Bolthole Index

York County, Pennsylvania

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

Building in Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania requires a building permit under the township's adopted Uniform Construction Code1. The township also has its own zoning, Chapter 490 of its code, run by a zoning enforcement officer2. Applicants request both permits from the township3. We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside the township, so ask the township office.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; the township adopted the state Uniform Construction Code1
Zoning
Township zoning, Chapter 490, run by a zoning enforcement officer2
Who issues permits
Request both the building and zoning permits from the township3
Final inspection
Building and zoning final inspections happen together; you request both4
Fees
Set by township resolution; amounts not located5
Subdivision
Regulated by township Chapter 4306
Septic
Local agencies issue sewage permits in Pennsylvania; confirm with the township7

Who to call

Zoning

Hellam Township Zoning Office

Zoning administration for Hellam Township; the zoning officer is the first call for zoning questions

(717) 434-1300

35 Walnut Springs Road, York, PA 17406

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

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

Yes. Hellam Township has adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code1. Construction inside Hellam Township needs a building permit and inspections, and a use and occupancy certificate is required for new construction8. The statewide code itself requires property owners to obtain a permit before starting work9.

Building permits come from the township, not from York County. The York County Planning Commission does not issue building permits10.

Who issues building permits in Hellam Township, and how do you apply?

The township's code makes the applicant responsible for requesting permits from both the township's building code official and its zoning enforcement officer3. Building and zoning permits are not issued separately from one another2.

The Hellam Township Zoning Office is at 35 Walnut Springs Road, York, PA 17406, phone (717) 434-130011. Permit fees are set by a schedule that the board of supervisors adopts by resolution, and we did not locate the amounts; ask the township office for the current schedule5. All permit and inspection fees must be paid before the use and occupancy certificate is issued8.

Does Hellam Township have zoning?

Yes. Hellam Township administers its own zoning under Chapter 490 of its code, through a township zoning enforcement officer2. York County does not zone for the township; zoning policy is delegated to municipalities12.

The township's zoning officer "handles the administration of the township zoning regulations"11. We could not confirm the district rules for lot size, setbacks, minimum home size, RV use, tiny homes or accessory dwellings, so get the answer for your specific parcel from the zoning officer before you buy. Statewide rules about state park campgrounds do not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own land13.

How do septic permits work in Hellam Township?

Pennsylvania law has local agencies, not the state, issue permits for on-lot sewage systems7. Those local agencies can be municipalities or county health departments14. We could not confirm which office handles septic permits inside Hellam Township, so ask the township office at the number above before you commit to a lot.

For water, Pennsylvania requires licensing for well drilling companies, but not for homeowners who drill their own well on their own land15. We could not confirm any township well rules.

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

  1. Call the Hellam Township Zoning Office to confirm your parcel's zoning district and permitted uses11.
  2. Confirm septic and water arrangements with the township before you design the house; we could not confirm the local process.
  3. Check whether your project is a subdivision or land development, which the township regulates under Chapter 4306.
  4. Apply for both the building permit and the zoning permit, since you must request each3.
  5. Pay the township's fees and request the combined final building and zoning inspections4.
  6. Obtain the use and occupancy certificate before moving in8.

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

York County does not issue building permits or zoning for Hellam Township; the county's planning commission refers people to the municipality12. For the county's broader picture, see the York County page.

Before you buy, check floodplain status: construction in a flood plain needs documentation sealed by a registered design professional as part of the building permit application16. Also confirm driveway access with the township or PennDOT, and ask whether a farm building qualifies for the state agricultural-building exemption, which excludes habitable space17.

Watch-outs

  • Building and zoning approvals are separate requests, and the township expects you to request both3.
  • We could not confirm septic permit rules, well rules, driveway permit rules, or the zoning district standards inside Hellam Township; call the township office at (717) 434-130011.
  • Owner-building does not waive permits or zoning: the state's owner exclusion applies only to the home improvement consumer protection law18.

Sources

  1. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  4. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. Township of Hellam, PA Code table of contents (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  8. Hellam Township Code Chapter 175, Construction Codes, Uniform (Hellam Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  10. York County Planning Commission - Building Permit Reports (2026 county census)
  11. Hellam Township Zoning Office (hellamtownship.gov)
  12. Data Center Development in York County, quoted and re-checked
  13. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Act 537 Sewage Facilities, quoted and re-checked
  15. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit, quoted and re-checked
  16. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  17. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, quoted and re-checked

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.

Answers from the rulebook for Hellam Township

Hellam Township’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Hellam township

    • Adopted as amended from time to time; ucc updates incorporated automatically (§ 175-7(c)).
    “the uniform construction code, (hereinafter referred to as "the code" or "ucc") contained in 34 pa. code, chapters 401 through 405, as may be amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of the township of hellam.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Construction inside Hellam township

    • Final inspections coordinated with zoning inspections; applicant must request both.
    “final inspections and occupancy certificates as required under or issued in conjunction with the code shall be conducted and issued with, and at the same time as, final inspections and use and occupancy certificates required by chapter 490, zoning.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    New construction inside Hellam township

    • All permit and inspection fees must be paid before the use and occupancy certificate issues.
    “all fees for permits and inspections required by the ucc and this chapter and all other ordinances shall be paid before the issuance of a use and occupancy certificate.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Hellam township; township codified Chapter 490, Zoning, administered by a township zoning enforcement officer

    • Dimensional and use standards in Chapter 490 were not opened in this run.
    “no inspection or permit shall be conducted or issued under either this chapter or chapter 490, zoning, separately from the other.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside Hellam township

    • Chapter text not opened; only the code table of contents confirms the chapter.
    “chapter 430 subdivision and land development (§ 430-1 – § 430-63)”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Building permits inside Hellam township

    • Schedule is on file in the township offices; amounts not located.
    “a schedule of said fees shall be established by resolution as adopted by the board of supervisors of the township of hellam.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building and zoning permits inside Hellam township

    • Applicant must request permits from both building code official and zoning enforcement officer.
    “it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to request such inspections or permits from both the township's building code official and zoning enforcement officer”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Hellam township
  • Zoning districts — Inside Hellam township
  • Minimum dwelling size — Inside Hellam township
  • Minimum lot size — RA and R districts inside Hellam township
  • Setbacks — RA and R districts inside Hellam township
17 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Hellam Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. York County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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