Pen Argyl, PA Zoning, Building Permits & Septic Rules

Pen Argyl, a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, has its own zoning code, and its Zoning Hearing Board hears variances from it¹. The borough has adopted the state Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code². Septic permits come from a local sewage agency under Act 537; we could not confirm which agency covers Pen Argyl, so ask the borough office³.

At a glance

Zoning: Borough zoning code (Chapter 108), with a Zoning Hearing Board¹
Building permit: Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code applies as the borough's building code²
Permit fees: Set by borough council resolution; schedule is on the borough forms page⁴
Subdivision: Regulated by the borough's subdivision and land development chapter⁵
Septic: Local agency permit under Act 537; borough-specific agency unconfirmed³
Driveway on a state road: PennDOT highway occupancy permit⁶

Who to call

Codes & inspections

Pen Argyl Borough Office

Zoning and building permit applications, zoning hearing applications and the borough fee schedules

610-863-4119

11 North Robinson Avenue, P.O. Box 128, Pen Argyl, PA 18072

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

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Does Pen Argyl have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. Pen Argyl borough enforces its own zoning code, Chapter 108 of the borough code, and a Zoning Hearing Board hears variance requests such as relief from lot coverage and yard limits¹. The one district we confirmed is the R-7.8 Medium-Density Residential District; the full district list is on the borough's Zoning Map⁷⁸.

We could not confirm the borough's rules on RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum lot size or setbacks, because those standards sit in the zoning code's district tables. Ask the borough office before you buy, and ask which district the parcel is in. Subdivision and land development also have their own borough chapter⁵.

Do you need a building permit in Pen Argyl, and who issues it?

Building work inside Pen Argyl falls under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, which the borough adopted as its municipal building code². The state's permit rule requires a permit before a residential building is constructed, enlarged, altered, moved or demolished, with a short list of exemptions for small work such as fences no more than 6 feet high⁹.

The borough's own permit application is the combined Zoning & Building Permit Application, available from the borough office⁸. Fees are set by borough council resolution⁴. The borough's separate rules for who enforces the code day to day (staff, a third-party agency or the state) are set by council resolution and we could not confirm which applies today, so ask the borough office².

How do septic permits work in Pen Argyl?

Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local sewage agency before a building served by an onlot septic system is built, occupied or used¹⁰. In Northampton County, that local agency is a municipality, a group of municipalities or a health department rather than the county as such³.

We could not confirm whether Pen Argyl lots are served by public sewer or which agency issues septic permits for the borough. The borough code has a sewer chapter that we did not review, so ask the borough office whether a parcel must connect to public sewer before assuming a septic system is an option⁸.

Building a home in Pen Argyl: the steps, in order

Ask the borough office which zoning district the lot is in and what that district allows, using the Zoning Map⁸.
If the plan needs relief from a zoning limit, file a Zoning Hearing Application with the Zoning Hearing Board¹⁸.
Confirm sewer or septic: ask the borough office whether public sewer serves the lot, and if not, get a septic permit from the local agency before construction¹⁰.
File the Zoning & Building Permit Application and pay the fee set by the borough⁸⁴.
Keep work accessible for the required inspections, and do not occupy the building until a certificate of occupancy is issued¹¹.

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

Septic permits and well rules are not part of the borough's zoning code: state rules put septic permits with a local agency and let homeowners drill their own private wells without a driller's license¹⁰¹². A driveway that connects to a state highway needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit⁶. Inside a mapped flood hazard area, the municipality must issue a floodplain development permit before development begins¹³.

For land outside the borough, use the Northampton County page. Northampton County's effective property tax rate is about 1.7%¹⁴, and the median property tax bill is about $4,710 a year¹⁵.

Watch-outs

We could not confirm Pen Argyl's zoning standards for RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, lot size or setbacks; ask the borough office which district a parcel is in before you buy⁷.
Borough permit fee amounts are set by council resolution and we could not find the current schedule; the borough's forms page lists a building fee schedule and a zoning fee schedule⁴⁸.
Septic: we could not confirm which local agency issues septic permits inside Pen Argyl or whether a lot must use public sewer, so confirm both with the borough office before closing³.

Sources

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Borough of Pen Argyl publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Northampton County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania