Bolthole Index

Butler County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Slippery Rock Borough, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock Borough, Butler County, Pennsylvania requires a building/zoning permit from the borough Zoning Officer before anyone erects, alters or moves a structure or changes land use1. The borough adopts and enforces its own zoning2, and its code says no on-lot septic systems may be installed inside borough limits3. Rules for land outside the borough sit with the township or Butler County.

At a glance

Building permit
Required: a building/zoning permit from the borough Zoning Officer before work starts1
Building code
Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, adopted by the borough as its Municipal Building Code4
Zoning
Yes, the borough adopts its own zoning ordinance and zoning map25
Septic
New on-lot septic systems are prohibited inside the borough3
Occupancy
Occupancy permit required before using a new or changed building6
Permit fees
Set by Borough Council and paid to the Borough Administrator/Secretary7

Who to call

Zoning

Slippery Rock Borough Code Office and Zoning (Borough Office)

Zoning, building and zoning permit applications and forms inside Slippery Rock Borough

(724) 794-6391

boro.admin@slipperyrockboroughpa.gov

306 E Water St. Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Planning & zoning

Butler County Economic Development & Planning (Planning Commission)

Countywide subdivision and land development review; does not administer zoning, building permits or septic for any municipality

724-285-4731

124 West Diamond Street, PO Box 1208, Butler, PA 16003-1208

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Slippery Rock means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Slippery Rock, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. Slippery Rock Borough adopted its own zoning chapter by ordinance, and Borough Council keeps amending it2. The chapter includes a zoning district article and a zoning map5. The borough office's zoning page lists residential, mixed-use, commercial and light-manufacturing districts plus a Main Street corridor overlay8.

What each district allows is the part that decides your plans. We could not confirm minimum lot sizes, setbacks, height limits, minimum dwelling size, accessory dwellings, tiny-home occupancy or RV and camping rules for Slippery Rock Borough. Ask the Zoning Officer at the borough office for the district your parcel sits in before you make an offer.

Do you need a building permit in Slippery Rock Borough, and who issues it?

Yes. Inside Slippery Rock Borough, no one may erect, alter, move or convert a structure, or change the use of land, until the Zoning Officer issues a building/zoning permit1. The Zoning Officer issues it only after confirming the project conforms to the zoning chapter and that required reviews and approvals are secured1. Applications need scaled plans in duplicate showing the lot, building location and intended use9.

The borough adopted Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code as its Municipal Building Code4. The borough office lists a building permit application, a zoning permit application and a grading permit form8. Fees are set by Borough Council and paid to the Borough Administrator/Secretary when you file7.

How do septic permits work inside Slippery Rock Borough?

They mostly do not, because the borough code states that no on-lot septic systems may be installed within Slippery Rock Borough3. A buyer inside borough limits should plan on a public sewer connection rather than a septic field.

We could not confirm the connection requirements, such as distance or availability conditions, or who administers sewage permits inside the borough. Ask the borough office before you buy. Outside the borough, Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local sewage agency before installing or using an on-lot system10. Private wells are also unconfirmed here.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Slippery Rock Borough?

We could not confirm it. We found no borough rule that answers long-term RV living, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy or manufactured-home placement on private land inside the borough, so treat the answer as unknown rather than allowed. Pennsylvania's state park camping limits do not answer the question for your own lot11. Because the borough zones land and requires an occupancy permit before a changed use6, call the Zoning Officer before parking a living unit on a lot.

Building a home in Slippery Rock Borough: the steps, in order

  1. Ask the borough office which zoning district the parcel is in and what it allows8.
  2. Confirm the sewer connection, since new on-lot septic is prohibited3.
  3. Apply for the building/zoning permit with scaled plans in duplicate9, and pay the fee set by Borough Council7.
  4. Build under the Uniform Construction Code the borough adopted4.
  5. After completion, request the occupancy permit; the Zoning Officer inspects the premises first12.
  6. Do not move in until the occupancy permit is issued6.

What stays with Butler County, and what to check before you buy near Slippery Rock?

Zoning inside the borough is the borough's, not the county's: Butler County's planning office handles subdivision and land-development review and does not administer zoning, building permits or septic for any municipality13. For land outside the borough, see the Butler County page.

A driveway that connects to a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit14. Building in a floodplain requires documentation sealed by a registered design professional15. Butler County's typical home value is about $337,37316 and its effective property tax rate is 1.1%17.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm minimum lot size, setbacks, height limits or RV and tiny-home rules for Slippery Rock Borough; ask the Zoning Officer at the borough office8.
  • The borough code bars new on-lot septic systems, so a lot with no sewer connection may not be buildable3.
  • Slippery Rock Township is a separate municipality with its own offices; do not use its zoning officer for a borough address; the borough office is the one to call8.

