Bolthole Index

Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Building permits and land rules in Brush Creek Township, Pennsylvania

Building work in Brush Creek Township, Fulton County, generally requires a Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code permit before work begins.1 Brush Creek Township reviews subdivision and land-development plans, while its Sewage Enforcement Officer is the local contact for on-lot sewage.23 The current building-code official was not confirmed, so contact the township before submitting plans.4

At a glance

Building permit
Required before UCC-regulated construction or building work begins1
Land use
Ask Brush Creek Township for a parcel-specific determination4
Subdivision
Final township approval and recording are required before development proceeds2
Septic
Local permitting and enforcement go through the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer56
RV or tiny home
Occupancy rules were not confirmed; ask the township before purchase or placement4
Owner-builder
State contractor licensing is generally not required, but building permits still apply71
State-highway driveway
A PennDOT highway occupancy permit is required8

Who to call

Building permits

Brush Creek Township Municipal Building

Township contact for subdivision and land-development applications and identification of the current building-code official

717-294-6517

117 Layton Road, Warfordsburg, PA 17267

Septic permits

Brush Creek Township Sewage Enforcement Officer

Local contact for on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement in Brush Creek Township

(814) 386-5839

Planning & zoning

Fulton County Planning & Mapping Department

County planning and mapping questions, including floodplain maps and addressing guidance

717-485-3717

[email protected]

116 West Market Street, Suite 203, McConnellsburg, PA 17233

Planning & zoning

Fulton County Planning Commission FAQ

County floodplain maps, address assignment and basic municipal-zoning information

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Do you need a building permit in Brush Creek Township, PA?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before UCC-regulated construction or building work begins in Brush Creek Township.1 Permitted construction is subject to inspections, and a UCC certificate of occupancy must be issued before a building or facility can be used.910

The state rule has project-specific exceptions, so an ordinary repair is not automatically treated like construction of a house.11 Brush Creek Township's official page lists the municipal building and its subdivision, stormwater and solar documents, but it does not name the current building-code official.4 Call the township before preparing an application to identify the certified official or third-party agency that currently receives residential UCC plans, collects building-permit fees and schedules inspections.4

Who handles building and land approvals in Brush Creek Township?

Start with the Brush Creek Township Municipal Building for the current UCC building-code official and any township application that applies to the parcel.4 Brush Creek Township itself receives subdivision and land-development applications, which must include the township-supplied application, supporting plans and reports, and the required filing fee.12

Fulton County Planning & Mapping is the county contact for mapping, floodplain maps and address assignment.1314 The county says the driveway must be marked because a new address is assigned from the driveway.14 Keep the roles separate: the building-code official handles UCC building permits and inspections, the township supervisors decide subdivision and land-development plans, the Fulton County Planning Commission reviews those plans, and the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer handles on-lot sewage.25

Does Brush Creek Township have zoning?

The current zoning answer needs confirmation from Brush Creek Township. Fulton County's planning FAQ names McConnellsburg Borough when asked which municipalities have zoning, while Brush Creek Township's subdivision ordinance directs projects to comply with a Brush Creek Township zoning ordinance.1415 Because the underlying zoning ordinance, zoning map and district schedule were not located, ask the township for a written parcel-specific determination before relying on a proposed use.4

Subdivision control is separate and is confirmed. A final subdivision or land-development plan must be approved by the Brush Creek Township Supervisors and recorded before the subdivision or development proceeds.2 The applicable zoning or land-use answer remains especially important for an RV, tiny home, accessory dwelling, short-term rental, minimum dwelling size, setbacks, building height and lot coverage because no current township schedule for those subjects was confirmed.4

How do septic permits work inside Brush Creek Township?

Brush Creek Township is the local agency for on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement, acting through its listed Sewage Enforcement Officer.5 A permit is generally required before an individual or community sewage system is installed, altered, repaired or connected, or before occupying a building that the system will serve.6 Contact the Sewage Enforcement Officer before finalizing the house location or buying a lot whose value depends on an on-lot system.16

For subdivision or land-development lots using on-site disposal, sewage testing by the Sewage Enforcement Officer must be completed before final-plan submission, and Pennsylvania DEP approval is required before the plan is recorded.17 Soils deserve early attention: only about 3.9% of Fulton County's mapped soils avoid a “very limited” rating for a conventional septic drain field.18 That county-level figure does not determine whether a particular Brush Creek Township site will pass testing.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Brush Creek Township?

