Bolthole Index

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West Donegal Township, Pennsylvania

West Donegal Township, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County, adopts its own zoning ordinance and requires a construction code permit before building work12. The township's zoning/code enforcement office takes the permit questions3. Septic work is reviewed by the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer, not by a county health department45.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; a construction code permit comes from the township before work starts26
Zoning
Township zoning ordinance (Chapter 240), adopted by the Board of Supervisors1
Septic
Township Sewage Enforcement Officer reviews on-lot system work; state law requires a local-agency permit47
Inspections
Construction code official inspects; final inspection precedes the certificate of occupancy8
RV and tiny-home living
Not confirmed; ask the township zoning office3
Mobile homes
Only as a special exception for temporary farm-employee housing, one per farm9
Owner-builder
No state contractor license for most work; no township owner-builder exemption confirmed10
Wells
No state license for homeowners drilling their own well; township rule not confirmed11

Who to call

Building permits

West Donegal Township Zoning & Planning (zoning/code enforcement officer)

Zoning permits and Uniform Construction Code permits inside West Donegal Township

(717) 367-7178

[email protected]

1 Municipal Dr, Elizabethtown, PA 17022

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 West Donegal 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 West Donegal Township, Pennsylvania?

Yes. West Donegal Township requires a construction code permit, and the owner and contractor share the duty to confirm it has been obtained before any work starts2. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code is the statewide building code behind it12. The township's own page adds that many projects need both a zoning permit and a UCC permit, and that construction may not begin until a permit is issued3.

Applicants must also show the township's zoning, subdivision/land-development and stormwater approvals2. Permits are valid for 1 year from approval3. Fees are not a single flat number: an administrative fee is due at application, and plan-review and estimated inspection fees are due before the permit is issued13. A small recreational cabin can be excluded from the UCC under state law, but only if the owner files the required affidavit or proof of insurance with the municipality14.

Who issues building permits in West Donegal Township, and how do you reach them?

West Donegal Township issues its own permits; Lancaster County does not. The township's construction code official reviews plans, issues construction code permits and inspects the work8. An applicant submits two complete copies of the application to the building code official6.

For questions, contact the township's zoning/code enforcement office at the Municipal Drive office in Elizabethtown, at (717) 367-71783. Contact details and the office's own permit guidance are on the township's zoning and planning page. Lancaster County's planning commission supports municipalities but does not itself issue building, zoning or septic permits15.

Does West Donegal Township have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Yes. West Donegal Township has its own zoning chapter (Chapter 240), adopted by its Board of Supervisors1. Zoning across Lancaster County is municipal, so the county's other municipalities each set different rules16.

A mobile home is allowed in any district only by Zoning Hearing Board special exception, for temporary farm-employee housing, with no more than one per farm, and it requires hardship, agricultural necessity and employment on the same farm9. Every new lot and every building must front a public street or a private street improved to public-street standards17.

We could not confirm the township's rules for living in an RV, tiny-home occupancy, minimum dwelling size or temporary camping. Ask the township zoning office before buying. Pennsylvania's state-park camping limits do not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own land18.

How do septic permits work in West Donegal Township?

Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local agency before an on-lot sewage system is installed or a building served by one is occupied7. In West Donegal Township, the township's Sewage Enforcement Officer reviews any connection to, expansion of or repair of an individual on-lot system4. Lancaster County has no county health department doing this work; municipal agencies handle it under Act 537, with state oversight5.

The state's exemption for owner or immediate-family residences on contiguous tracts of 10 acres or more has an owner-of-record date condition, and a local ordinance can still require a permit19. We could not confirm how West Donegal Township applies that exemption, so ask the township before relying on it. About 45.1% of soils in Lancaster County rate not limited for a conventional drain field, so many lots still need a site evaluation20.

Building a home in West Donegal Township: the steps, in order

  1. Ask the township zoning office which district the parcel is in and whether the use is allowed13.
  2. Confirm street access meets the township standard17; a driveway onto a state highway also needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit21.
  3. Have the Sewage Enforcement Officer review the on-lot system, or confirm public sewer4.
  4. If the lot is being subdivided, expect township subdivision and land-development review22.
  5. Submit two copies of the construction code application with your zoning, subdivision and stormwater approvals62.
  6. Pay the plan-review and estimated inspection fees before the permit is issued13.
  7. Pass the inspections and the final inspection, then obtain the certificate of occupancy before moving in8.

What to check before you buy land in West Donegal Township

Start with floodplain: construction in a floodplain needs documentation sealed by a registered design professional23. We could not confirm the township's own floodplain standards, so ask the zoning office.

For water, Pennsylvania has no construction standards for private water wells, and homeowners drilling their own on their own land are outside the driller license requirement11. We could not confirm a township well rule.

Agricultural buildings without habitable space are excluded from the state construction code, but township zoning can still apply24. Lancaster County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%25. Land outside the township follows another municipality's rules; see the Lancaster County page.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm West Donegal Township rules for RV living, tiny homes, minimum dwelling size, floodplain development or short-term rentals; call the township zoning office before you buy3.
  • Township septic review is confirmed for work on an existing on-lot system, but we could not confirm how the township handles a brand-new septic permit; ask the Sewage Enforcement Officer4.
  • Lancaster County's rules are not the township's rules: the county planning commission does not issue building, zoning or septic permits15.

