Bolthole Index

Mercer County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Greenville, Pennsylvania

Greenville borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania has its own zoning ordinance, and building work inside the borough follows the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code under the borough's code ordinance12. The borough code office takes permit applications at 125 Main Street3. Septic permits come from a local sewage agency under state law, not from the county planning office4.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes: the borough's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 550, enacted April 13, 2026)1
Building permit
Required under the Uniform Construction Code, which the borough elected to administer2
Minimum residential lot
5,000 square feet and 50 feet wide in all four residential districts5
Side and rear yard setback
5 feet each in residential districts6
Maximum lot coverage
35% in residential districts7
Building height
35 feet for houses, 20 feet for accessory buildings8
Septic permit
Issued by the local sewage agency under Act 5374

Who to call

Building permits

Greenville Borough Code Enforcement Department

Zoning enforcement, borough permits for small projects, and applications for building permits on larger projects

(724) 588-4193

[email protected]

125 Main St

Planning & zoning

Mercer County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC)

Publishes municipal zoning references; does not issue local zoning or building approvals

724.981.2412

[email protected]

2491 Highland Road, Hermitage, PA 16148

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Greenville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Greenville, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Borough of Greenville in Mercer County has its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 550, enacted April 13, 20261. It divides the borough into residential R-1 and R-2, public institutional, mixed use, central business, light manufacturing and industrial districts9.

In all four residential districts, Greenville requires at least 5,000 square feet of lot area and 50 feet of lot width, and caps lot coverage at 35%5. Side and rear yards are 5 feet each for principal and accessory structures6. Houses may be up to 35 feet tall, accessory buildings 20 feet8.

We could not confirm Greenville's rules for RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes or accessory dwellings; ask the borough code office before you plan one.

Do you need a building permit in Greenville, PA, and who issues it?

Pennsylvania's statewide building code, the Uniform Construction Code, applies to building work in the state10, and the Borough of Greenville has elected to administer and enforce it2. The borough's code office describes two kinds of permit3.

Small projects such as a storage shed mainly need the code officer to check your setbacks. Larger projects, such as new electrical service or a new garage, go through Bureau Veritas, the agency the borough hired; you pick up the application at the borough office3.

A residential building may not be used or occupied without a certificate of occupancy11. Fee amounts for Greenville are set by borough council resolution and we did not find them12.

How do septic permits work inside Greenville, PA?

Pennsylvania gives on-lot septic permitting to local agencies, which may be a municipality, a group of municipalities, a county or a health department13. Mercer County has no county health department14. A separate septic permit is needed before an on-lot system is installed15.

We could not confirm whether the lots inside the borough are on public sewer or which agency issues septic permits there. Ask the borough code office at (724) 588-41933.

Building a home in Greenville, PA: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and lot standards with the borough code office3.
  2. Check whether your lot is on public sewer or needs an on-lot system and a septic permit4.
  3. If the driveway meets a state highway, a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit is required first, and review can take 30-90 days16.
  4. Pick up the permit application at the borough office; larger work goes through Bureau Veritas3.
  5. Pass inspections, then obtain the certificate of occupancy11.

What stays with Mercer County, and what to check before you buy?

Greenville decides zoning and building permits inside its borders; the Mercer County page covers land outside the borough. The Mercer County Regional Planning Commission publishes municipal zoning references and sends parcel questions to the local zoning officer17.

Mercer County's subdivision ordinance does not apply in municipalities that have adopted their own subdivision standards18. We did not confirm Greenville's subdivision, floodplain or driveway rules; the borough code includes a floodplain management chapter to ask about.

Watch-outs

  • Greenville's zoning ordinance was replaced on April 13, 2026, so older copies online may be outdated1.
  • We could not confirm Greenville's rules for RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes, accessory dwellings or short-term rentals; ask the borough code office at (724) 588-41933.
  • Mercer County's land-subdivision lot sizes apply only where a municipality has no standards of its own, so they are not Greenville's rules18.