We could not confirm a Brush Creek Township rule that allows or prohibits living in an RV on private land, temporary camping, or occupancy of a tiny home. Ask the Brush Creek Township Municipal Building how the proposed use is classified before buying land or placing a unit.4 Pennsylvania's confirmed state-park campground limits do not answer whether residential RV occupancy is allowed on a private Brush Creek Township parcel.19

A tiny home treated as a residential building still has to clear the rules applicable to its construction and occupancy: UCC-regulated work requires a building permit, permitted construction is inspected, and a certificate of occupancy is required before use.1910 A composting or incinerating toilet does not eliminate wastewater planning for a new residence because washwater or excess liquid still needs an approved disposal method.20

Building a home in Brush Creek Township: what are the steps?

  1. Call the Brush Creek Township Municipal Building to identify the current UCC building-code official and confirm the parcel's land-use, stormwater and floodplain requirements.4
  1. Contact the Sewage Enforcement Officer before fixing the house location; local on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement apply.165
  1. If the project divides land or qualifies as land development, file the township application and supporting materials for township and county planning review.122
  1. Submit the UCC building-permit package to the building-code official identified by the township, then arrange the required inspections.19
  1. Obtain a PennDOT highway occupancy permit if the driveway enters a state highway, and provide the required professional documentation if construction is in a floodplain.821
  1. Complete final inspection and obtain the certificate of occupancy before using the home.10

What should you check before buying land in Brush Creek Township?

Confirm the parcel boundary, legal access, driveway authority, sewage site, water plan, subdivision status and floodplain location before closing. A driveway entering a Pennsylvania state highway needs a highway occupancy permit, while Fulton County requires the driveway location to be marked when assigning an address.814 Construction in a floodplain requires additional documentation prepared and sealed by a registered design professional.21

For a private well, Pennsylvania requires commercial water-well drilling companies to hold the state license and rig permits, but no Brush Creek Township well-permit rule was confirmed.22 Ask the township whether a local well or utility-connection rule applies.4 Fulton County is about 74.8% wooded, and about 44% of its land has a slope of 15% or less, so walk the proposed house, driveway and sewage areas rather than judging buildability from total acreage alone.2324

Watch-outs

  • The Brush Creek Township page does not identify the current UCC building-code official; call the municipal building before submitting plans or paying building-permit fees.4
  • Brush Creek Township's current zoning status and district rules need confirmation because official county and township materials point in different directions.1415
  • RV living, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy and minimum dwelling size were not confirmed for Brush Creek Township; ask the township for a written parcel-specific determination.4
  • Only about 3.9% of Fulton County's mapped soils avoid a very-limited rating for conventional septic drain fields, so resolve the sewage site early.18

Sources

  1. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Brush Creek Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance – December 2015 (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. Brush Creek Township (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  4. Brush Creek Township Municipal Building (co.fulton.pa.us)
  5. Brush Creek Township (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. pa.gov (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. pa.gov (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  12. Brush Creek Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance – December 2015 (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  13. Fulton County Planning & Mapping Department (co.fulton.pa.us)
  14. Fulton County Planning Commission FAQ (co.fulton.pa.us)
  15. Brush Creek Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance – December 2015 (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  16. Brush Creek Township Sewage Enforcement Officer (co.fulton.pa.us)
  17. Brush Creek Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance – December 2015 (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  18. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  19. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Brush Creek Township), quoted and re-checked
  22. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  23. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
  24. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 9, 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 Brush Creek Township

Brush Creek Township’s own rules

  • InspectionsLimited

    Inspection-related review of subdivision and land-development improvements inside Brush Creek Township.

    • The opened ordinance addresses inspection expenses and inspections for development improvements; it does not establish a general inspection schedule for all buildings.
    “When the developer has completed all of the necessary and appropriate improvements, the developer shall notify the Brush Creek Township Supervisors, in writing, by certified or registered mail, of the completion of the aforesaid improvements and shall send a copy thereof to the Brush Creek Township Engineer. The Brush Creek Township Supervisors shall, within ten (10) days after receipt of such notice, direct and authorize the Brush Creek Township Engineer to inspect all of the aforesaid improvements.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Brush Creek Township; the township ordinance expressly refers to Brush Creek Township's adopted zoning ordinance and zoning approvals.

    • Special-exception, variance, or conditional-use approvals must be obtained before the applicable preliminary or final plan submission when required by the zoning ordinance.
    “All projects shall be designed in compliance with the Brush Creek Township zoning ordinance, and all other applicable ordinances, plans, studies, and local requirements.”
  • Who permits septicLocal

    On-lot sewage permitting and enforcement inside Brush Creek Township. The township is the local agency, acting through its listed Sewage Enforcement Officer.

