Upper Allen Township, PA Zoning, Building Permits & Septic

Upper Allen Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania adopts its own zoning chapter¹ and requires building permits under the Uniform Construction Code, enforced by the township's building code official²³. Cumberland County does not zone for the township⁴. Septic permits for on-lot systems come from a local sewage agency⁵; we could not confirm which office serves Upper Allen, so ask the township first.

At a glance

Zoning: Township zoning ordinance, Chapter 245, with residential, agriculture, commercial and industrial districts¹⁶
Building permit: Required under the Uniform Construction Code, issued by the township⁷²
Who to call: Upper Allen Township Community Development⁸
Septic: Local agency permit under Act 537; the serving office for Upper Allen is unconfirmed⁵⁹
Floodplain: Permit required for development in floodplain areas¹⁰
Owner-builder: No statewide contractor licence for an owner building their own home; permits still apply¹¹
Private wells: Homeowners may drill their own well; no state construction standard for private wells¹²

Who to call

Building permits

Upper Allen Township Community Development Department

Building permits, zoning permits, code enforcement and stormwater review inside Upper Allen Township

717-591-3767

[email protected]

100 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Zoning

Upper Allen Township permit guidance ("Do I need a permit?")

Which projects need building, zoning, floodplain and stormwater permits

[email protected]

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Upper Allen Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Upper Allen Township have zoning?

Yes. Upper Allen Township has its own zoning chapter, Chapter 245 of the township code¹. It sorts land into low-, medium- and high-density residential districts, plus agriculture, commercial and mixed-use, industrial and steep-slope overlay districts⁶. Cumberland County does not administer zoning; its own page says zoning regulations are established and administered by the municipalities⁴. A zoning permit is required for interior and exterior improvements¹³.

Setbacks, lot sizes, minimum home sizes and rules on RVs, tiny homes and accessory dwellings depend on the district and are set in the township ordinance, not by the county¹⁴. We could not confirm those district figures, so ask Community Development which district a parcel is in before you plan anything⁸.

Do you need a building permit in Upper Allen Township?

Yes, for most construction. The township has adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as its building code², and building permits are required for residential alterations and renovations, subject to the code's exceptions⁷. New construction, demolition, additions and electrical, plumbing or HVAC work all need permits¹³.

Accessory structures larger than 400 square feet and decks attached to a foundation need permits too⁷. Local amendments to the building code set a frost depth of 36 inches². Fees are set by the township board by resolution, so ask the office for the current schedule¹⁵.

Who issues building permits in Upper Allen Township?

The township does, through its Community Development Department at 100 Gettysburg Pike in Mechanicsburg⁸. The township designates one of its own employees as the building code official to enforce the code on its behalf³. Cumberland County does not issue building permits for the township; the county's planning department reviews subdivision and land-development plans only¹⁶.

Write to [email protected] or call 717-591-3767 before starting work⁸.

How do septic permits work in Upper Allen Township?

Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local agency before an on-lot sewage system is installed or a building served by one is occupied⁵. Local agencies can be a municipality, a group of municipalities or a county health department¹⁷. Cumberland County's own materials say septic permits are handled locally through a Sewage Enforcement Officer, not the county planning office¹⁸.

We could not confirm which agency serves a parcel inside Upper Allen Township, or whether the township's sewer system reaches a given lot. Ask the township's Community Development office first, since public sewer, where available, changes the answer⁸. Homeowners may drill their own private water well¹².

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Upper Allen Township?

We could not confirm this. The township's use table that would answer it for RVs, temporary camping and tiny homes was not reviewed, so no rule can be stated. Pennsylvania's published RV rules cover state park campgrounds, not private land¹⁹. A manufactured home carrying the federal label is generally installed under the manufacturer's approved design, with local utility connections and grading still subject to the Uniform Construction Code²⁰. Because the township zones, ask the Community Development Department whether the use is allowed in the specific district before buying⁸.

Building a home in Upper Allen Township: the steps, in order

Confirm the parcel's zoning district and a permitted use with Community Development⁸.
Check floodplain status; development in identified floodplain areas needs a permit¹⁰.
If you are subdividing, plan submission goes through the township and county review²¹¹⁶.
Settle sewage service: on-lot permit from the local agency, or public sewer if available⁵.
If the driveway meets a state road, PennDOT requires a highway occupancy permit²².
Apply for the zoning and building permits¹³.
Pass the required inspections and obtain the certificate of occupancy²³.

What to check before you buy land in Upper Allen Township

Cumberland County has about 270,738 residents²⁴, and typical homes are valued around $353,178²⁵. Farmland there averages about $10,509 per acre²⁶. About 37% of county soils are rated not limited for a conventional septic drain field²⁷, so a site evaluation is still the first step on any unsewered lot. The county's effective property tax rate is 1.2%²⁸.

For land outside the township, see the Cumberland County page, because the rules there differ by municipality²⁹.

Watch-outs

Which agency issues on-lot septic permits inside Upper Allen Township is unconfirmed; ask Community Development before relying on a perc test or a septic estimate⁸.
Historic districts inside the township need a certificate of appropriateness before permits are issued for exterior work¹³.
Projects that add impervious surface can trigger stormwater review, with a full report required at 7,500 square feet or more¹³.

Sources

Written October 14, 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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Upper Allen Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cumberland County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania