Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
6 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties — 9% — set no minimum dwelling size. That is the 19th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Jefferson County (83/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 587 counties nationwide → Pennsylvania: no zoning → Pennsylvania: owner-builder → Full Pennsylvania profile →
6 of 67 Pennsylvania counties · sorted by Index score
County-level zoning minimum dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Jefferson County. Jefferson County has no county-wide zoning ordinance; municipal zoning and other appli…
Planning – Jefferson County, Pennsylvania ↗No countywide zoning-based minimum dwelling-size requirement in unincorporated Venango County areas not governed by a municipal zoning ordinance. Venango County municipalities m…
Venango County: Municipal Zoning Summary ↗County-level zoning dimensional regulation of minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Tioga County areas. Tioga County has no countywide zoning ordinance, so no county zoning di…
Planning for Data Centers ↗County zoning minimum dwelling-size control in any unincorporated area. This is only an absence of a County zoning dimensional control; municipality-specific zoning and building…
Westmoreland County Planning FAQs ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Lackawanna County. No county zoning ordinance means no county zoning-based minimum dwelling-size standard was identif…
Lackawanna County Land-Use Planning Annual Report 2019 ↗County zoning minimum-dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Lehigh County. No county zoning minimum dwelling size was identified. Municipal zoning and statewide building-…
2018 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Pennsylvania state page for all 67 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Pennsylvania counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
