Bolthole Index

Erie County, Pennsylvania

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

Fairview Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania has its own zoning chapter, adopted by the Board of Supervisors, and a zoning permit comes before building1. Building work falls under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, which requires a building permit before work starts2. Septic approval for on-lot systems comes from the Erie County Department of Health3.

At a glance

Zoning
Township zoning (Chapter 395); a zoning permit is the first step1
Building permit
Required under the state Uniform Construction Code2
Septic
Erie County Department of Health approval, copy filed with the zoning permit3
RV living
Limited; temporary zoning permit in residential districts4
Driveway on a state road
PennDOT highway occupancy permit5
Public sewer
Connection can be required if the sewer is close6

Who to call

Zoning

Fairview Township Planning and Zoning Department

Zoning permits, zoning questions and township planning; the place to ask which office handles building permits and inspections

(814) 474-5942

7471 McCray Road, Fairview, PA 16415

Septic permits

Erie County Department of Health

On-lot septic approval for buildings in Fairview Township

814-451-6700

[email protected]

606 West Second Street, Erie, PA 16507

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Fairview Township, PA have zoning?

Yes. Fairview Township, Erie County has its own zoning chapter, adopted by the Board of Supervisors1. Its districts include the R-1 Village District and the R-2 Suburban Single District7. Which district a parcel sits in comes from the township zoning map, so confirm it with the Planning and Zoning Department before you buy8.

In R-1, a single-family detached dwelling needs at least 10,000 square feet of lot9. We could not confirm lot sizes for other districts, minimum dwelling size, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or short-term rentals; ask the zoning office.

Do you need a building permit in Fairview Township, and who issues it?

Building work in Fairview Township, Erie County falls under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, which requires a building permit before work begins2. Fairview Township also requires a zoning permit, and the zoning officer issues a complete application within 10 business days unless the applicant waives that10. Fees follow a schedule the Board of Supervisors adopts11.

We could not confirm which agency issues and inspects building permits inside the township. Ask the Planning and Zoning Department8. A certificate of occupancy is needed before a new building is used12.

The zoning officer may inspect the project area once you apply13.

How do septic permits work in Fairview Township?

A building in Fairview Township served by on-lot septic needs Erie County Department of Health approval, and a copy goes in with the zoning permit application3. Contact the Erie County Department of Health14.

Where public sewer is not available, the site plan must show the private sewage system15. Where a public sewer abuts the property and the principal building is within 150 feet of the property line, the township can require connection within 90 days of official notice6. We could not confirm a township septic inspection rule or private well permit rule; ask the health department.

Can you live in an RV or camp on your land in Fairview Township?

Only with limits. Camping equipment and recreational vehicles in residential districts of Fairview Township need a temporary zoning permit, and the conditions are set elsewhere in Chapter 3954. Ask the zoning office what applies to your district before moving an RV onto a lot8.

State park campground stay limits do not answer this question for private land. We could not confirm tiny-home or manufactured-home rules in the township.

Building a home in Fairview Township: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and lot rules with the township zoning office8.
  2. Get Erie County Department of Health septic approval if no public sewer serves the lot3.
  3. If the driveway meets a state highway, obtain a PennDOT highway occupancy permit before the zoning permit is issued5.
  4. Apply for the zoning permit with the required fee10.
  5. Obtain the Uniform Construction Code building permit2.
  6. Pass inspections, then get the occupancy certificate12.

What stays with Erie County, and what to check before you buy

Septic approval comes from the Erie County Department of Health3. Subdivisions can also involve the county: the county ordinance applies only in municipalities without their own, so confirm with the township and the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development16. Mapped floodplain development is regulated by the municipality17; we could not confirm Fairview's floodplain rule, so ask the zoning office.

For land outside the township, see the Erie County page. Erie County's effective property tax rate is 1.6%18.

Watch-outs

  • Zoning permits and building permits are separate steps in Fairview Township; having one does not replace the other102.
  • A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit before the township will issue a zoning permit5.
  • We could not confirm owner-builder rules, minimum dwelling size, floodplain permits or short-term rental rules in the township; call the zoning office8.

Sources

  1. Chapter 395: Zoning - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  3. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  4. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. Chapter 306: Sewers - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. Chapter 395: Zoning - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  8. Fairview Township Planning and Zoning Department (fairviewtownship.com)
  9. Article VII: Allowable Uses - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  13. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. Erie County Department of Health (eriecountypa.gov)
  15. Article X: Administration - Township of Fairview, PA (Fairview Township), quoted and re-checked
  16. Subdivisions and Land Development, quoted and re-checked
  17. Pennsylvania Floodplain Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
  18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Fairview Township

Fairview Township’s own rules

  • InspectionsLimited

    The proposed-project area of property for which a Fairview Township zoning-permit application is submitted.

