Bolthole Index

Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Building permits and land rules in Todd Township, Pennsylvania

Building work in Todd Township, Fulton County, generally requires a Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code permit before work starts.1 Todd Township is an opt-in UCC municipality and also uses a local land-use permit application.23 On-lot sewage permits go through the local agency and the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer.45

At a glance

Building permit
Required before work regulated by Pennsylvania's UCC begins1
UCC administration
Todd Township is listed as an opt-in municipality2
Land-use permit
Todd Township publishes an application for building and use changes3
Zoning
Township zoning status was not expressly confirmed; ask for a parcel-specific determination6
Septic
On-lot sewage permitting is local; contact the township Sewage Enforcement Officer45
Subdivision
Todd Township has a subdivision and land-development ordinance7
RV or tiny home
Private-land occupancy rules were not confirmed; ask the township and sewage officer65

Who to call

Building permits

Todd Township Building Code Official

UCC building-code administration for opt-in Todd Township

(717) 496-4996

Planning & zoning

Todd Township Municipal Building

Township land-use, subdivision, stormwater, floodplain and municipal questions

(717) 987-3812

2998 East Dutch Corner Road, McConnellsburg, PA 17233

Planning & zoning

Todd Township Land Use Permit Office

Township land-use permit applications for construction and changes of use

Septic permits

Todd Township Sewage Enforcement Officer — JWP Environmental, Inc.

Local contact for on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement inside Todd Township

(717) 328-5769

9885 Reeder Rd., P.O. Box 240, Mercersburg, PA 17236

Planning & zoning

Fulton County Planning & Mapping Department

County planning, mapping, subdivision review and parcel-orientation questions

717-485-3717

[email protected]

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

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 Todd Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Todd Township, Pennsylvania?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires owners to obtain a building permit before construction or building work covered by the UCC begins in Todd Township.1 The state's official municipal list identifies Todd Township in Fulton County as an opt-in municipality and supplies a phone number for its Building Code Official.2

Call the Building Code Official before work begins to confirm the UCC application, current fee, required plans and inspection sequence.2 Todd Township separately publishes a land-use application covering new buildings, additions, alterations and changes of use.3 Permitted construction requires inspections, and a covered building or facility needs a certificate of occupancy before use.89

Who handles building and land-use approvals in Todd Township?

The Todd Township Building Code Official is the first contact for UCC building-permit administration.2 The Todd Township Municipal Building is the local contact for the land-use application and for subdivision, stormwater and floodplain documents.6 These are separate approval tracks, so receiving a township land-use permit does not replace UCC review or sewage approval.314

The township's published land-use fee is $10 plus $1 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost for residential work, and $20 plus $2 per $1,000 for commercial work.3 Confirm that schedule before filing because the application itself does not state an effective date.3 Fulton County Planning & Mapping is the county contact for mapping and county subdivision-review questions.10

Does Todd Township have zoning, and what does that mean for RVs or tiny homes?

We could not confirm an express Todd Township zoning statement, zoning map or zoning-district schedule. Ask the Todd Township Municipal Building for a written parcel-specific determination before relying on an RV residence, tiny home, accessory dwelling, short-term rental, setback or minimum-lot-size plan.6 Fulton County's broader planning material names McConnellsburg Borough when asked which county municipality has zoning, but Todd Township's own page does not expressly say that the township has none.116

Todd Township still regulates subdivision and land development and publishes stormwater and floodplain ordinances.712 A tiny home treated as a residential building can also require a UCC building permit, inspections and a certificate of occupancy.189 We could not confirm a private-land rule for long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping, so ask both the township and the Sewage Enforcement Officer before placing or occupying a unit.65

How do septic permits work inside Todd Township?

