Bolthole Index

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Steelton, Pennsylvania

The Borough of Steelton in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania has its own zoning ordinance1 and requires building permits filed with the borough Codes Department2. Residential applications must be approved within 15 business days2. Septic permits come from a local agency under state law, and we could not confirm which agency serves Steelton3.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; filed in person with the Steelton Codes Department24
Zoning
Borough zoning ordinance covers all land inside Steelton1
Building code
Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code; borough page names the 2015 IBC5
Minimum dwelling size
600 sq ft of habitable floor area for a new dwelling unit6
Septic
Local-agency permit under state law; agency for Steelton not confirmed3
Extra dwelling unit
One unit inside an existing owner-occupied building, at least 400 sq ft7

Who to call

Building permits

Borough of Steelton Codes Department

Building permits and zoning permits inside Steelton borough; applications are submitted in person on the 3rd floor

123 N. Front Street, Steelton, PA 17113

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

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Steelton, PA have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and lot size?

Yes. The Borough of Steelton has its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 120 of the borough code, and it covers all land inside the borough1. The ordinance publishes zoning districts and a zoning map8. Dauphin County does not zone for its municipalities; each township and borough sets its own rules, so a parcel in Steelton answers to the borough, not the county9.

One rule applies in every district: a new dwelling unit must have at least 600 square feet of habitable floor area6. A tiny home below that 600-square-foot floor would not meet the borough minimum for a dwelling6. We could not confirm borough rules on RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes or manufactured homes, so ask the Codes Department before you commit to a lot.

An additional dwelling unit is allowed only as a conversion: one extra unit completely within an existing building, owner-occupied, with an affidavit before the zoning permit7. The extra unit must be at least 400 square feet7.

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

Yes. Building work inside Steelton borough needs a permit filed with the borough Codes Department2. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code applies statewide10, and the borough's own page names the 2015 International Building Code5.

Permits are submitted in person at 123 N. Front Street, 3rd floor11. The borough lists applications for residential, commercial, demolition, zoning, street cut and sanitary sewer connection permits, plus a zoning hearing board application4. Commercial permits are processed and inspected by CCIS, and residential applications must be approved within 15 business days2.

A certificate of occupancy is required before a building subject to the code can be used12. Dauphin County itself does not issue building permits for Steelton addresses9.

How do septic permits work in Steelton?

Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local agency before installing, building or occupying a structure served by an onlot sewage system3. A local agency can be a municipality, a group of municipalities, the county or a county health department13.

Steelton's zoning ordinance makes a certificate or statement of adequacy for on-lot disposal a prerequisite to a zoning permit, but it does not name the agency that issues it14. We could not confirm which agency serves Steelton, so ask the borough Codes Department and the Pennsylvania DEP regional office before you rely on a lot for on-lot sewage. Many lots inside a borough connect to public sewer instead; the borough lists a sanitary sewer connection permit among its applications4.

Building a home in Steelton: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district on the borough zoning map and the use lists in Chapter 1208.
  2. Check the 600-square-foot minimum dwelling size6.
  3. Settle sewage: public sewer connection or an on-lot system with its local-agency permit43.
  4. Apply in person at the Codes Department for the zoning and building permits4.
  5. If the driveway meets a state highway, a PennDOT highway occupancy permit is needed before access is allowed15.
  6. Pass the required inspections and obtain the certificate of occupancy1612.

What stays with Dauphin County and the state (and what to check before you buy)?

The borough decides zoning and building permits inside its limits1. For land outside the borough, see the Dauphin County page.

Building in a mapped floodplain triggers a municipal floodplain development permit and documentation sealed by a registered design professional17. Pennsylvania's private well rules do not require homeowners drilling their own well to hold a driller license18, but we could not confirm any Steelton borough well rule. Dauphin County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%19.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm which agency issues on-lot septic permits inside Steelton; ask the Codes Department before you buy a lot without public sewer14.
  • The borough page names the 2015 International Building Code, and we could not confirm which newer edition the borough has adopted5.
  • We could not confirm Steelton rules on RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks by district; the zoning ordinance holds those tables8.

