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

At a glance

Building permits

Borough office issues building permits; most construction needs approval before work¹

Zoning

Borough zoning ordinance applies inside Brentwood²

Septic permits

County Health Department approval required before on-lot system construction⁴

Plumbing

Allegheny County Health Department regulates plumbing replacement and maintenance¹

Owner-builder

State contractor-registration exclusion covers uncompensated work on an owner’s private residence; building approval still applies⁵⁶

Occupancy

UCC-governed residential buildings need a certificate of occupancy before use⁷

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 Borough of Brentwood, PA?

Brentwood adopts Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code, and the borough says most construction requires a building permit before work begins, with exceptions for minor maintenance.⁸¹ For residential work covered by the UCC, obtain the required building permit before construction; state exemptions apply only when the work does not violate another law or ordinance.⁶ Ask the borough building office to classify the proposed work before relying on an exemption.¹

Who issues building permits in Borough of Brentwood?

Brentwood’s Department of Building Inspection/Code Enforcement issues building permits, reviews construction plans and checks projects against building-code and zoning requirements.¹ Start with the borough office for a project inside Brentwood, and describe both the proposed construction and the intended use.¹ Plumbing system replacement or maintenance is regulated separately by Allegheny County Health Department; the county’s Noblestown Road office offers plumbing permits and plan reviews.¹⁹

Does Borough of Brentwood have zoning for RVs and tiny homes?

Brentwood has its own zoning ordinance and publishes residential districts including R-1 single-family, R-2 medium-density and R-3 high-density residential.²¹⁰ Ask the borough building office to identify the parcel’s zoning district and evaluate the proposed residential use before buying a tiny home or planning RV occupancy.¹ We could not confirm Brentwood’s RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home, accessory-dwelling or district-specific minimum-size and setback rules; request a determination from the borough building office.¹

How do septic and plumbing approvals work inside Borough of Brentwood?

Allegheny County Health Department’s Sewage Enforcement Officers handle on-lot sewage permitting, including soil testing and system-design review.³¹¹ A proposed on-lot sewage system needs a county permit before construction.⁴ Confirm public-sewer availability before designing a private system: county rules require connection under specified sewer-availability and distance conditions.¹² County plumbing plans must be approved and a plumbing permit obtained before plumbing work begins, with inspections during work and a final inspection.¹³

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

Begin by asking Brentwood’s building office to review the intended use against the parcel’s zoning and identify the required building application.¹ Resolve sewage disposal with the county Health Department, obtaining on-lot approval before system construction where septic is proposed; obtain county plumbing-plan approval before plumbing work.⁴¹³ Obtain the required residential building permit before covered construction, keep work accessible for inspections, and notify the code official when work is ready.⁶¹⁴ Obtain the residential certificate of occupancy before using a UCC-governed home.⁷

What should you check before buying in Borough of Brentwood?

For a self-build, Pennsylvania excludes uncompensated work by an owner on the owner’s private residence from home-improvement registration requirements, but local contractor requirements may still apply; ask Brentwood’s building office about the proposed arrangement.⁵¹ A composting toilet in a new residence still needs an approved way to treat washwater or excess liquid under Pennsylvania’s sanitation rules.¹⁵ For county-level rules beyond the borough, see the Allegheny County guide; county Health Department on-lot sewage approval also applies inside Brentwood.³

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Brentwood’s RV or tiny-home occupancy rules; ask the borough building office about the intended use before committing to a purchase.¹
• Owner-performed work does not remove the requirement to obtain a building permit for covered residential construction in Brentwood.⁶
• County plumbing permit fees are separate from municipal building permit fees.¹⁶

Sources

1. Brentwood Department of Building Inspection/Code Enforcement (brentwoodpa.gov)
2. Borough of Brentwood Code, Chapter 210 Zoning (Borough of Brentwood), quoted and re-checked
3. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
4. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
5. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Borough of Brentwood Code, Chapter 85 Construction Codes, Uniform (Borough of Brentwood), quoted and re-checked
9. Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program (alleghenycounty.us)
10. Borough of Brentwood Code, Chapter 210 Zoning (Borough of Brentwood), quoted and re-checked
11. Allegheny County Health Department, Sewage Enforcement Officers (alleghenycounty.us)
12. Article XIV Sewage Management, quoted and re-checked
13. Project Plans and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
14. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Project Plans and Permitting, 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.