Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Penn Township, Pennsylvania

Penn Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA. The township publishes its own zoning ordinance, zoning map and Zoning Hearing Board on its official site.

  • The township's posted ordinance is labeled 'these are not original ordinances'; the adoption date and amendment history of the posted text were not stated on the page.
  • The full ordinance PDF was not opened, so district dimensional limits are not verified here (see the unknown dimensional claims).

  “zoning ordinances **these are not original ordinances** zoning map table of contents article 1 – general provisions”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Penn Township, Perry County, PA

  • Districts named in the table of contents: Forest Conservation (Art. 4), Agricultural Rural (Art. 5), R-1 Low Density Residential (Art. 6), R-2 High Density Residential (Art. 7), Commercial (Art. 8), Industrial (Art. 9), Mixed Use Commerce (Art. 10), plus overlays.

  “article 4 – forest conservation district article 5 – agricultural rural district article 6 – r-1 low density residential district article 7 – r-2 high density residential district”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage (septic) permitting for land inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA

  • The township appoints a Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act; SEO action is appealable to the Board of Supervisors.
  • County or state health-department roles for septic were not checked and may also apply.

  “sewage enforcement fees will be in accordance with the fee schedule of the township’s sewage enforcement officer (seo)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA

  • Township fee schedule refers to filing fees for minor and major subdivision and land development plans and to a township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
  • The subdivision ordinance text itself was not opened; plan review and approval standards are unverified.

  “when the applicant is required to post performance guarantees as required by the subdivision and land development ordinance, an inspection fee shall be paid to penn township”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning hearing and zoning-matter fees charged by Penn Township, Perry County, PA

  • Zoning permit fees themselves follow the third-party agency schedule; the fixed fees listed are for zoning hearing and zoning-matter applications.
  • Schedule adopted by Board of Supervisors resolution dated January 5, 2026; the file name shows a July 13, 2026 revision (fees-071326) and the revision's effective date is not stated.

  curative amendment fee: 300 USD · appeal to zoning hearing board fee: 1200 USD · variance fee: 1200 USD · conditional use fee: 2000 USD · change zoning ordinance or map fee: 1200 USD

  “curative amendment appeals to zoning hearing board variance conditional uses change zoning ordinance or map $300 $1,200 $1,200 $2,000 $1,200”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Variable (with conditions) — Building permit fees charged for work inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA

    “*building permit fees will be in accordance with the fee schedule of the township’s third party inspection agency.”

Rules another office applies inside Penn Township

Penn Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA, under the statewide Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as the township administers it through its building permit and UCC process.

  • The township fee schedule states that UCC fees follow the Department of State schedule and lists a UCC Board of Appeals; this is a state code applied locally, not a township-adopted code.
  • The statewide UCC adoption text itself was not opened.

  “*uniform construction code fees will be in accordance with the department of state’s fee schedule.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits in Penn Township, Perry County, PA
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Penn Township, Perry County, PA
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes in Penn Township, Perry County, PA
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Penn Township, Perry County, PA
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the R-1 Low Density Residential district (Article 6), Penn Township, Perry County, PA

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.