Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ferguson Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Zoning

Township zoning ordinance covers all land inside Ferguson Township¹

Zoning permit

Required before a structure is erected, extended or altered²

Building (code) permit

Required under the state Uniform Construction Code; issuing office not confirmed⁴

Septic

Sewage permit is a prerequisite to the zoning permit³

Agricultural buildings

Some farm structures in the RA district need no zoning permit⁶

Short-term rentals

Limited; owner must live there part of the year⁷

Owner-builder

No statewide contractor license for most construction⁸

Who to call

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

Does Ferguson Township, PA have zoning?

Yes. Ferguson Township enforces its own zoning ordinance on all land inside the township¹. Centre County itself has no countywide zoning ordinance, so the township's rules are the ones that apply to a parcel here⁵.

Within the ordinance, dimensional rules such as lot size, setbacks and height depend on the zoning district, and we could not confirm those figures for each district. Ask the township which district a parcel sits in before you count on RV, tiny-home or accessory-dwelling use. We also could not confirm how the ordinance treats RVs, tiny homes or accessory dwellings.

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

Two approvals apply. First, the township requires a zoning permit before any structure is erected, extended or altered, with exceptions for normal maintenance and minor repairs². An application is treated as approved if the township takes no action within 30 days, and a permit expires after 2 years unless work has started².

Second, Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before starting construction work⁴. State law has the municipality, a certified third-party agency, or the Department of Labor and Industry enforce it, depending on arrangements⁹. We could not confirm which of those handles building-code permits inside Ferguson Township, so ask the township office before you apply¹⁰.

A certificate of occupancy is needed under the state code before a building can be used¹¹. Separately, the township's zoning approval requires a final inspection before a structure is occupied, and the zoning administrator must inspect within 7 days of a request¹².

How do septic permits work in Ferguson Township?

Septic comes first. In Ferguson Township a sewage permit is a prerequisite to issuance of a zoning permit³. Pennsylvania law has local agencies, not the county, issue on-lot sewage permits, with DEP oversight¹³.

We could not confirm which local agency or sewage enforcement officer serves Ferguson Township, or whether parcels here connect to public sewer; ask the township office¹⁰. For a sense of the soils, USDA rates 16.1% of Centre County's soils as not limited for a conventional drain field, a strict rating, so most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system¹⁴.

Can you build farm buildings or live in an RV in Ferguson Township?

Farm structures get some relief. In the Rural Agricultural district, a zoning permit is not required for structures accessory to nonresidential agricultural principal uses, such as corn cribs, lean-tos and silos⁶. Residential structures still need a fee zoning permit, and barns and similar primary farm structures need a nonfee zoning permit⁶. Statewide, a qualifying agricultural building is also excluded from the Construction Code Act, though zoning can still apply¹⁵.

We could not confirm whether the township allows living in an RV on a lot. Pennsylvania's published RV stay limits cover state park campgrounds only and do not answer the question for private land¹⁶. Ask the township office.

Building a home in Ferguson Township: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and permitted uses with the township¹.
2. Get a sewage permit, which is required before the zoning permit³.
3. Apply for the zoning permit; the township checks that other required permits, such as sewage approval, are in place².
4. If the driveway meets a state road, get a PennDOT highway occupancy permit¹⁷.
5. Obtain the Uniform Construction Code building permit from the issuing office the township names⁴.
6. Pass the required inspections and obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in¹⁸.

Subdivision or land development follows the township's own subdivision ordinance and goes through its planning commission¹⁹.

What stays with Centre County, and what to check before you buy

Land outside the township follows other rules; see the Centre County page. Centre County's planning office assists municipalities with their zoning and subdivision ordinances but does not issue building, zoning or septic permits itself²⁰.

Check the floodplain first: land mapped as floodplain is limited to listed uses such as tilling, crops and livestock regardless of its zoning district²¹. Check the state's driveway permit if you front a state highway¹⁷. Pennsylvania has no statewide contractor license for most construction, which matters if you hire out the work⁸. Countywide, the typical home value is $356,480 and the effective property tax rate is 1.1%²²²³.

Watch-outs

• Zoning permits for residential structures carry a fee, and the application is treated as approved if the township does not act within 30 days².
• Short-term rentals are limited: the owner or lessee must occupy the dwelling at least 6 months of the calendar year as a principal residence⁷.
• We could not confirm the township's building-code issuing office, sewage enforcement officer, minimum lot sizes or setbacks; call the township office at (814) 238-4651¹⁰.

Sources

1. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 1 General Provisions (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
2. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 9 Administration and Enforcement (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
3. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 7 Supplemental Regulations (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
4. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
5. Centre County Housing, quoted and re-checked
6. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 9 Administration and Enforcement (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
7. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 7 Supplemental Regulations (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
8. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Ferguson Township municipal office (zoning and planning) (twp.ferguson.pa.us)
11. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
12. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 9 Administration and Enforcement (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
13. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
15. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 9 Administration and Enforcement (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
20. Centre County Planning & Community Development (centrecountypa.gov)
21. Ferguson Township Code, Ch. 27 Zoning, Part 7 Supplemental Regulations (Ferguson Township), quoted and re-checked
22. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

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.