Bolthole Index

Erie County, Pennsylvania

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Wesleyville Borough, Pennsylvania

Wesleyville Borough, in Erie County, Pennsylvania, has its own zoning ordinance, and building or changing a structure starts with a written application to the Borough Zoning Officer12. The Borough adopted Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code as its building code3. Septic permits are a separate, county-level or local-agency matter that we could not confirm for addresses inside the Borough4.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, the Borough has its own zoning ordinance with six districts15
Zoning permit
Written application to the Zoning Officer before building, altering or changing a use2
Building code
Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, adopted by the Borough3
Permit fees
Set by Borough resolution; the zoning permit fee is $35 plus a card fee62
Sewer
Occupied buildings must connect where public sewer is accessible7
Septic / cesspools
Barred where public sewer is accessible; on-lot permits come from a local agency such as the Erie County Department of Health84
Floodplain
Special standards in the mapped Four Mile Creek floodplain9

Who to call

Zoning

Wesleyville Borough Zoning Office

Zoning permit applications inside Wesleyville Borough

(814) 899-9124

zoning@wesleyville.gov

Building permits

Wesleyville Borough Office (code enforcement)

Borough Hall and the code enforcement contact

814-899-9124

code@wesleyville.gov

3421 Buffalo Road, Erie, PA 16510-1813

Septic permits

Erie County Department of Health

Countywide environmental health, including on-lot septic regulation

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 Borough of Wesleyville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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

Wesleyville Borough enforces its own Zoning Ordinance, and land inside the Borough is divided into six districts shown on the official zoning map15. Any use not expressly listed for a district is prohibited there, and permitted uses go through the Zoning Officer10.

Lot size, minimum dwelling size and height depend on the district. Minimum lot area grows for each dwelling unit beyond one in the R-2, R-3 and B-1 districts11, and every principal building has a minimum habitable floor area set by district12. Height limits can rise by up to 50% if yards grow by one foot for each extra foot of height13. We could not confirm district-by-district numbers, so ask the Zoning Officer for the chart that applies to your parcel.

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

Wesleyville Borough adopted Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code3. The state code requires an owner to obtain a building permit before starting construction work14, and a residential building may not be occupied without a certificate of occupancy15.

Before any of that, the Borough's Zoning Officer must receive a written application for any new structure, alteration or change of use2. The Zoning Office lists a $35 permit fee plus a card processing fee2. Fees for code enforcement are set by Borough resolution6. We could not confirm the Borough's step-by-step building permit workflow, so call the Borough Office, which lists a code enforcement contact16.

Who are the Wesleyville zoning and code contacts?

The Zoning Office takes zoning permit applications at (814) 899-9124 or zoning@wesleyville.gov2. Borough Hall is at 3421 Buffalo Road, Erie, PA 16510-1813, and code enforcement reaches the office at code@wesleyville.gov16. The county's planning department is not the office for property inside the Borough; Erie County's own subdivision rules matter only where a municipality lacks its own17.

How do septic permits work inside Wesleyville?

Wesleyville requires occupied buildings to connect to the public sewer wherever it is accessible7, and privies, vaults and cesspools are not allowed in any part of the Borough where public sewer is accessible8. A lot on the sewer therefore does not get a septic system.

Pennsylvania's Act 537 leaves on-lot septic permits to a local agency, which can be a municipality or a county health department4. The Erie County Department of Health regulates on-lot septic systems in the county18, but we could not confirm which agency covers a given address inside the Borough. Call the Erie County Department of Health to ask19.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Wesleyville?

We could not confirm a Wesleyville Borough rule for living in an RV, camping on private land, or placing a tiny home. Because the Zoning Ordinance prohibits any use not expressly listed for a district10, assume these uses need the Zoning Officer's approval before you move one onto a lot2. Erie County regulates campgrounds through permits from its Department of Health, which is not a rule for living in an RV on your own lot20.

Building a home in Wesleyville: the steps, in order

  1. Ask the Zoning Officer which district your parcel is in and whether your use is listed2.
  2. File the written zoning application and pay the fee2.
  3. Check whether the parcel is in the mapped Four Mile Creek floodplain, where special standards apply9.
  4. Confirm sewer access, because connection is required where sewer is accessible7.
  5. Obtain the Uniform Construction Code building permit before work starts14.
  6. Get a certificate of occupancy before anyone lives there15.

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

Septic permitting and the Erie County Department of Health stay at the county level18. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit21. For land outside Wesleyville, see the Erie County page. Erie County's effective property tax rate is 1.6%22.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm the Borough's own building permit workflow, inspection steps or owner-builder rules; ask the Borough Office before you start16.
  • Land in the mapped Four Mile Creek floodplain faces special development standards9.
  • Wesleyville's rules apply inside Borough limits only; land outside is covered on the Erie County page1.

