Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued by the township under the state UCC¹⁵

Zoning

Township zoning chapter with published districts³⁶

Septic

Local agency under Act 537; township agency not confirmed⁴

Driveway on a state road

PennDOT permit required⁷

Owner-builder

No statewide contractor license for most work⁸

Wells

No state permit for homeowners drilling their own⁹

Who to call

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

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

Yes. Hanover Township administers and enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code itself, so building work inside the township needs a township-issued permit¹. Pennsylvania's rule is that the owner or an authorized representative must obtain the building permit before beginning construction¹⁰. The township adds that a permit is required for any permanently installed heating or air-conditioning system and for factory-built fireplace stoves⁵.

The state lists a short set of small projects that need no building permit, such as fences up to 6 feet high and uncovered decks no more than 30 inches above grade, provided the work does not violate a law or ordinance¹¹. A zoning permit is a separate step, covered below. Fees are set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors; ask the township office for the current schedule¹².

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

The township's Building & Zoning office issues building and occupancy permits and performs inspections². The township says it opted in to the state code and kept its own enforcement office so inspections are timely and uniform¹³. Under the township's code chapter, enforcement may be carried out by a township employee or a third-party agency set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors¹.

Contact the office at the Hanover Township municipal building, 3630 Jacksonville Road, Bethlehem, or by phone at (610) 866-1140². Ask the Building Code Official for a copy of the township's amendments to the building code¹³. Appeals of code decisions go to the NAZ COG BOCA Board of Appeals¹.

Does Hanover Township have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. Hanover Township has its own zoning chapter, Chapter 185 of the township code, which is separate from the building code³. The zoning chapter sets up residential, commercial, employment, special conservation and aircraft flight path districts⁶. Northampton County does not zone for the township; in Pennsylvania a county's zoning power reaches only municipalities that have no zoning ordinance of their own¹⁴.

A zoning permit is needed whenever you plan to build, alter or install accessory structures such as sheds, fences, patios and driveways, and when you create or enlarge a parking area¹⁵. We could not confirm the township's district rules for RV living, tiny homes, minimum lot size or setbacks, because those depend on your parcel's district. Ask the Zoning Officer at the township office, and have your parcel's address ready, before you buy².

How do septic permits work in Hanover Township?

Septic permits are required statewide before installing or using an individual onlot sewage system, and they come from the local agency, not from the building office¹⁶. In Pennsylvania the local agency may be a municipality, a group of municipalities, a county or a county health department⁴.

We could not confirm which agency covers Hanover Township, or whether your lot must connect to public sewer instead, since the township has its own sewer chapter we have not verified. Call the township office and ask whether your parcel is on public sewer or needs an onlot permit, and which sewage enforcement officer handles it². Countywide, soils that USDA rates as not limited for a conventional drain field are uncommon, so expect a site evaluation¹⁷.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Hanover Township?

We could not confirm it. The township's zoning chapter controls where an RV or tiny home may be occupied, and we have not verified its use provisions. Pennsylvania's statewide camping rules cover state park campgrounds only and do not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own lot¹⁸.

A manufactured home built to the federal standard is addressed by the state code, which still applies to utility connections, grading and additions, but it does not settle local zoning or septic approval¹⁹. Ask the township Zoning Officer which district your parcel is in and whether the use is permitted there².

Building a home in Hanover Township: the steps, in order

1. Ask the township Zoning Officer for your parcel's zoning district and confirm the use is allowed².
2. Confirm whether the lot is on public sewer or needs a septic permit from the local agency¹⁶.
3. If the driveway meets a state road, apply for a PennDOT highway occupancy permit⁷.
4. Check the floodplain: development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain development permit issued by the municipality²⁰.
5. Get the zoning permit and the building permit from the township office¹⁵¹.
6. Have required inspections done during construction, including foundation, frame and wallboard²¹.
7. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before anyone lives in the home²².

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

Septic permits and wells are not building-office matters. Pennsylvania has no state construction standards for private water wells, and homeowners drilling their own on their own land are not covered by the driller licensing requirement⁹. Outside the township, Hanover's rules do not apply; the Northampton County page covers the rest of the county.

For context, the county's effective property tax rate is 1.7%²³, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more people is about 12 miles from the county center²⁴. Pennsylvania has no statewide contractor license for most construction, but municipalities may add their own requirements⁸.

Watch-outs

• Two townships named Hanover exist in the Lehigh Valley (Northampton and Lehigh counties), so confirm the Northampton County office and its Bethlehem address before you call².
• We could not confirm Hanover Township's district rules for lot size, setbacks, RVs and tiny homes; get them from the Zoning Officer before you buy².
• A driveway that connects to a state highway needs a PennDOT permit in addition to any township zoning permit⁷.
• Inspections and a certificate of occupancy are required on permitted residential work; do not occupy the building before the certificate is issued²².

Sources

1. Township of Hanover, PA Chapter 65 Construction Codes, Uniform (Hanover Township), quoted and re-checked
2. Hanover Township Building & Zoning (Building Code Official and Zoning Officer) (hanovertwp-nc.org)
3. Township of Hanover, PA Chapter 185 Zoning (general provisions and district intent) (Hanover Township), quoted and re-checked
4. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
5. Township of Hanover, PA Chapter 65 Construction Codes, Uniform (Hanover Township), quoted and re-checked
6. Township of Hanover, PA Chapter 185 Zoning (general provisions and district intent) (Hanover Township), quoted and re-checked
7. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, quoted and re-checked
8. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
11. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Township of Hanover, PA Chapter 65 Construction Codes, Uniform (Hanover Township), quoted and re-checked
13. Hanover Township Building Codes (UCC) (hanovertwp-nc.org)
14. Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Section 602 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Hanover Township Zoning & Permit FAQs (hanovertwp-nc.org)
16. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. 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
18. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
24. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

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.