Todd Township's Sewage Enforcement Officer is the local contact for on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement.135 Pennsylvania generally assigns permits for individual and community on-lot sewage systems to local agencies, with exceptions for certain large-volume systems.4 Contact the Sewage Enforcement Officer before fixing a house location or treating a parcel as buildable.5

Septic feasibility deserves early attention because only about 3.9% of Fulton County's mapped soils avoid a very-limited rating for a conventional drain field.14 That county-level soil measure does not determine whether a particular Todd Township site will pass testing. Pennsylvania requires an installed individual or community sewage-disposal system to remain uncovered until the permit issuer or authorized representative approves covering it.15

Building a home in Todd Township: what are the steps?

  1. Call the Todd Township Municipal Building about the land-use application and any subdivision, stormwater or floodplain review for the parcel.6
  1. Contact the Sewage Enforcement Officer before fixing the house location and confirm the testing, design, permit and inspection path for on-lot sewage.54
  1. Call the Todd Township Building Code Official for the UCC building-permit application, fee, plans and required inspections.2
  1. If the land will be divided or developed, follow Todd Township's subdivision and land-development ordinance; Fulton County reviews and comments on municipal subdivision submissions, while approval remains municipal.716
  1. Identify who owns the road before designing access; a driveway entering state-highway land requires a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.17
  1. Complete required inspections and obtain the certificate of occupancy before using the covered residence.89

What should you check before buying land in Todd Township?

Confirm the parcel boundary, legal access, road ownership, sewage site, water plan, stormwater obligations and floodplain status before closing. Todd Township's land-use application asks about flood-hazard development, sewage type and whether an existing driveway is on a township road or has a PennDOT permit.3 Todd Township also publishes a floodplain ordinance, and development in a special flood-hazard area requires a municipal floodplain-development permit or its equivalent.1819

No Todd Township-specific private-well permit or public-water or sewer connection rule was confirmed, so ask the Municipal Building before drilling or finalizing utilities.6 Pennsylvania requires commercial water-well drilling companies to hold a license and permits, while the cited state rule does not apply to a homeowner drilling on owned or leased land.20 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 acreage alone.2122

Watch-outs

  • Todd Township's land-use permit and the UCC building permit are separate approval tracks; ask both offices what the project requires.32
  • RV living, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy, general setbacks and minimum dwelling size were not confirmed for Todd Township; request a written parcel-specific answer from the Municipal Building.6
  • Only about 3.9% of Fulton County's mapped soils avoid a very-limited rating for conventional septic drain fields, so resolve sewage feasibility early.14
  • A state-highway driveway requires a PennDOT highway occupancy permit, but a separate Todd Township road-access rule was not confirmed.17

Sources

  1. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Todd Township Building Code Official (pa.gov)
  3. Todd Township Land Use Permit Office (co.fulton.pa.us)
  4. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Todd Township Sewage Enforcement Officer — JWP Environmental, Inc. (co.fulton.pa.us)
  6. Todd Township Municipal Building (co.fulton.pa.us)
  7. Todd Township (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  8. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Fulton County Planning & Mapping Department (co.fulton.pa.us)
  11. Fulton County Act 167 Plan - June 2010, quoted and re-checked
  12. Todd Township (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  13. Todd Township (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. 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
  15. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Fulton County Planning Commission Subdivision/Land Development Review Policy, quoted and re-checked
  17. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Fulton County Act 167 Plan, municipal ordinance matrix (Todd Township), quoted and re-checked
  19. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
  22. 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 Todd Township

Todd Township’s own rules

  • Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

    On-lot sewage systems and retaining tanks inside Todd Township, Fulton County.

    • The DEP Southcentral service-area table lists “Todd Township Fulton” with no joint-local-agency name; the township's official page identifies its Sewage Enforcement Officer.
    • Large-volume on-lot systems are excepted from the local-agency permit responsibility described by DEP.
    “MUNICIPALITY COUNTY JOINT LOCAL AGENCY NAME [...] Todd Township Fulton”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Local (with conditions) — On-lot sewage permitting and enforcement inside Todd Township.
      “Sewage Enforcement Officer Jonathan Piper JWP Environmental, Inc.”
    • Local (with conditions) — On-lot sewage permitting and enforcement inside Todd Township, administered through the local sewage-enforcement function.
      “Sewage Enforcement Officer Jonathan Piper JWP Environmental, Inc.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Individual and community on-lot sewage systems inside Todd Township.

