East Manchester Township, PA: building permits, zoning and septic

At a glance

Building permits

Required before covered residential construction; township new-construction application available¹³

Zoning

Township zoning ordinance applies²

Septic permits

Local-agency approval under Pennsylvania law; contact the township Sewage Enforcement Officer⁵⁴

RV living and tiny homes

We could not confirm private-lot occupancy rules; ask the township Zoning Officer²³

Wells

Township publishes a well-permit application; confirm requirements before drilling³

Moving into a home

Certificate of occupancy required for residential buildings governed by the UCC⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in East Manchester Township?

East Manchester Township has a Uniform Construction Codes chapter, and Pennsylvania requires a building permit before covered residential construction, enlargement, alteration or changes of occupancy.⁷¹ The township’s residential application page identifies its New Construction application as covering new homes and additions.³

Pennsylvania exempts specified limited work from the UCC building-permit requirement only when the work does not violate another law or ordinance.¹ Ask the township Zoning Officer to identify the building and zoning applications for your project before relying on a building-code exemption.³

Who handles building applications in East Manchester Township?

Start with the East Manchester Township Zoning Officer for residential application questions; the township publishes the new-construction forms on its residential permits page.³ For accessory structures, the published submission instructions call for 2 hard copies of drawings or plans, contractor liability documentation and a plot plan showing impervious surfaces, the proposed project and property-line setbacks.³

For a new house, the township says driveway information and plans may be included in the new-construction submission instead of a separate driveway application.³ All new homes also need major stormwater review, with an additional $350 review fee shown on the township page.³ Ask for the complete project fee schedule before budgeting; that stormwater charge is a review fee, not a total home-building permit price.³

Does East Manchester Township have zoning for RVs and tiny homes?

East Manchester Township has its own zoning ordinance, so York County’s lack of a countywide zoning ordinance does not make township land free of zoning controls.²⁸ The township also regulates subdivision and land development.⁹

We could not confirm East Manchester Township’s district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks, minimum dwelling sizes or private-lot RV and tiny-home occupancy rules; ask the township Zoning Officer about the parcel and proposed use before buying a trailer or ordering a small house.²³ Request separate answers for permanent occupancy and temporary living during construction rather than assuming that approval for a house also approves an RV.³

How do septic permits work in East Manchester Township?

East Manchester Township lists a Sewage Enforcement Officer through Gordon L. Brown and Associates, Inc.; use that contact for on-lot sewage questions.⁴ Pennsylvania generally requires a local-agency sewage permit before installing or contracting for construction of an on-lot system, or occupying or using a building served by one, subject to statutory exceptions.⁵

Discuss the proposed dwelling and sewage disposal with the township’s Sewage Enforcement Officer before committing to a house layout.⁴ A composting toilet in a new Pennsylvania residence still requires an approved way to treat washwater or excess liquid; the toilet alone does not settle the sanitation question.¹⁰ Sewage-system construction also has an approval-to-cover process, so arrange that inspection stage before backfilling.¹¹

Building a home in East Manchester Township: what comes first?

1. Ask the township Zoning Officer about the parcel’s zoning and the residential application package for a new home.²³
2. Contact the township Sewage Enforcement Officer about on-lot disposal; Pennsylvania generally requires the sewage permit before contracting for system construction.⁴⁵
3. Submit the township new-construction application, include driveway plans where appropriate, and account for the township’s major stormwater review for new homes.³
4. Obtain the required residential building permit before covered work begins, keep construction accessible, and notify the code official when work is ready for inspections.¹¹²
5. Complete final inspection and obtain the required certificate of occupancy before using or occupying a UCC-regulated residential building.¹²⁶

What should you check before buying East Manchester Township land?

Ask the township Zoning Officer about its published well-permit application before arranging drilling; Pennsylvania separately requires commercial water-well drillers to hold a license and permits.³¹³ We could not confirm parcel-specific public-water or sewer connection obligations, so ask the township which requirements apply to the address.³

A driveway built or changed on state highway land, or connected to a PennDOT drainage facility, needs PennDOT highway occupancy approval under the state rule.¹⁴ Ask the township how its driveway submission fits your road frontage.³ For a property outside the township, consult the York County guide and identify the municipality responsible for zoning; countywide zoning status does not replace municipal rules.¹⁵

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm permission to live in an RV or tiny home on a private township lot; get a parcel-specific answer from the East Manchester Township Zoning Officer.²³
• East Manchester Township requires major stormwater review for all new homes, with an additional $350 review fee listed separately from other project costs.³
• Pennsylvania’s owner-work exclusion from home-improvement regulation concerns uncompensated work and does not establish a building-permit or zoning waiver.¹⁶¹²

Sources

1. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Township of East Manchester, PA – eCode360 table of contents (East Manchester Township), quoted and re-checked
3. East Manchester Township Zoning Officer (emanchestertwp.com)
4. East Manchester Township Sewage Enforcement Officer (emanchestertwp.com)
5. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Township of East Manchester, PA – eCode360 table of contents (East Manchester Township), quoted and re-checked
8. Data Center Development in York County, quoted and re-checked
9. Township of East Manchester, PA – eCode360 table of contents (East Manchester Township), quoted and re-checked
10. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Data Center Development in York County, quoted and re-checked
16. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 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.