Sources

  1. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Greenville Code Chapter 222, Article I Uniform Construction Codes (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  3. Greenville Borough Code Enforcement Department (greenvilleborough.com)
  4. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  5. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  6. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Greenville Borough Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 550), enacted April 13, 2026 (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
  11. 34 Pa. Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
  12. Greenville Code Chapter 222, Article I Uniform Construction Codes (Borough of Greenville), quoted and re-checked
  13. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  14. PA DEP - Sewage Enforcement Officers (Act 537) (2026 county census)
  15. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, quoted and re-checked
  17. Mercer County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC) (mcrpc.com)
  18. Subdivision Process – Mercer County Regional Planning, quoted and re-checked

Written October 14, 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 Borough of Greenville

Borough of Greenville’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Greenville borough

    • Adopted as amended from time to time
    • Chapter 222 also contains separate articles for the international building, plumbing, electrical, life safety and fire codes (titles only reviewed).
    “the borough of greenville hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the pennsylvania construction code act, act 45 of 1999.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Greenville borough

    • Zoning ordinance enacted April 13, 2026 (Chapter 550) replaces prior chapter 550 per the document header.
    “this chapter establishes zoning districts and permits, prohibits, regulates, restricts, and determines within these districts and the boundaries of the borough of greenville”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Greenville borough (residential R-1, R-2, plus PI, MU, C, LM, I)

    • Zoning map and bulk use table in the appendix
    “the borough of greenville is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: district title district abbreviation residential zoning district r-1 residential multi-family zoning district r-2 public institutional zoning district pi mixed use zoning district mu central business zoning district c light manufacturing zoning district lm industrial zoning district i”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    All four residential zoning districts (R-1 single-family and others) inside Greenville borough

    • Applies to all residential districts under Article III

    minimum lot area: >= 5000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 50 feet

    “development in all four residential districts shall be controlled by the following requirements: a. maximum lot coverage: 35%. b. minimum lot area: 5,000 square feet. c. minimum lot width: 50 feet.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Residential zoning districts inside Greenville borough, principal and accessory structures

    • Planned development with new streets: front yard 25 feet from street right-of-way

    side yard: >= 5 feet · rear yard: >= 5 feet

    “d. building setbacks (principal and accessory structures). 1. front yard: average setback of existing principal structures on adjoining properties, as determined by the zoning officer. planned development with new streets 25 feet from street right-of-way. 2. side yard: five feet. 3. rear yard: five feet.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Residential zoning districts inside Greenville borough

    • Mixed-use district allows 50% (§ 550-21)

    maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent

    “a. maximum lot coverage: 35%. b. minimum lot area: 5,000 square feet. c. minimum lot width: 50 feet.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Residential zoning districts inside Greenville borough

    • Multi-family 40 feet
    • Walls, fences, shrub rows: 4 feet in front, 6 feet elsewhere

    principal structure height: <= 35 feet (multi-family 40 feet) · accessory structure height: <= 20 feet

    “e. maximum building height 1. principal structures: 35 feet. multi-family (40 feet). 2. accessory structures: 20 feet. f. maximum height for walls, fences, or shrub rows: four feet in the front of the property and six feet elsewhere.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Construction code fees inside Greenville borough

    • Amounts not located; set by council resolution
    “fees assessable by the borough of greenville for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this article and the code shall be established by the governing body of the resolution from time to time.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Construction code administration inside Greenville borough

    • Administrator chosen by council resolution; may be an employee, third-party agency, intermunicipal agreement or Labor and Industry
    “administration and enforcement of the code within this municipality shall be undertaken in any of the following ways as determined by the governing body of this municipality from time to time by resolution:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Greenville or Mercer County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Greenville borough
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Greenville borough
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Greenville borough
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Greenville borough
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in R-1/R-2 inside Greenville borough
16 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • 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 Borough of Greenville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Mercer County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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