Sources

  1. Chapter 120: Zoning - Borough of Steelton, PA - eCode360 (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  2. Permits FAQs - Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  3. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  4. Permits FAQs - Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  5. Permits FAQs - Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  6. Steelton Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 2009-6), Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  7. Steelton Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 2009-6), Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  8. Chapter 120: Zoning - Borough of Steelton, PA - eCode360 (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  9. Dauphin County 2016 Assessment of Fair Housing, quoted and re-checked
  10. Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Borough of Steelton Codes Department (steeltonpa.com)
  12. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  13. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  14. Steelton Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 2009-6), Borough of Steelton (Borough of Steelton), quoted and re-checked
  15. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, quoted and re-checked
  16. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  17. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  18. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Borough of Steelton

Borough of Steelton’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Building work inside Steelton borough, filed with the borough Codes Department

    • Permits submitted in person at 123 N. Front Street, 3rd floor.
    • Commercial permits are processed and inspected by CCIS.
    • Residential applications must be approved within 15 business days; commercial within 30.
    “in accordance with the adopted uniform construction code (ucc), residential permit applications must be approved within 15 business days.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Steelton borough

    • Borough page names the 2015 IBC and the adopted Uniform Construction Code; newer edition adoption not verified.
    “the 2015 international building code 2015 (ibc 2015). it is a model code produced by the international code council (icc).”
  • Local zoningPresent

    All land inside Steelton borough

    • Zoning ordinance amended in its entirety by Ord. 2009-6; later amendments include Ord. 2020-4 (12-07-2020).
    “adopted by the borough council of the borough of steelton 9-12-1960 by ord. no. 60-6, approved 9-12-1960”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    All land inside Steelton borough

    • Article V (§ 120-30 zoning districts) and a zoning map are published; the district list was not captured here.
    “article v districts established § 120-30 zoning districts.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    New dwelling units in all zoning districts inside Steelton borough

    • Apartments: at least 300 sq ft each, or 150 sq ft if designed for and occupied exclusively by one person.

    minimum habitable floor area, dwelling unit: >= 600 sq ft

    “the minimum habitable floor area of a dwelling unit hereafter erected shall be 600 square feet.”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Conversion of an existing dwelling to add one additional dwelling unit inside Steelton borough (district not identified)

    • Only one additional unit, completely within an existing building.
    • Owner must reside; affidavit required before zoning permit.
    • Additional unit connected to the principal dwelling's utilities; one added off-street parking space.

    minimum additional unit floor area: >= 400 sq ft (not more than 30% of total habitable floor area)

    “(b) the dwelling in question shall be owner occupied during the duration of the conversion. (c) the additional dwelling unit shall contain at least four hundred (400) square feet of floor area.”
  • Septic permitLimited

    On-lot sewage disposal inside Steelton borough

    • Applies to on-lot disposal; the agency issuing the approval is not named in the ordinance text read.
    “a certificate or statement of adequacy from the appropriate agency, or the pennsylvania department of environmental resources, editor's note: said department was split in 1995 into the department of environmental protection and the department of conservation and natural resources. shall be a prerequisite to the issuance of a zoning permit.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Permit applications inside Steelton borough

    • Borough lists residential, commercial, demolition, zoning, street cut and sanitary sewer connection permit applications and a zoning hearing board application.
    • Blanket permit issued for multi-phase jobs; bond required only for street cut permits.
    “a permit must be submitted in person. the codes department is located at 123 n. front street, steelton, pa 17113”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Steelton borough
  • Inspections — Inspections inside Steelton borough
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy inside Steelton borough
  • Minimum lot size — R-1 and other districts inside Steelton borough
  • Setbacks — R-1 and other districts inside Steelton borough
17 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Steelton publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Dauphin County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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