Sources

  1. Article XXIII: Administration - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  2. Chapter 375: Zoning - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  3. Chapter 334: Sewers and Sewage Disposal - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  4. Chapter 296: Construction Codes, Uniform - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  5. Chapter 375: Zoning - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  6. Article XXIII: Administration - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  7. Article XXIII: Administration - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  8. Slippery Rock Borough Code Office and Zoning (Borough Office) (slipperyrockboroughpa.gov)
  9. Article XXIII: Administration - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  10. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article XXIII: Administration - Borough of Slippery Rock, PA (Borough of Slippery Rock), quoted and re-checked
  13. Butler County Economic Development & Planning (Planning Commission) (butlercountypa.gov)
  14. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, quoted and re-checked
  15. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  16. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  17. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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 Borough of Slippery Rock

Borough of Slippery Rock’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Erection, alteration, movement, or conversion of a structure or building, and alteration of land use, inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • A building/zoning permit must be issued by the Zoning Officer before the listed activity.
    • The Zoning Officer issues the permit only after determining conformance with Chapter 375 and that required reviews, actions, and approvals have been secured.
    “To determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter, no person shall erect, alter, move or convert any structure or building, or part thereof, nor alter the use of any land, subsequent to the adoption of this chapter until a building/zoning permit has been issued by the Zoning Officer.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction within Slippery Rock borough.

    • The incorporated Uniform Construction Code is amended from time to time.
    “is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Municipal Building Code of the Borough of Slippery Rock.”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Completed new uses in Slippery Rock borough that require an occupancy permit under the zoning ordinance.

    • The Zoning Officer inspects the premises after completion and before issuing the occupancy permit.
    “After completion of the whole building or structure, and upon the sworn application by the owner or his duly authorized agent, setting forth such facts as the Zoning Officer may require, and after actual inspection of the premises by the Zoning Officer, he shall, upon finding the facts to be as represented, issue in duplicate an occupancy permit, certifying that the premises comply with the provisions of this chapter and may be used for the purposes set forth in the permit, which purposes shall conform with the requirements of this chapter.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Buildings or structures erected or altered, or whose use changes, inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • Occupancy follows completion, sworn application, and actual inspection by the Zoning Officer.
    • An occupancy permit remains effective while there is no change of use.
    “No owner, tenant or other person shall use or occupy any building or structure thereafter erected or altered, the use of which shall be changed after the passage of this chapter, without first procuring an occupancy permit, provided that an occupancy permit, once granted, shall continue in effect so long as there is not change of use, regardless of change in the personnel or tenants or occupants.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Slippery Rock borough limits.

    • Chapter 375 was adopted by Borough Council and has subsequent amendments noted where applicable.
    “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Slippery Rock 9-5-1972 by Ord. No. 282; amended and restated 2-2002 (Ch. 27 of the 1983 Code). Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • The published zoning chapter includes Article III, Zoning Districts and Zoning Map.
    “Article III Zoning Districts and Zoning Map”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    On-lot septic sanitation inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • The cited Borough code section is specifically titled as an on-lot-septic prohibition.
    “there shall be no on-lot septic systems installed within the Borough of Slippery Rock”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Zoning permit and hearing applications inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • Fees are established by Borough Council from time to time and are payable to the Borough Administrator/Secretary upon filing.
    “Fees for applications for permits and hearings as required herein and established by Borough Council, from time to time, shall be paid to the Borough Administrator/Secretary upon the filing of such application.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building/zoning permits inside Slippery Rock borough.

    • Applications require duplicate scale plans and the stated lot, building, use, occupancy, and other compliance information.
    • The Zoning Officer issues a permit only after all required reviews, actions, and approvals are secured.
    “All such applications shall be accompanied by plans, in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the actual shape and dimensions of the lot or lots to be built upon, its block and lot number as recorded, the date of official record of any lot or lots on which construction is proposed, the exact size and location of any building, sign, parking or loading area or other physical feature existing or proposed on the lot, the existing and intended use of each building or part of a building, the number of families, dwelling units, employees, offices, or other appropriate units of occupancy which the building is designed to accommodate, and such other information as may be necessary to determine compliance with this chapter.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Slippery Rock or Butler County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Slippery Rock borough.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Slippery Rock borough.
  • Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside Slippery Rock borough.
  • Setbacks — Structures inside Slippery Rock borough.
  • Lot coverage — Lots inside Slippery Rock borough.
15 more unanswered
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • 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 Borough of Slippery Rock publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Butler County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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