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

Rules another office applies inside Pine Township

Pine 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 code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction in Pine Township subject to Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code.

  • The cited section incorporates listed 2021 model-code provisions with Pennsylvania amendments and exceptions.
  • Local enforcement arrangements for Pine Township were not established by the official material opened.

  “The Department adopts and incorporates by reference the following codes as the Uniform Construction Code:”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage matters inside Pine Township.

  • The county municipal list identifies the listed individual as Pine Township's Sewage Enforcement Officer.

  “Sewage Enforcement Officer James McDeavitt Columbia Co. Sanitary Inspection Office 570-784-9171”

• Septic permitRequired

  Individual or community on-lot sewage systems serving buildings inside Pine Township.

  • A local agency or municipality may require a permit despite the 10-acre owner/family exemption.
  • A permit is not required for a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet where the existing on-lot system is not altered.
  • A qualifying owner/family system on a contiguous tract of 10 acres or more may be exempt under § 72.22(e), subject to its stated ownership-date, siting, notification, and other conditions.
  • A replacement dwelling exception applies only when the local agency makes the stated same-or-less size/use determination and no active malfunction investigation is underway.

  “No person may install, award a contract for construction or construct an individual or community onlot sewage system, or install, construct, occupy or use a building to be served by that system without first obtaining a permit from the local agency, except as provided in subsections (c)—(e).”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Permitted on-lot sewage systems serving structures inside Pine Township.

  • The cited rule requires inspection, approval, and covering before occupancy of the structure.
  • The local agency may inspect and test before, during, or after construction; conditions for permit-exempt systems differ.

  “The sewage system shall be inspected, approved and covered before the structure is occupied by a person.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Water-conservation toilet installations and on-lot sanitation inside Pine Township.

  • A permit is not required for a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet only where the existing on-lot system will not be altered.
  • Other individual or community on-lot sewage construction requires a local-agency permit unless a stated exception applies.

  “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 accessRequired

  A driveway from property inside Pine Township to a Commonwealth highway under PennDOT jurisdiction.

  • The rule applies only where access is to a highway under the Department of Transportation's jurisdiction.
  • The building permit must contain notice of the highway occupancy permit requirement before driveway access is permitted.

  “A building code official may not issue a permit for any property requiring access to a highway under the Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction unless the permit contains notice that a highway occupancy permit is required under section 420 of the State Highway Law (36 P.S. § 670-420) before driveway access to a Commonwealth highway is permitted.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Pine Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Pine Township.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Pine Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential structures inside Pine Township.
• Local zoning — Land inside Pine Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

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.