Bolthole Index

Erie County, Pennsylvania

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

Girard Township, Pennsylvania (Erie County) runs its own zoning, and its zoning administrator says nearly everything built above ground needs a township zoning permit12. A state Uniform Construction Code building permit may also be required, depending on what you build1. Septic permits are a separate track under Pennsylvania's Sewage Facilities Act, and we could not confirm which agency serves Girard Township.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, Girard Township adopted its own zoning chapter2
Zoning permit
Required for nearly every above-ground structure, movable or not1
Building permit
State UCC permit may also be required; the zoning administrator says at application13
A-1 Agricultural lots
1.5 acres minimum lot area, 150 feet minimum lot width4
Septic
Permit required under Pennsylvania Act 537; local agency to confirm5
Driveway permit
Township driveway permit for township roads; PennDOT permit for state highways16
Property tax
Erie County effective rate about 1.6%7

Who to call

Zoning

Girard Township Zoning Administrator

Zoning permits, stormwater applications and township-road driveway permits in Girard Township

(814) 774-4738

10140 Ridge Road

Septic permits

Erie County Department of Health

Countywide environmental health; on-lot septic regulation under Act 537

814-451-6700

ecdhinfo@eriecountypa.gov

606 West Second Street, Erie, PA 16507

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 Girard Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Girard Township have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Girard Township adopted its own zoning chapter, and the Board of Supervisors enforces it2. The township keeps an official Zoning Map on file at the township offices, so check the map for your parcel's district before you buy8.

Dimensional rules depend on the district. In the A-1 Agricultural District, the minimum lot area is 1.5 acres and the minimum lot width is 150 feet4. A-1 setbacks are 35 feet in front, 25 feet on the sides and 50 feet in the rear9, and A-1 buildings can cover at most 20 percent of the lot10 and rise to 40 feet11.

In the R-1 Residential District, a single-family lot needs 25,000 square feet with public sewer or 37,000 square feet with on-lot sewer12. R-1 coverage is capped at 25 percent13.

We did not confirm the township's rules for living in an RV or tiny home on a lot, so ask the zoning administrator before you plan around either.

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

Start with a zoning permit from the township. The Girard Township zoning administrator says that anything above ground, whether movable or not, needs one, including fences, decks, carports, sheds and pools1. Conditional uses go to a hearing before the Board of Supervisors14.

A building permit is a second step for many projects. Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before construction work starts3, and the township says the zoning administrator will tell you at the zoning-permit stage whether the UCC applies to your project1. Certificates of occupancy are also required for UCC-regulated buildings15.

Pennsylvania lets a property owner work on their own primary home without a general contractor license16, but that does not waive the permits.

How do septic permits work in Girard Township?

A septic system needs a permit before a building served by it can be built or occupied in Pennsylvania17. Pennsylvania DEP oversees the program, and local agencies handle on-lot permitting and enforcement18.

In Erie County that role sits with the Erie County Department of Health under Act 53719. The official sources we reviewed do not list which agency serves each municipality, so confirm with the Erie County Department of Health, or the township office, before you rely on it18.

Soils matter here. Erie County's farm and woodland soils rate poorly for conventional drain fields, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system20. Septic permits are the same for any address in the township, zoned or not.

What about driveways, stormwater and floodplains in Girard Township?

A new driveway on a township road needs a driveway permit from the township office, and the fee is $25.001. The township roadmaster decides whether a pipe is needed and checks line of sight. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit instead6.

Projects that add impervious surface need a stormwater management application filed with the zoning permit, and the township says gravel counts as impervious1.

Development inside a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area requires a floodplain development permit21.

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

  1. Find the parcel's zoning district on the township's Zoning Map and check the lot-size and setback rules for it8.
  2. Confirm sewer or septic. If the parcel is on-lot, start the septic permit with the local sewage agency17.
  3. Apply to the township zoning administrator for a zoning permit and file the stormwater application with it1.
  4. Get a UCC building permit if the zoning administrator says your project needs one1.
  5. Get a driveway permit from the township, or from PennDOT on a state highway1.
  6. Pass the required inspections and obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in15.