Sources

  1. Chapter 240 Zoning - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Chapter 72 Building Construction - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. West Donegal Township Zoning & Planning (zoning/code enforcement officer) (westdonegaltwp.gov)
  4. Article XVIII General Regulations - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  6. Chapter 72 Building Construction - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Chapter 72 Building Construction - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Article XVIII General Regulations - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  12. Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. Chapter 72 Building Construction - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. Advisories — Advisory on Recreational Cabin Exclusion, quoted and re-checked
  15. Planning Commission, quoted and re-checked
  16. Simplified Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  17. Article XVIII General Regulations - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  18. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, quoted and re-checked
  20. 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
  21. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
  22. Chapter 200 Subdivision and Land Development - Township of West Donegal, PA (West Donegal Township), quoted and re-checked
  23. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  24. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  25. 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 West Donegal Township

West Donegal Township’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Work inside West Donegal Township for which a construction-code permit is required.

    • Owner, lessee, if any, and contractor jointly must determine that the permit and all other required permits and approvals have been obtained before work.
    • Contractors and subcontractors may not perform covered work unless the owner and contractor obtain and post the permit.
    • Applicant must provide required zoning, subdivision/land-development, and stormwater approvals.
    “It shall be the joint responsibility of the owner, lessee, if any, and the contractor to determine that a construction code permit (and all other required permits and approvals) has been obtained before performing any work.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Construction performed under the Township construction-code process inside West Donegal Township.

    • Construction-code official performs construction inspections.
    • Final inspection and payment of all fees precede the Township's certificate of occupancy.
    “The construction code official shall perform plan review of construction documents, issue construction code permits, inspect construction, provide the building code official with reports of inspections and recommendations upon issuance of certificates of occupancy, and administer and enforce this Construction Code.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside West Donegal Township.

    • Zoning chapter was adopted by the Township Board of Supervisors; amendments are noted where applicable.
    “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of West Donegal 10-6-2003 by Ord. No. 149-2003. Amendments noted where applicable.]”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    A mobile home used for temporary farm-employee housing inside West Donegal Township.

    • Zoning Hearing Board special exception required.
    • No more than one mobile home per farm.
    • Hardship, agricultural necessity, and employment of at least one resident on the same farm are required.

    mobile homes per farm: <= 1 (Temporary farm-employee housing special exception)

    “Subject to the following conditions and limitations, the Zoning Hearing Board may grant a special exception for the use of a mobile home in any district, providing not more than one mobile home shall be permitted on each farm.”
  • Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

    Individual on-lot sewage disposal systems inside West Donegal Township.

    • The cited requirement concerns a dwelling conversion served by an individual on-lot sewage system.
    “Any connection to and/or expansion of and/or repair of an individual on-lot sewage disposal system shall be reviewed by the Sewage Enforcement Officer of the Township, and the applicant shall present evidence of such review and all necessary approvals.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Conversion of an existing dwelling served by an individual on-lot sewage system inside West Donegal Township.

    • Applicant must show capacity and maintenance, unless the system is expanded or repaired.
    • Connection, expansion, or repair requires Township Sewage Enforcement Officer review and necessary approvals.
    “If such existing dwelling is served by an individual on-lot sewage system, the applicant shall present evidence that such system has been designed so that it has the capacity to properly treat and dispose of the sewage to be generated by the additional dwelling units and that it has been properly maintained, unless the system shall be suitably expanded and/or repaired.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside West Donegal Township.

    • Township zoning access standard incorporates Chapter 200 public-street standards.
    “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of West Donegal 8-4-2003 by Ord. No. 144-2003; amended in its entirety 8-12-2013 by Ord. No. 203-2013]”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Every newly created lot and every building or structure erected or moved inside West Donegal Township.

    • Access must be from a public street or a private street improved to Chapter 200 public-street standards.
    “Every lot hereafter created shall be and every building or structure hereafter erected or moved shall be on a lot which is adjacent to and gains access from a public street or private street improved to the standards of public streets as established by Chapter 200, Subdivision and Land Development.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Township construction-code permit applicants inside West Donegal Township.

    • Township administrative fee is due at application.
    • Plan-review and estimated inspection fees are due before permit issuance.
    • Additional inspection costs are reimbursable within 15 days of invoice.
    • All inspection fees and costs are due before certificate of use and occupancy.
    “The construction code official shall notify the applicant when plan review has been completed, and the applicant shall pay plan review and estimated inspection fees to the construction code official prior to issuance of the construction code permit.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Construction-code permit applications inside West Donegal Township.

    • Applicant submits two complete application copies to building code official.
    • Building code official forwards complete copy for plan review, permit issuance, and inspection.
    • Applicant must show approvals from all relevant governmental authorities.

    application copies: 2 copies (Construction-code permit application)

    “An applicant for construction code permits shall submit two complete copies of the application to the building code official. The building code official shall transmit a complete copy of the construction code permit application to the construction code official for plan review, issuance of the construction code permit, and inspection of construction.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder residential construction inside West Donegal Township.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside West Donegal Township.
  • Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside West Donegal Township.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside West Donegal Township.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside West Donegal Township.
6 more unanswered
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • 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 West Donegal Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Lancaster County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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