Borough of Jefferson, PA Building Permits, Zoning & Septic

Borough of Jefferson, Pennsylvania requires building permits through the Zoning Officer and has its own zoning rules.¹² In York County’s Jefferson Borough, single-family dwellings need at least 800 square feet of habitable floor area.³ On-lot sewage permits follow Pennsylvania’s local-agency system; the borough lists a Sewage Enforcement Officer.⁴⁵

At a glance

Building permits: Required for covered residential construction; start with the borough Zoning Officer⁶¹
Zoning: Borough zoning applies; obtain the official zoning map at the borough office²⁷
Minimum dwelling size: 800 square feet for single-family and two-family dwellings³
Septic permits: Local-agency approval under Pennsylvania law; borough Sewage Enforcement Officer is listed⁸⁵
Water service: Principal uses must have borough water when capacity and feasible extension are confirmed by the borough engineer⁹
Owner-builder: Unpaid owner work exclusion does not waive building-code or zoning requirements¹⁰

Who to call

Zoning

Jefferson Borough Zoning Office

Zoning and subdivision application forms and submission instructions

717-229-0545

[email protected]

Building permits

Jefferson Borough Zoning Officer — building permits

Borough building permits and zoning use certificates; contact through the borough zoning office

Septic permits

Jefferson Borough Sewage Enforcement Officer

On-lot sewage questions; listed by the borough as its Sewage Enforcement Officer

717-637-3800

213 Carlisle St., Hanover 17331

Also useful

Jefferson Codorus Joint Sewer Authority

Public sewer service questions

717-229-0545

P.O. Box 223, Codorus, PA 17311

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

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Do you need a building permit in Borough of Jefferson, PA?

Jefferson Borough’s zoning code requires a building permit from the Zoning Officer for erection, enlargement, repair, alteration, moving or demolition of structures, except temporary signs, as specified in that chapter.¹ Pennsylvania also requires a residential UCC permit before covered construction begins, with exemptions for specified limited work.⁶ Ask the borough zoning office to identify the approvals and current application forms for your project before ordering construction.¹¹ A state construction-code exemption should not be treated as zoning approval: the state’s listed residential permit exemptions apply only where the work does not violate another law or ordinance.⁶

Who handles building permits and zoning in Borough of Jefferson?

The Jefferson Borough Zoning Officer issues building permits and use certificates under the borough zoning code.¹ The borough’s permit-forms page supplies applications tied to its zoning and subdivision and land-development ordinances, and allows documents to be dropped off at the Borough Building.¹¹ Contact the borough zoning office using the details above to request the current building application, fee schedule and inspection contact.¹¹ On-lot sewage questions have a separate contact: Jefferson Borough lists a Sewage Enforcement Officer, while the Jefferson Codorus Joint Sewer Authority is listed separately for sewer matters.⁵¹²

Does Borough of Jefferson have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Jefferson Borough has local zoning, with the official zoning map on file at the borough office.² The districts are RT Residential Town, RO Residential Outlying, VC Village Center and I Industrial, with an H Historic Overlay.⁷ Request the parcel’s mapped district and applicable dimensional schedule from the borough zoning office before settling on a house footprint.⁷¹¹ We could not confirm the district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks or lot coverage here; ask that office for those figures for the actual parcel.¹¹ Borough zoning also makes water service part of siting: principal uses in RT, RO, VC and I must receive borough water if the borough engineer determines capacity exists and extension is feasible.⁹

How do septic permits work inside Borough of Jefferson?

For a Jefferson Borough property using an on-lot sewage system, Pennsylvania generally requires a local-agency permit before installation, contracting for construction, construction, occupancy or use, subject to specific statutory exceptions.⁸ Jefferson Borough lists a Sewage Enforcement Officer; start there for a parcel-specific on-lot sewage determination.⁵ For public sewer questions, contact the separately listed Jefferson Codorus Joint Sewer Authority and ask whether service or connection is required at the address.¹² A composting toilet does not eliminate wastewater planning for a new residence: Pennsylvania requires an approved method for washwater or excess liquid, with limited exceptions.¹³

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Borough of Jefferson?

Jefferson Borough requires at least 800 square feet of habitable floor area per unit for single-family and two-family dwellings; multifamily dwellings and two-family conversions require 600 square feet per unit, and accessory dwelling units require 400 square feet per unit.³ The smaller accessory-unit minimum alone does not establish permission to create an accessory dwelling on a particular lot; ask the borough zoning office about the intended use and district.³¹¹ We could not confirm permission for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping while building, or a tiny home on wheels in Jefferson Borough; request a determination from the borough zoning office before relying on those living arrangements.¹¹

Building a home in Borough of Jefferson: what comes first?

Ask the borough zoning office for the parcel’s mapped district and the application forms for the proposed use.⁷¹¹
Resolve water service with the borough engineer: the borough-water requirement depends on capacity and feasible extension.⁹
Ask the Sewage Enforcement Officer about on-lot sewage approval, or the Joint Sewer Authority about public sewer service.⁵¹²
Obtain the required residential building permit before covered work begins and arrange inspections with the construction code official.⁶¹⁴
Obtain the required residential certificate of occupancy before using or occupying a UCC-regulated residence.¹⁵

What should you check before buying in Borough of Jefferson?

A plan for an off-grid home in Jefferson Borough needs to account for the conditional borough-water connection rule and Pennsylvania’s wastewater requirements for new residences using composting or similar toilets.⁹¹³ Ask the borough zoning office about floodplain review, driveway approval and subdivision requirements before committing to a parcel; we could not confirm the borough’s detailed requirements for those topics here.¹¹ For land outside the borough, use the York County guide and identify the municipality responsible for zoning and land-use decisions.¹⁶ Unpaid owner work falls within a home-improvement-law exclusion, but that exclusion does not waive building permits, construction codes or zoning.¹⁰

Watch-outs

Jefferson Borough’s minimum dwelling sizes are not blanket approval for an accessory dwelling or tiny-home use; ask the borough zoning office about your proposed use.³¹¹
We could not confirm Jefferson Borough’s RV living rules or local building-permit fees; request those answers from the borough zoning office before buying.¹¹

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 Jefferson publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. York County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Building permits, zoning and septic in Borough of Jefferson, Pennsylvania