Sources

  1. Part 1: General Provisions - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Wesleyville Borough Zoning Office (wesleyville.gov)
  3. Chapter 5: Code Enforcement - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  4. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  5. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  6. Chapter 5: Code Enforcement - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Part 1: Sewer Connections - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Part 1: Sewer Connections - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  11. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  12. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  13. Part 2: Zoning District and District Regulations - Borough of Wesleyville, PA (Borough of Wesleyville), quoted and re-checked
  14. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
  15. Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
  16. Wesleyville Borough Office (code enforcement) (wesleyville.gov)
  17. Subdivisions and Land Development, quoted and re-checked
  18. Municipal On-Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
  19. Erie County Department of Health (eriecountypa.gov)
  20. Campgrounds | Erie County, PA, quoted and re-checked
  21. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit, quoted and re-checked
  22. 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 Wesleyville

Borough of Wesleyville’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction subject to the Borough's municipal building code inside Wesleyville Borough.

    • The adopted code is the Uniform Construction Code in 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 to 405, as amended from time to time.
    “The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 to 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of the Borough of Wesleyville.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Wesleyville Borough.

    • Uses and development remain subject to the Borough zoning ordinance and district regulations.
    “The official title of this chapter is the "Wesleyville Borough Zoning Ordinance." This chapter shall take effect on November 8, 1989.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Wesleyville Borough.

    • The districts are shown on the official zoning map; five are shown by map boundaries.

    zoning district count: 6

    “Wesleyville Borough is divided into six districts, five of which are shown by the district boundaries on the Zoning Map, and shall be known as:”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Principal buildings and structures in Wesleyville Borough zoning districts.

    • The numerical basic-development-standards chart is incorporated as an attachment to Chapter 27 and was not rendered in the opened official page.
    “All principal buildings and structures shall have the minimum unit size with the habitable floor area indicated for each dwelling unit or business unit as applicable. In no case shall the habitable floor area be less than 100 square feet per resident and/or employee on a maximum shift as applicable.”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Lots in Wesleyville Borough zoning districts.

    • In R-2, R-3, and B-1, indicated minimum lot area increases for each dwelling unit over one.
    • parameters are governed by the Basic Development Standards chart.
    “Minimum lot area shall be exclusive of street rights-of-way or access easements. In the R-2, R-3 and B-1 Districts, minimum lot area shall increase the square feet indicated for each dwelling unit over one.”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Buildings in Wesleyville Borough zoning districts.

    • Height may increase up to 50% when minimum yards increase one foot for every additional foot of height.
    • Listed towers, spires, belfries, tanks, fire towers, mechanical apparatus, and other named structures are exempt if they do not hazard an established airport.

    maximum height increase: <= 50 percent (All minimum front, side and rear yard depths must increase one foot for each additional foot of height.)

    “When the following conditions are met, height limits may be increased up to a 50% increase over those specified. Building height in excess of the height above the ground level allowed in any district may be permitted, provided all minimum front, side and rear yard depths are increased one foot for each additional foot of height.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Privies, privy vaults, cesspools, and similar sewage receptacles where public sewer is accessible inside Wesleyville Borough.

    • The prohibition is limited to portions of the Borough where a public sewer is accessible or capable of attachment or use.
    “No privy, privy vaults, cesspool or other similar receptacle for sewage will be constructed, maintained, or used in any part of the Borough where a public sewer is accessible or capable of being attached to or used.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Occupied buildings and premises inside Wesleyville Borough that are accessible to the public sewer.

    • The connection duty applies where the premises are accessible to the public sewer.
    • parameters are not a general requirement for public-water connection.
    “All dwelling houses, stores, churches, schools or other occupied buildings, or any premises accessible to the public sewer in the Borough, shall be connected with said sewer, and said sewer shall be maintained in accordance with specifications approved by resolution of Borough Council.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Uses and structures in the mapped Four Mile Creek 100-year floodplain inside Wesleyville Borough.

    • The mapped floodplain area is subject to special development standards and Chapter 9 floodplain regulations.
    “The Floodplain District, as mapped specifically (officially) within the aforementioned FIRM study, shall be considered an area whereby all uses and structures are subject to special development standards. All uses and structures shall be regulated by Chapter 9, Floodplain Regulations, to protect the health, safety and welfare of the Borough's residents and businesses.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Borough administration and enforcement of its Uniform Construction Code.

    • Fees are established from time to time by Borough resolution.
    “Fees assessable by the Borough for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this Part and the code shall be established from time to time by resolution.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Uses authorized under the Wesleyville Borough zoning ordinance.

    • Permitted uses require normal application procedures through the Zoning Officer.
    • The opened materials did not provide a general construction-permit application workflow.
    “Any use not expressly listed for a district, or uses which the Zoning Officer cannot interpret as being of the same classification as a listed use, are prohibited within the district. Permitted uses require normal application procedures through the Zoning Officer.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — General residential building construction inside Wesleyville Borough.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Wesleyville Borough.
  • Inspections — General residential building construction inside Wesleyville Borough.
  • Certificate of occupancy — General residential occupancy inside Wesleyville Borough.
  • Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Wesleyville Borough.
10 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • 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 Wesleyville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Erie County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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