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

Yes, for work governed by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, though not from the county government. The UCC regulates building-project codes and standards, and a property owner or authorized representative must obtain the required permit before beginning regulated construction in Huntingdon County^1,2. The municipality handles enforcement if it participates in the UCC; in an opt-out municipality, the owner or contractor hires a certified third-party agency for residential plan review and inspection². Inspections apply to regulated residential construction and changes to electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and a certificate of occupancy is required before a regulated building is used⁸. Completed construction cannot connect to public electric or gas service until the permit holder gives the utility written proof that the building passed its required inspections⁸. Qualifying agricultural buildings are excluded from the Construction Code Act under specific use and occupancy conditions, but municipal land-use rules may still apply⁷.

Start with the Huntingdon County Planning & Development Department at 205 Penn Street, Suite 3, Huntingdon, PA 16652, or (814) 643-5091¹¹. The department administers county planning programs and assists municipalities with zoning and subdivision and land-development regulation, but it does not issue building permits, zoning approval or septic permits^2,4,11. Ask the parcel's borough or township whether it issues the UCC building permit or whether the owner must hire a certified third-party agency². The same municipality administers any local zoning approval and floodplain development permit; its local sewage agency and Sewage Enforcement Officer remain responsible for the septic permit^3,4. An owner may apply, but ownership does not create a separate exemption from UCC permitting or third-party review in an opt-out municipality⁸. County subdivision, land-development and sewage-planning reviews may require county fees before review, with additional municipal or state fees possible⁴.

Zoning approval is municipal in Huntingdon County: the county's inventory shows that some boroughs and townships have adopted zoning ordinances and others have not³. The County Planning & Development Department assists municipalities but does not administer their zoning ordinances³. The inventory identifies municipal zoning status but does not supply one countywide zoning map, district boundaries or a complete dimensional schedule³. Pennsylvania directs zoning questions to the township, borough or city where the activity will occur¹². Before relying on a rural parcel for a house, RV, tiny home or accessory dwelling, ask that municipality whether zoning approval is required and about permitted uses, setbacks, minimum lot area, building height and lot coverage; those parcel-level answers could not be confirmed countywide. Also ask about a local driveway permit because municipal driveway ordinances vary, while access involving state highway land or PennDOT drainage can require a separate state permit^13,14.

The applicable local agency, rather than one county sewage office, handles on-lot septic permitting and enforcement through Sewage Enforcement Officers under Pennsylvania's Act 537 program⁴. The local agency generally issues permits for individual and community on-lot systems and retaining tanks⁵. Obtain the permit before installing a system or occupying a building served by one⁶. A narrow exemption may apply to an owner or immediate-family residence on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres, but owner-of-record, notice, local-ordinance and siting conditions still control⁶. A finished system cannot be covered until the permit issuer approves it; after notice of completion, the statute provides a 72-hour path to covering when permission has not been refused, excluding Sundays and holidays¹⁵. For a new home using a composting or incinerating toilet, washwater and excess liquid still require an approved disposal method under the same permit¹⁶.

Huntingdon County has no confirmed countywide answer for living in an RV or tiny home on private land. Municipal zoning varies, so ask the borough or township containing the parcel whether residential RV occupancy, temporary camping or a small dwelling is allowed and what setbacks, minimum size and sewage approval apply^3,12. Pennsylvania's state-park campsite limits apply only inside state park campgrounds and do not answer the private-land question¹⁷. A labeled manufactured home installed to its approved design follows a distinct state construction-code rule, but utility connections, grading, additions and work beyond that design can remain subject to the UCC; local zoning and septic approval are separate¹⁸. The County Planning & Development Department can help direct you to the right municipality when the parcel's jurisdiction is unclear¹¹.

1. Identify the parcel's borough or township, then contact that municipality and County Planning & Development about the reviews, supporting documents and fees that apply⁴.
2. Ask the municipality whether the parcel needs zoning approval and a local driveway permit, and confirm the applicable dimensional rules^3,13.
3. Contact the municipality's local sewage agency and Sewage Enforcement Officer, then secure the septic permit before installation or occupancy^4,6.
4. Ask whether the municipality issues the UCC building permit or whether you must hire a certified third-party agency, then obtain the building permit before regulated work starts^1,2.
5. Obtain a PennDOT driveway permit if access uses state highway land or connects to a PennDOT drainage facility¹⁴.
6. Ask the municipality whether a floodplain development permit is required. The county inventory shows municipal floodplain/development-permit ordinances across most of Huntingdon County, but each municipality administers its own rule^3,19. Huntingdon Borough requires a building permit for construction or development in its floodplain areas²⁰.
7. Complete building inspections, obtain the certificate of occupancy, secure approval before covering the septic system, and give the utility inspection proof before completed construction connects to public electric or gas service^8,15.

Septic suitability deserves early attention because only 8.3% of Huntingdon County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹⁰. Ask the applicable Sewage Enforcement Officer for a site evaluation before relying on a proposed home site²¹. Terrain also narrows the practical building area: 46.6% of county land has a slope of 15% or less, while 79.9% is wooded¹⁰. Federal land accounts for 5.4% of the county¹⁰. Check municipal driveway rules and whether the proposed access touches state highway land or PennDOT drainage^13,14. Floodplain rules also depend on the municipality: many have floodplain or development-permit ordinances, while the county inventory identifies several as having no floodplains and not participating in the NFIP³. If you plan to divide a tract, county subdivision and land-development review has an application process²². For private water, Pennsylvania exempts a homeowner drilling on owned or leased land from the commercial well-driller licensing requirement⁹. Huntingdon County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.9%, with a median annual bill near $1,648 and a typical home value around $181,491¹⁰.