    • Pennsylvania DEP explains that a local agency may be a municipality and that local agencies are responsible for on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement.
    • The official Fulton County Brush Creek Township page lists a Sewage Enforcement Officer for Brush Creek Township: Jamie Catanese.
    “Local Agencies are responsible for carrying out on-lot or onsite ("septic system") sewage treatment system permitting and enforcement activities.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Local (with conditions) — Sewage-enforcement contact for land inside Brush Creek Township.
      “Sewage Enforcement Officer Jamie Catanese Mobile: (814) 386-5839”
  • Septic inspectionLimited

    Subdivision and land-development lots in Brush Creek Township using on-site sanitary wastewater disposal.

    • Testing by the Sewage Enforcement Officer must occur before submission of the final plan.
    • Each lot must accommodate the required subsurface system at a safe distance from buildings and water supplies under Title 25, Chapter 73, as amended.
    • DEP approval must be provided before final-plan recording.
    “shall be completed prior to the submission of the final plan”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Subdivision and land-development projects inside Brush Creek Township.

    • If a sewer exists within the adjacent right-of-way or an easement on the site, the development should, if practical, utilize the public or private sewage facility.
    • If the project is within an Act 537 planned sewer-service area, the Township Supervisors may require installation of a capped system.
    • Public, private community, and individual well supplies are listed in order of general desirability; an individual well is identified when a community water supply is not accessible.
    “may require installation of a capped system”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside Brush Creek Township.

    • A final subdivision or land development plan must be approved by the Brush Creek Township Supervisors and recorded before subdivision or land development is effected.
    • A lot in a subdivision may not be sold or transferred and a building permit may not be issued until final plan approval and recording and required improvements are constructed or guaranteed.
    • Applications are forwarded to the Fulton County Planning Commission for review and report; township approval waits for the report or expiration of thirty days.
    • The ordinance took effect December 1, 2015.

    county review period: 30 days (Approval may proceed after the county report is received or thirty days expire.)

    “No subdivision or land development of any lot, tract, or parcel of land located in Brush Creek Township shall be effected; no street, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main, or other facilities in connection therewith shall be laid out, constructed, opened or dedicated for public use or travel, or for the common use of occupants of buildings thereon unless and until a final subdivision or land development plan has been approved by the Brush Creek Township Supervisors and recorded in the manner prescribed herein.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Regulated (with conditions) — Subdivision and land development inside Brush Creek Township.
      “No subdivision or land development of any lot, tract, or parcel of land located in Brush Creek Township shall be effected; no street, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main, or other facilities in connection therewith shall be laid out, constructed, opened or dedicated for public use or travel, or for the common use of occupants of buildings thereon unless and until a final subdivision or land development plan has been approved by the Brush Creek Township Supervisors and recorded in the manner prescribed herein.”
  • Driveway accessLimited

    Driveway access for development inside Brush Creek Township, including access to state-owned roads.

    • A PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit is required for each access point onto a state road or highway.
    • Driveways must satisfy slope, width, sight-distance, drainage, and location standards in the ordinance.

    maximum overall driveway slope: <= 15 percent (The ordinance separately limits slope within 25 feet of the street right-of-way line to 8 percent.) · maximum driveway width at right-of-way line: <= 20 feet

    “A driveway shall not exceed a slope of eight (8) percent within twenty-five (25) feet of the street right-of-way line, and not more than fifteen (15) percent overall.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land-development review fees inside Brush Creek Township.

    • Filing and review escrow fees are set by a fee schedule adopted by resolution of the Brush Creek Township Supervisors.
    • The ordinance states that the fee schedule is available at the Brush Creek Township Office.
    • Professional-service fee disputes have separate deadlines and allocation rules in the ordinance.

    fee-dispute notice deadline: 10 days (Notice runs from the date billed.) · fee-dispute agreement deadline: 20 days (Runs from the date of billing.)

    “Filing and review escrow fees in the amounts as specified on the fee schedule adopted by resolution of the Brush Creek Township Supervisors and available at the Brush Creek Township Office.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Subdivision and land-development application process inside Brush Creek Township.

    • Applications must be filed with the township using the township-supplied application form, plans, studies, reports, supporting data, and filing fee.
    • Applications may be filed on any business day.
    • For review at the next regular supervisors meeting, submission must be at least fifteen days before that meeting and deemed acceptable for filing.
    • Plan applications require five copies of plans, five copies of required reports/certifications, and five copies of the application form.
    • Filing and review escrow fees follow the township resolution fee schedule.

    meeting submission lead time: 15 days (The application must also be deemed acceptable for filing.)

