoning depend on the municipality governing the parcel¹¹⁶. Septic authority also depends on the applicable local agency⁵. Confirm all three before buying, and ask the county Planning Department for help identifying the right local office¹⁴. Property tax runs relatively low here: an effective rate near 1.2%, a median annual bill around $1,488, against a typical home value of about $145,432³¹³²³³.

Watch-outs

• Clearfield County has no county building department; ask your specific township or borough who enforces the UCC there, since some administer it themselves and others rely on a certified third-party agency¹.
• Septic permitting authority varies by municipality; the Clearfield County Sewage Committee serves many townships as the Act 537 local agency, but this guide could not confirm a direct contact for it, so start with the county Planning Department to get routed correctly⁶.
• No official source confirms RV, tiny-home, or long-term camping rules for private land anywhere in Clearfield County; ask your municipality whether it has adopted its own zoning ordinance before assuming anything is allowed³⁴.

Sources

1. PA Housing Research Center - Guide to Residential Provisions of PA UCC (2026 county census)
2. Uniform Construction Code (UCC), quoted and re-checked
3. Clearfield County Planning Commission 2022 Annual Report, quoted and re-checked
4. Planning, quoted and re-checked
5. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
6. Clearfield County Sewage Committee (via Township of Lawrence Code) (2026 county census)
7. Uniform Construction Code Advisories — Recreational Cabin Exclusion (2026 county census)
8. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. A Citizen’s guide to the clearfield county subdivision process, quoted and re-checked
10. Private Water Wells, quoted and re-checked
11. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
12. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
13. Uniform Construction Code Advisories — Recreational Cabin Exclusion, quoted and re-checked
14. Clearfield County Planning Department (clearfieldcountypa.gov)
15. PART XIV — Uniform Construction Code Administration, quoted and re-checked
16. Clearfield County Planning Commission Agenda, March 26, 2025, quoted and re-checked
17. Planning, quoted and re-checked
18. Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
25. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
26. Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
27. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
28. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
29. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
30. Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
31. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
32. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
33. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
34. Clearfield County Planning Department (2026 county census)

Written September 28, 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.