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

Rules another office applies inside Cleveland Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  UCC-regulated construction or building work inside Cleveland Township.

  • The rule applies before beginning construction or building work subject to the UCC.
  • Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may proceed without a permit only if an application is submitted to the building-code official within three business days.

  “The UCC requires property owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting any work. Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and the installation of swimming pools or hot tubs.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction subject to the Pennsylvania UCC, including qualifying work inside Cleveland Township.

  • The cited state page describes UCC-regulated building projects; local enforcement jurisdiction and project-specific exemptions may affect administration.

  “The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) regulates the codes and standards of building projects in the Commonwealth. The UCC states that before beginning any construction or building work, the property owner or an authorized representative must obtain a UCC building permit”

• InspectionsRequired

  Specified UCC-regulated construction and system work inside Cleveland Township.

  • The state source limits the requirement to several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, swimming-pool, hot-tub, manufactured-housing, and industrialized-housing work.

  “Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and the installation of swimming pools or hot tubs.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings or facilities subject to the UCC inside Cleveland Township.

  • Required before the building or facility can be used.

  “A UCC certificate of occupancy must be issued before a building or facility can be used. However, emergency repairs or equipment replacements can be made without a permit as long as an application is submitted to the building code official within three business days.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage enforcement for land inside Cleveland Township.

  • The state sewage program requires permits to be issued by the local agency through its sewage-enforcement process.

  “Sewage Enforcement Officer James McDeavitt Columbia Co. Sanitary Inspection Office”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Use of a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet inside Cleveland Township.

  • The exemption applies only where the existing onlot system will not be altered.
  • Other onlot sewage-system work remains subject to the local-agency permit rules.

  “A permit is not required for the installation of a recycling toilet, incinerating toilet, composting toilet or other type of water conservation device where the existing onlot system will not be altered.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Construction or alteration of a driveway on state-highway land inside Cleveland Township.

  • A permit is required only when building or changing a driveway on state-highway land or where it connects to a PennDOT drainage facility.
  • Paving can be maintenance only in many cases; PennDOT says to contact it to determine whether that applies.

  “You need a permit when you're building or changing a driveway”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  PennDOT highway-occupancy permits, including qualifying driveway work inside Cleveland Township.

  • Applies only to work on state-highway land or a PennDOT drainage facility.
  • PennDOT directs applicants to the district permit manager or governing regulations for costs.

  “Permit costs vary. Please contact the district permit manager or consult our regulations. View the Pennsylvania Code, Title 67, Chapter 441.4 or driveway fees or Chapter 459.4 for utility fees.”

• Permit processPartial

  PennDOT highway-occupancy permits for qualifying driveway work inside Cleveland Township.

  • Applies only to state-highway land or connection to a PennDOT drainage facility.
  • PennDOT usually issues permits within 30 days if all required information is supplied and complies with regulations.

  PennDOT review period: <= 60 days (PennDOT's stated maximum review time) · PennDOT target review time: <= 30 days (If the application meets regulations and requirements)

  “PennDOT has 60 days to review each application.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Cleveland Township.
• Local zoning — Land inside Cleveland Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Cleveland Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Cleveland Township.
• Minimum lot size — Lots inside Cleveland Township.

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.