Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Borough of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, borough-adopted (Chapter 500)²

Zoning districts

R-1 to R-4 residential, C-1 and C-2 commercial, and an Industrial district⁵

Building permit

Zoning Officer permit required before erecting, moving or enlarging a structure¹

Building code

Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code adopted³

Occupancy permit

Required for mobile homes placed on foundations, commercial buildings and buildings with more than two dwelling units⁶

Public sewer

Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority⁴

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Does Vandergrift, PA have zoning?

Yes. The Borough of Vandergrift adopted Chapter 500, its zoning ordinance, and the Borough Zoning Officer administers and enforces it². The code lays out R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 residential districts, C-1 and C-2 commercial districts, an Industrial District and an Official Zoning Map⁵. The borough posts the zoning map on its website⁷.

The district tables that set minimum lot size, setbacks, dwelling size and height were not available to us, so we could not confirm those numbers. We also could not confirm whether RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings can be lived in on a lot in Vandergrift. Ask the Zoning Officer which district your parcel sits in before you assume anything about RVs, tiny homes or outbuildings.

Westmoreland County has no zoning ordinance of its own, and zoning is left to each municipality⁸.

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

Yes, for new construction. Vandergrift's code says no building or structure, including a mobile home, may be erected, moved or enlarged unless the Zoning Officer has issued a permit¹. The borough has also adopted the state Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code³, and Pennsylvania's UCC requires owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting work⁹.

The borough's permits page lists a zoning and building permit application, plus separate construction, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permit forms⁷. The Zoning Officer must issue, deny or refer the application to the Zoning Hearing Board within 30 days of receiving it¹⁰. Fees are set by Council resolution and posted in the Borough Building, and no permit issues until they are paid¹¹.

We did not find an official owner-builder exemption inside the borough, so expect to permit your own work.

What inspections and occupancy permits apply in Vandergrift?

The Zoning Officer visits the property from time to time while approved construction is under way, to confirm the work matches the application¹². A new commercial, public, semipublic or industrial building, a structure with more than two dwelling units, or a mobile home placed on its foundation needs an occupancy permit from the Zoning Officer before use⁶. For mobile homes, a zoning permit comes first, and the occupancy application follows when the home is placed on its foundation¹³.

Separately, the state UCC requires a certificate of occupancy before a building can be used¹⁴. Ask the borough office which inspector, borough staff or a third-party agency, handles your building-code inspections.

How do septic permits work inside Vandergrift?

We could not confirm who issues on-lot septic permits inside the borough. The borough's sewage provider is the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority, so a lot on the public sewer would not need its own septic system⁴. For any lot not on that sewer, Pennsylvania law has local agencies, usually a municipal Sewage Enforcement Officer, issue permits for individual on-lot systems¹⁵. The state Department of Environmental Protection oversees the program for Westmoreland County¹⁶.

Westmoreland County's soils matter here: only a small share of county soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field¹⁷, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system. Call the borough office and the DEP office before you buy an unsewered lot.

Water, wells and utilities in Vandergrift

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County supplies public water, and the borough says properties without public water use wells that are the property owner's responsibility⁴. We did not find a borough well permit rule. Pennsylvania licenses water-well drilling companies, but that requirement does not apply to homeowners drilling their own wells on their own land¹⁸.

A driveway or access road needs its own application from the borough⁷. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit¹⁹.

Building a home in Vandergrift: the steps, in order

1. Confirm your parcel's zoning district with the Zoning Officer, and ask whether your plan is a permitted use there⁵.
2. Ask the borough office whether the lot is on the public sewer, and who permits septic if it is not⁴.
3. Submit the zoning and building permit application, in duplicate, with a scaled site plan for new buildings or expansions¹⁰.
4. Pay the posted fees; no permit issues until they are paid¹¹.
5. Build under the Uniform Construction Code and expect Zoning Officer site visits¹².
6. Get any required occupancy permit before use⁶.

Splitting a lot first? The borough has its own subdivision chapter²⁰.

What stays with Westmoreland County (and what to check before you buy)

Westmoreland County does not issue building permits or zoning inside Vandergrift; the county directs residents to their municipality for both²¹. The county's own subdivision rules apply only in municipalities without their own ordinance, and Vandergrift has one²⁰. For land outside the borough, see the Westmoreland County page.

Before you buy, check the zoning district, sewer or septic status, flood hazard (the borough's permit packet includes a zoning, historic district and flood hazard signoff⁷), and taxes. Westmoreland County's effective property tax rate is about 1.3%²².

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Vandergrift's minimum lot size, setbacks, dwelling size or height limits; ask the Zoning Officer for the district table before you design anything⁵.
• We could not confirm whether RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings can be lived in on a lot in Vandergrift; ask the Zoning Officer².
• Septic authority inside the borough is unconfirmed; ask the borough office and the DEP office before buying a lot that is not on public sewer¹⁶.
• The county's rules for unincorporated Westmoreland County do not apply inside Vandergrift; the borough's own ordinances govern here².

Sources

1. Article VIII: Administration - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 500: Zoning - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
3. Chapter 175: Construction Codes, Uniform - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
4. Borough of Vandergrift utilities information (vandergriftborough.com)
5. Chapter 500: Zoning - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
6. Article VIII: Administration - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
7. Borough of Vandergrift forms and permits (zoning and building permit applications) (vandergriftborough.com)
8. Westmoreland County Planning FAQs, quoted and re-checked
9. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
10. Article VIII: Administration - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
11. ecode360.com (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
12. Article VIII: Administration - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
13. Article VIII: Administration - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
14. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
15. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
16. Pennsylvania DEP Bureau of Water Quality Management (Westmoreland County) (westmorelandcountypa.gov)
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. Private Wells, quoted and re-checked
19. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Chapter 425: Subdivision and Land Development - Borough of Vandergrift, PA (Borough of Vandergrift), quoted and re-checked
21. Westmoreland County Department of Planning and Development (westmorelandcountypa.gov)
22. 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.