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

The county does not issue zoning or building permits inside the township; those run through the township office1. What stays with the county and state is septic, floodplain rules and subdivision review where the county ordinance applies. For land outside Girard Township, see the Erie County page.

Before buying, check the district on the Zoning Map, confirm sewer or septic with the health department, and look at the flood map. Erie County's effective property tax rate is about 1.6 percent7, and its median property tax bill is about $2,754 a year22. Those figures cover the whole county, not just Girard Township.

Watch-outs

  • The township says nearly every above-ground structure needs a zoning permit, including sheds and fences, so confirm before you build even a small structure1.
  • We could not confirm which agency issues septic permits inside Girard Township; call the Erie County Department of Health at 814-451-670023 before you rely on a septic plan.
  • We could not confirm any township rule on living in an RV or tiny home on private land; ask the zoning administrator at (814) 774-47381.

Sources

  1. Girard Township Zoning Administrator (girardtownship.com)
  2. Chapter 200: Zoning - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  4. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  6. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, quoted and re-checked
  7. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  8. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  10. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  13. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. Article III: District Descriptions - Township of Girard, PA (Girard Township), quoted and re-checked
  15. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  16. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Erie County Three-Year Plan 2022-2024 — Environmental Health Services, quoted and re-checked
  19. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  20. 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
  21. Pennsylvania Floodplain Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
  22. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Erie County Department of Health (eriecountypa.gov)

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 Girard Township

Girard Township’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Girard Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

    • The code identifies amendments where applicable.
    “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Girard 10-11-2005. Amendments noted where applicable.]”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts inside Girard Township.

    • The official Zoning Map is kept on file at Township offices; annexed territory is automatically zoned R-1 until otherwise classified.
    “A map entitled the "Girard Township Zoning Map" is hereby adopted as part of this chapter. The official Zoning Map shall be kept on file and available for examination at the Township offices.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside Girard Township.

    • The adopted chapter includes plan-submission procedures, preliminary and final-plan provisions, and stated exceptions for minor subdivisions and replats.
    “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Girard 10-11-2005. Amendments noted where applicable.]”
  • Permit processPartial

    Zoning-related development applications inside Girard Township.

    • This claim concerns zoning conditional-use process only, not the separate building-permit process.
    “Conditional uses may be granted or denied by the Board of Township Supervisors with the advice of the Planning Commission in accordance with the express standards and criteria of this chapter.”

Rules another office applies inside Girard Township

Girard Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family dwellings, home occupations, and family/group day-care homes in the R-1 Residential District inside Girard Township.

    • The lot-area standard differs between public-sewer and on-lot-sewer columns.

    minimum lot area with public sewer: 25000 square feet · minimum lot area with on-lot sewer: 37000 square feet

    “Minimum lot area | 25,000 square feet | 1.5 acres | 37,000 square feet | Minimum lot width | 80 feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family dwellings, home occupations, and family/group day-care homes with public sewer in the R-1 Residential District inside Girard Township.

    • The table supplies distinct yard standards for other-use and on-lot-sewer columns.

    minimum front yard: 35 feet (public-sewer column) · minimum side yard: 35 feet (public-sewer column) · minimum rear yard: 30 feet (public-sewer column)

    “Minimum front yard | 35 feet | 35 feet | 35 feet | Minimum side yard | 35 feet | 30 feet | 25 feet”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Uses in the R-1 Residential District inside Girard Township.

    • The table presents public-sewer, other-use, and on-lot-sewer columns, each with the stated coverage percentage.

    maximum coverage: 25 percent

    “Maximum height | 40 feet | 40 feet | 40 feet | Maximum coverage | 25% | 25% | 25%”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    Uses in the R-1 Residential District inside Girard Township.

    • The table presents public-sewer, other-use, and on-lot-sewer columns, each with the stated height.

    maximum height: 40 feet

    “Maximum height | 40 feet | 40 feet | 40 feet | Maximum coverage | 25% | 25% | 25%”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Girard Township or Erie County directly.

  • Building permit — Residential building construction inside Girard Township.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing inside Girard Township.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Girard Township.
  • Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Girard Township.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Girard Township.
15 more unanswered
  • Minimum dwelling size
  • Living in an RV
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • 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 Girard Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Erie County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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