    • Inspection authorization arises upon application submission; the Township and applicant set the date and approximate time.
    “The submission of an application for a zoning permit shall authorize the Zoning Officer and/or the Zoning Officer's assistant, and where deemed necessary by the Zoning Officer, the Township Engineer, to inspect the property in the area where the project is proposed to determine that all necessary requirements of the Township ordinances will be met if the permit is issued.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Occupancy of a new building and the other listed changes of building, land, or use inside Fairview Township.

    • The use must conform with Chapter 395 and other applicable ordinances; the zoning officer processes a written request within one week when required conditions are met.
    “When required, completion of the authorized new construction, alteration, remodeling, change of use of building or land under the provisions of a zoning permit shall not be occupied until a zoning occupancy permit has been issued by the Zoning Officer.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Fairview Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

    • The chapter was adopted by the Fairview Township Board of Supervisors and later amended.
    “Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Fairview Township”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Fairview Township.

    • The Chapter 395 zoning map and district provisions control the parcel-specific district determination.
    “§ 395-700 R-1 Village District. § 395-701 R-2 Suburban Single District.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Camping equipment and recreational vehicles in residential districts inside Fairview Township.

    • A temporary zoning permit is required; the ordinance incorporates the more specific residential-district conditions elsewhere in Chapter 395.
    “Camping equipment and recreational vehicles in residential districts as provided elsewhere in this chapter.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Camping equipment in residential districts inside Fairview Township.

    • The temporary-permit provision makes camping equipment subject to the Chapter 395 conditions for residential districts.
    “Camping equipment and recreational vehicles in residential districts as provided elsewhere in this chapter.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Projects inside Fairview Township where public sewer is unavailable and the project proposes an on-lot septic system.

    • The zoning-permit application must include Erie County Department of Health septic approval for on-lot septic.
    • Where public sewer is unavailable, the site plan must identify the private sewage disposal system.
    “When a building or structure is to be served by on-lot septic, provide a copy of the Erie County Department of Health septic approval for the proposed building, structure and/or use.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Houses, buildings, and properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes inside Fairview Township meeting the public-sewer proximity condition.

    • The property must abut a street or right-of-way with a public sanitary sewer and the principal building must be within 150 feet of the property line measured from the street or easement containing the sewer.
    • Connection is required within 90 days after official notice by personal service or registered mail.
    • The rule does not apply to an owner operating under a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection permit or approval.

    principal-building distance from property line: <= 150 feet (Measured from a street or easement where the sewer is installed.) · connection deadline after official notice: <= 90 days (Official notice by personal service or registered mail.)

    “connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Agricultural fences enclosing agricultural products or agricultural animals inside Fairview Township.

    • This is a zoning-permit exemption for agricultural fences; it is not evidence of a general agricultural exemption from other Township or state requirements.
    “Agricultural fences used to enclose agricultural products or agricultural animals.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Zoning-permit proposals accessing Pennsylvania state highways or Township streets inside Fairview Township.

    • State-highway access requires a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation highway occupancy permit.
    • Township-street access for a use generating greater than minimum traffic volume requires Board of Supervisors authorization through subdivision or land-development approval or otherwise.
    “No permit shall be issued until the applicant submits to the Zoning Administrator a highway occupancy permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation authorizing the access as proposed.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Fairview Township zoning, temporary-zoning, and zoning-occupancy permits.

    • Fees are set from time to time by a fee schedule adopted by the Board of Supervisors.
    “Fees for zoning, temporary and zoning occupancy permits shall be in accordance with the fees as set from time to time in a fee schedule adopted by the Board of Supervisors.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning permits for listed activities inside Fairview Township.

    • A written application and the Board-required fee are required.
    • The applicant must submit documents required under other applicable Township ordinances.
    • For a complete application, the zoning officer issues the permit within 10 business days unless waived by the applicant; an incomplete application is denied with notice of deficiency within 10 business days after deficiency determination.

    complete-application action period: <= 10 business days (Unless waived by the applicant.)

    “Following receipt of an application for permit deemed complete under this section, unless waived by the applicant, the Zoning Officer shall issue a permit within 10 business days following said receipt.”

Rules another office applies inside Fairview Township

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in Fairview Township's R-1 Village District.

    minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet (Single-family detached dwellings.)

    “Single-family detached dwellings: 10,000 square feet.”
  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    On-lot septic serving a building or structure inside Fairview Township.

    • A copy of the Erie County Department of Health septic approval must accompany the zoning-permit application when on-lot septic will serve the project.
    “When a building or structure is to be served by on-lot septic, provide a copy of the Erie County Department of Health septic approval for the proposed building, structure and/or use.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Fairview Township.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Fairview Township.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Fairview Township.
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Fairview Township.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Fairview Township.
4 more unanswered
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

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

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