    • Local-agency permitting applies, subject to the large-volume on-lot-system exception.
    • Todd Township's official page identifies a Sewage Enforcement Officer.
    “local agencies are responsible for issuing permits”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Required — Individual or community on-lot sewage systems and other Act 537-permitted systems inside Todd 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.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside Todd Township.

    • The official ordinance is dated and identified as adopted October 2006.
    • Additional sewage-facilities planning and municipal coordination may be required for new land development.
    “TODD TOWNSHIP FULTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE Adopted: October, 2006”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Development in FEMA floodplain areas inside Todd Township.

    • The official county ordinance matrix identifies FEMA FIRM boundaries and regulations in the Todd Township SALDO, Section 513.
    • The 2011 Todd Township Floodplain Ordinance is separately linked on the official township page; project-specific floodplain standards and permits must be checked there.
    “Todd Township Floodplain Ordinance - January 2011 (PDF)”
  • Permit processPartial

    On-lot sewage permitting inside Todd Township.

    • DEP assigns permitting and enforcement to local agencies, subject to the noted large-volume exception.
    • Todd Township's official page identifies its Sewage Enforcement Officer.
    “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
    • Partial — Land-use and development permitting inside Todd township.
      “Todd Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance - October 2006 (PDF) Todd Township Stormwater Management Ordinance - January 2011 (PDF) Todd Township Floodplain Ordinance - January 2011 (PDF) Land Use Permit Application (PDF)”

Rules another office applies inside Todd Township

Todd 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 or building work inside Todd Township subject to the UCC.

    • Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may be exempt if the required application is submitted to the building code official within three business days.
    • UCC scope exclusions and other statutory exceptions may apply.
    “The UCC requires property owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting any work.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Required — Construction or building work inside Todd township regulated by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
      “An owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a residential building or erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system regulated by the Uniform Construction Code shall first apply to the building code official and obtain the required permit under § 403.62a (relating to permit application).”
    • Required — Construction or building work inside Todd Township subject to the Pennsylvania UCC.
      “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 Todd Township under Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code.

    • Local administration and enforcement may be performed by the municipality or a certified third-party agency.
    • Pennsylvania's 2025 triennial UCC update became effective January 1, 2026.
    • The 2021 accessibility updates are permanently enjoined; 2018 accessibility requirements remain enforceable.
    “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), has to be followed by builders in the state.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Adopted — Building construction inside Todd township under Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code.
      “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), has to be followed by builders in the state.”
    • Adopted (with conditions) — Building construction inside Todd Township under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code; Fulton County's official hazard plan states all 13 county municipalities opted in, so enforcement is locally administered.
      “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), has to be followed by builders in the state.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    UCC-regulated construction inside Todd Township.

    • Required inspections include foundation; plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems; frame and masonry; wallboard; and final inspection.
    • Additional inspections may be conducted for UCC or municipal-ordinance compliance.
    “A construction code official shall inspect all construction for which a permit was issued.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Required — Regulated residential and commercial construction inside Todd township.
      “Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and the installation of swimming pools or hot tubs.”
    • Required — Construction and specified building-system work inside Todd Township subject to the Pennsylvania UCC.
      “Inspections are also necessary in several cases”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Residential buildings inside Todd Township subject to the UCC.

    • A certificate follows a final inspection report indicating compliance.
    • A temporary certificate may be issued for a safely occupiable portion before all work is complete.
    • The official must issue the certificate within five business days after receipt of a compliant final inspection report, except ten business days in a city of the first class.
    “A residential building may not be used or occupied without a certificate of occupancy issued by a building code official.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building-permit or inspection requirements inside Todd Township.
  • Local zoning — Land inside Todd Township.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning districts and zoning map inside Todd Township.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Todd Township.
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size inside Todd Township.
16 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Todd Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Fulton County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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