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

Yes, for construction or building work subject to Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code in Franklin County. A UCC building permit must be obtained before work begins, and only emergency repairs or equipment replacements may start first, if the application reaches the building code official within 3 business days¹. The state’s 2018 code requirements apply with adopted provisions beginning February 14, 2022¹. Inspections are required for new construction or changes to residential buildings and for electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems, and a certificate of occupancy must be issued before the building is used¹. Qualifying agricultural buildings without habitable space are excluded from the state construction code, but municipal land-use, zoning, fire, electrical, health and environmental requirements may still apply⁸.

Franklin County does not provide one permit counter for every parcel. A municipality that enforces the UCC may use municipal staff or a certified third-party agency; in an opt-out municipality, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry handles commercial enforcement while an owner- or contractor-hired certified third-party agency handles residential enforcement². Start with the Franklin County Planning Department at 717-261-3855 or planning@franklincountypa.gov, Administration Building, 272 North Second Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201¹¹. Ask which municipality governs the parcel and which code agency accepts its application. Where the state Department of Labor and Industry has jurisdiction, it examines each application package, returns grossly deficient ones, and mails approved plans and permits to the applicant¹². Building permit and zoning questions go to the township, borough, or city where the project will occur¹³. What stays with the county is subdivision and land-development review: the Franklin County Planning Commission reviews those plans, and its fee for a residential plan of ten lots or fewer is a $50 application fee plus $10 per lot^3,14. Septic permits stay with the local sewage agency, not the building permit office⁵.

Franklin County does not administer a countywide zoning ordinance³. Local rules are not uniform: 12 of the county's 22 municipalities have adopted zoning ordinances, while 21 have subdivision and land-development ordinances³. The parcel's municipality therefore controls whether a zoning ordinance applies and what it says about uses, setbacks, RVs, tiny homes, or dwelling size¹³. In unincorporated Franklin County the answer depends on the township: Antrim Township, for example, has a zoning chapter in its code of ordinances¹⁵. Subdivision is separate: municipal SALDOs may override county rules, while the county planning commission reviews plans and ordinances for regional impact³. In Chambersburg Borough's Low-Density Residential District, for example, a dwelling needs at least 900 square feet of floor area (basement excluded), lots need at least 6,000 square feet per dwelling unit, and yards must be at least 25 feet in front and 30 feet in the rear¹⁶. Ask the Franklin County Planning Department to help identify the municipality, then obtain the applicable zoning and subdivision answers before designing or buying¹¹.

The applicable local agency issues permits for retaining tanks and individual or community on-lot sewage systems in Franklin County, while Pennsylvania DEP provides oversight^4,5. The responsible local agency and certified Sewage Enforcement Officer can differ by municipality or joint service area, so confirm both with the parcel's municipality before ordering a soil test or system design⁵. A narrow exemption may apply to an owner or immediate-family residence on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres, subject to ownership, notice, ordinance, and siting conditions¹⁷. The installed system cannot be covered until the original permit issuer or its representative approves it; absent a refusal, covering may proceed after 72 hours, excluding Sundays and holidays, following notice of completion¹⁸.

We could not confirm a countywide rule on residential RV use on private land in Franklin County, because RV and tiny-home rules come from each municipality's zoning³. Where borough rules are confirmed they are strict: Chambersburg Borough bars using a recreational vehicle as a dwelling or sleeping place on any lot, and Greencastle Borough bars living in an RV at all times, with only a resident's visitor allowed to use one on the residential lot for up to 7 consecutive days and 14 days a year^19,20. Those are borough rules, not county rules; for a township parcel, ask the township. Pennsylvania's state-park camping limits apply only in state-park campgrounds and do not authorize residential RV use on private land²¹. A tiny home used as a dwelling must be checked against the municipality's zoning rules, the statewide UCC permit process, and the applicable septic requirements^1,3,5. Manufactured housing has specific UCC treatment, but site work outside the approved design, later additions, relocation, and certain changes remain subject to the code²².

1. Identify the parcel's township, borough, or city; the Franklin County Planning Department is the county contact listed here¹¹.
2. Ask that municipality whether zoning applies and obtain its rules for the proposed use, setbacks, and lot or dwelling size³.
3. If dividing or developing land, determine which subdivision and land-development ordinance governs the plan and which submission method applies^3,11.
4. Confirm the local sewage agency and Sewage Enforcement Officer, then obtain the required on-lot sewage approval⁵.
5. Apply to the correct UCC authority before construction begins and schedule required inspections¹.
6. Obtain a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit if the driveway affects state-highway land or a PennDOT drainage facility⁹.
7. Obtain any municipal floodplain-development permit that applies, then secure the UCC certificate of occupancy before using the building^1,10. Floodplain construction documentation must be prepared and sealed by a registered design professional, and local floodplain ordinances may add requirements¹.

Start with jurisdiction: zoning varies by municipality, subdivision review is regulated, and the septic agency must be confirmed for the parcel^3,5. Only 30.6% of Franklin County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so a countywide statistic cannot substitute for parcel testing²³. About 72% of the county has slopes of 15% or less, while 48.4% is wooded; verify the actual building area, access route, and clearing needs on site²³. A driveway on state-highway land needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, and development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a municipal floodplain-development permit^9,10. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.1%, with a median annual bill near $2,634, but confirm the parcel's assessment before closing²³.