Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Crafton, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the borough's own Chapter 225, run by its zoning officer, planning commission, council and zoning hearing board¹

Building permit

Required; administered by the borough under Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, not by the county²

Subdivision

Regulated by the borough's Chapter 197⁴

Septic

Allegheny County Health Department Sewage Enforcement Officers³

Owner-builder

No statewide contractor license for most construction work; the borough's own owner-builder rule is unconfirmed⁵

Driveway on a state road

PennDOT highway occupancy permit⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Does Crafton, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for your lot?

Yes. The Borough of Crafton adopts and administers Chapter 225 of its code, and a zoning officer, planning commission, borough council and zoning hearing board administer it¹. Zoning in Allegheny County is set by each municipality, so the county does not zone land inside Crafton⁷.

Uses that need extra approval are listed district by district as conditional uses or uses by special exception⁸. Conditional uses are filed with the zoning officer before a planning commission meeting and then go to a council hearing; special exceptions are decided by the zoning hearing board⁹.

We could not confirm Crafton's district use tables, minimum lot sizes, setbacks, or whether RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings are allowed in any district. Ask the borough office about your parcel before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in Crafton, and who issues it?

Yes. Building permits are required in Allegheny County and are issued by the municipality where the work happens, which here is the Borough of Crafton, not the county². Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a permit before construction or building work begins¹⁰.

The Crafton Borough Office is the place to ask for permit forms; we could not confirm its current phone number. For a house, plan on inspections of foundations, plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems, framing and wallboard, plus a final inspection¹¹. A residential building may not be occupied without a certificate of occupancy¹².

Crafton's own fee schedule, and its local rules on owner-builders, are not confirmed here; ask the borough office. A fence, shed or similar small project may need a separate zoning approval even when no building permit is needed, so ask before you start¹³.

How do septic permits work inside Crafton?

Septic permits for on-lot sewage systems in Allegheny County come from the Allegheny County Health Department's Sewage Enforcement Officers under Pennsylvania's Act 537³. A permit is required before any construction of an on-lot system¹⁴.

The borough's building and zoning offices do not issue septic permits. Whether a specific Crafton address is on public sewer or would need an on-lot system is not confirmed here. Where a public sewer is available, the county's sewage rules require connection when a building is within a set distance of it¹⁵.

Call the Allegheny County Health Department Plumbing Program¹⁶ and the Crafton Borough Office before you assume a septic system is possible on a Crafton lot.

Building a home in Crafton: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and whether your use is permitted, conditional or by special exception, with the borough zoning officer⁹.
2. If the lot is not on public sewer, get a septic permit from the county health department before construction¹⁴.
3. File a building permit application with the borough; Pennsylvania requires the permit before work begins¹⁰.
4. If the driveway meets a state highway, the building permit must note that a PennDOT highway occupancy permit is required¹⁷.
5. Keep work accessible for the required inspections and get the final inspection¹¹.
6. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in¹².

What stays with Allegheny County, and what should you check before you buy in Crafton?

Allegheny County handles septic permits and plumbing permits through its Health Department³. For land outside the borough, see the Allegheny County page.

A subdivision or land-development plan inside Crafton falls under the borough's Chapter 197⁴. Building in a floodplain requires documentation prepared and sealed by a registered design professional¹⁸, and the municipality issues the floodplain development permit¹⁹; whether any Crafton parcel is in a flood area was not confirmed, so ask the borough office.

Allegheny County's effective property tax rate is 1.6%²⁰.

Watch-outs

• Crafton's building-permit fees, owner-builder rules, certificate-of-occupancy practice and district dimensional rules were not confirmed, and the borough's Chapter 225 zoning governs your parcel¹; call the Crafton Borough Office before you commit to a purchase.
• Do not rely on Allegheny County's offices for building or zoning approval inside Crafton; the county refers applicants to the municipality where the work will be done².
• Pennsylvania state park campground limits on RV stays do not answer whether you may live in an RV on a lot in Crafton; the borough's zoning rules for RVs were not confirmed²¹.

Sources

1. Borough of Crafton, PA - eCode360 table of contents (Borough of Crafton), quoted and re-checked
2. Allegheny County - Building Permits (2026 county census)
3. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
4. Borough of Crafton, PA - eCode360 table of contents (Borough of Crafton), quoted and re-checked
5. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Land Use Planning, quoted and re-checked
8. Chapter 225 Zoning, Article III Conditional Uses and Uses by Special Exception - Borough of Crafton, PA (Borough of Crafton), quoted and re-checked
9. Chapter 225 Zoning, Article III Conditional Uses and Uses by Special Exception - Borough of Crafton, PA (Borough of Crafton), quoted and re-checked
10. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
11. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Water Pollution Control, quoted and re-checked
15. Article XIV Sewage Management, quoted and re-checked
16. Allegheny County Health Department, Plumbing Program (alleghenycounty.us)
17. Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
18. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
19. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
21. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), 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.