    “All subdivision and/or land development applications shall be made by the developer/applicant filing an application form, to be supplied by Brush Creek Township, together with the appropriate plans, studies, reports, supporting data, and required filing fee, with Brush Creek Township.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Published (with conditions) — Subdivision and land-development applications inside Brush Creek Township.
      “All subdivision and/or land development applications shall be made by the developer/applicant filing an application form, to be supplied by Brush Creek Township, together with the appropriate plans, studies, reports, supporting data, and required filing fee, with Brush Creek Township.”
    • Published (with conditions) — Subdivision and land-development plan processing inside Brush Creek Township.
      “All subdivision and/or land development applications shall be made by the developer/applicant filing an application form, to be supplied by Brush Creek Township, together with the appropriate plans, studies, reports, supporting data, and required filing fee, with Brush Creek Township.”

Rules another office applies inside Brush Creek Township

Brush Creek 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

    Construction and building work inside Brush Creek Township.

    • Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may proceed without a permit if an application is submitted to the building code official within three business days.
    “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”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Building construction inside Brush Creek Township under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code.

    • The UCC regulates building projects statewide.
    • The 2018 I-Code regulations have an effective date of February 14, 2022.
    • Local or third-party enforcement arrangements may determine the administering official.

    effective date: 2022-02-14 (Earlier-contract transition rules are stated on the source page.)

    “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), has to be followed by builders in the state.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Adopted (with conditions) — Construction inside Brush Creek Township under Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code.
      “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC)”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Use or occupancy of a building or facility inside Brush Creek Township under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code.

    • A UCC certificate of occupancy must be issued before a building or facility can be used.
    • The cited page states an exception allowing emergency repairs or equipment replacements without a permit if an application is submitted to the building code official within three business days; that exception concerns the permit requirement, not the stated certificate-of-occupancy requirement.
    • Building permits and certificates of occupancy issued by the Department are issued to the person listed as the building permit applicant.
    “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.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Required — Use of a building or facility inside Brush Creek Township.
      “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.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Installation, construction, alteration, repair, connection to, or occupancy of a building served by an individual or community sewage system inside Brush Creek Township.

    • A permit must be obtained before installing, constructing, contracting for construction, altering, repairing, or connecting to an individual or community sewage system, or occupying a building for which such a system is to be installed.
    • A permit is not required for a replacement dwelling of the same size and anticipated use when the prior dwelling was in use within one year before anticipated completion, unless an active malfunction investigation is underway.
    • A local agency may not issue a permit where a Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law permit is required or where DEP determines a permit is unnecessary for public-health protection.
    • Except where a local agency or municipality requires a permit by ordinance, no permit or plan revision is required for an individual on-lot system serving an owner or immediate-family residential structure on a contiguous tract of at least ten acres when the owner was of record on January 10, 1987.
    • The ten-acre exemption is subject to statutory siting requirements, including 200-foot and 10-foot separation distances, advance notice to the local agency, and a possible verification fee not exceeding $25.
    • Conventional-system permits must be issued or denied within seven days after receipt of a complete initial application; incomplete applications extend the period as stated in the Act.

    ten-acre permit-exemption tract threshold: >= 10 acres (Only for an individual on-lot sewage system serving an owner or immediate-family residential structure, subject to the statutory ownership-date and local-ordinance conditions.) · permit-exempt septic-tank and absorption-area separation: >= 200 feet (From the perimeter of any property line, nonutility right-of-way, one-hundred-year flood plain, listed water features, or other body of surface water.) · permit-exempt system utility-right-of-way separation: >= 10 feet · local-agency verification fee for permit-exempt system: <= 25 USD (The local agency may charge the fee to verify siting compliance.) · conventional-system permit decision: 7 days (After receipt of a complete initial application.)

    “No person shall install, construct, or award a contract for construction, or alter, repair or connect to an individual sewage system or community sewage system or construct, or request bid proposals for construction, or install or occupy any building or structure for which an individual sewage system or community sewage system is to be installed without first obtaining a permit indicating that the site and the plans and specifications of such system are in compliance with the provisions of this act and the standards adopted pursuant to this act.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Required — Retaining tanks and individual or community on-lot sewage systems inside Brush Creek Township.
      “With certain exceptions (i.e. large volume on-lot systems), local agencies are responsible for issuing permits for retaining tanks or for individual and community on-lot sewage systems which renovate sewage effluent in a soil absorption area or spray field.”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Construction inside Brush Creek Township located in a floodplain and subject to the Pennsylvania UCC.

    • Floodplain construction requires documentation under Section 1612.5 of the 2018 International Building Code.
    • The documentation must be prepared and sealed by a registered design professional.
    “When construction will occur in a flood plain, documentation required in Section 1612.5 of the 2018 International Building Code shall be prepared and sealed by a registered design professional.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Brush Creek Township.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Brush Creek Township.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Brush Creek Township.
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size inside Brush Creek Township.
  • Setbacks — Building setbacks inside Brush Creek Township.
11 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • 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 Brush Creek Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Fulton County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Fulton County: county rules, score and offices