Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required for UCC-regulated work; the municipality or an owner-hired certified third-party agency handles residential enforcement¹²

Zoning

Zoning approval is municipal; adopted zoning varies by borough or township³

Septic permits

The applicable local agency issues on-lot permits and employs Sewage Enforcement Officers⁵⁶

Large-tract septic exemption

An individual onlot system serving an owner or immediate family on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres can qualify for a permit exemption⁷

Agricultural building exemption

Qualifying farm buildings with no habitable space are excluded from PA's Construction Code Act⁸

Owner-builder

An owner may apply, but there is no confirmed exemption from the permit or third-party enforcement process⁹

Private wells

A homeowner drilling on owned or leased land is exempt from Pennsylvania's commercial well-driller licensing requirement¹⁰

Septic soil difficulty

Only 8.3% of county soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 7, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania?

Yes, for work governed by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, though not from the county government. The UCC regulates building-project codes and standards, and a property owner or authorized representative must obtain the required permit before beginning regulated construction in Huntingdon County¹²¹. The municipality handles enforcement if it participates in the UCC; in an opt-out municipality, the owner or contractor hires a certified third-party agency for residential plan review and inspection¹³. Inspections apply to regulated residential construction and changes to electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and a certificate of occupancy is required before a regulated building is used¹⁴¹⁵. Completed construction cannot connect to public electric or gas service until the permit holder gives the utility written proof that the building passed its required inspections¹⁶. Qualifying agricultural buildings are excluded from the Construction Code Act under specific use and occupancy conditions, but municipal land-use rules may still apply⁸.

Who issues building permits in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania?

Start with the Huntingdon County Planning & Development Department at 205 Penn Street, Suite 3, Huntingdon, PA 16652, or (814) 643-5091¹⁷. The department administers county planning programs and assists municipalities with zoning and subdivision and land-development regulation, but it does not issue building permits, zoning approval or septic permits¹⁷²⁵. Ask the parcel's borough or township whether it issues the UCC building permit or whether the owner must hire a certified third-party agency¹³. The same municipality administers any local zoning approval and floodplain development permit; its local sewage agency and Sewage Enforcement Officer remain responsible for the septic permit³⁴⁵. An owner may apply, but ownership does not create a separate exemption from UCC permitting or third-party review in an opt-out municipality⁹. County subdivision, land-development and sewage-planning reviews may require county fees before review, with additional municipal or state fees possible¹⁸.

Does Huntingdon County have zoning?

Zoning approval is municipal in Huntingdon County: the county's inventory shows that some boroughs and townships have adopted zoning ordinances and others have not³. The County Planning & Development Department assists municipalities but does not administer their zoning ordinances¹⁹. The inventory identifies municipal zoning status but does not supply one countywide zoning map, district boundaries or a complete dimensional schedule²⁰. Pennsylvania directs zoning questions to the township, borough or city where the activity will occur²¹. Before relying on a rural parcel for a house, RV, tiny home or accessory dwelling, ask that municipality whether zoning approval is required and about permitted uses, setbacks, minimum lot area, building height and lot coverage; those parcel-level answers could not be confirmed countywide. Also ask about a local driveway permit because municipal driveway ordinances vary, while access involving state highway land or PennDOT drainage can require a separate state permit²²²³.

How do septic permits work in Huntingdon County?

The applicable local agency, rather than one county sewage office, handles on-lot septic permitting and enforcement through Sewage Enforcement Officers under Pennsylvania's Act 537 program⁵²⁴. The local agency generally issues permits for individual and community on-lot systems and retaining tanks⁶. Obtain the permit before installing a system or occupying a building served by one⁷. A narrow exemption may apply to an owner or immediate-family residence on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres, but owner-of-record, notice, local-ordinance and siting conditions still control⁷. A finished system cannot be covered until the permit issuer approves it; after notice of completion, the statute provides a 72-hour path to covering when permission has not been refused, excluding Sundays and holidays²⁵. For a new home using a composting or incinerating toilet, washwater and excess liquid still require an approved disposal method under the same permit²⁶.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Huntingdon County?

Huntingdon County has no confirmed countywide answer for living in an RV or tiny home on private land. Municipal zoning varies, so ask the borough or township containing the parcel whether residential RV occupancy, temporary camping or a small dwelling is allowed and what setbacks, minimum size and sewage approval apply²⁷²¹. Pennsylvania's state-park campsite limits apply only inside state park campgrounds and do not answer the private-land question²⁸. A labeled manufactured home installed to its approved design follows a distinct state construction-code rule, but utility connections, grading, additions and work beyond that design can remain subject to the UCC; local zoning and septic approval are separate²⁹. The County Planning & Development Department can help direct you to the right municipality when the parcel's jurisdiction is unclear¹⁷.

How do you build a home in Huntingdon County, step by step?

1. Identify the parcel's borough or township, then contact that municipality and County Planning & Development about the reviews, supporting documents and fees that apply³⁰¹⁸.
2. Ask the municipality whether the parcel needs zoning approval and a local driveway permit, and confirm the applicable dimensional rules³²².
3. Contact the municipality's local sewage agency and Sewage Enforcement Officer, then secure the septic permit before installation or occupancy⁵⁷.
4. Ask whether the municipality issues the UCC building permit or whether you must hire a certified third-party agency, then obtain the building permit before regulated work starts¹³¹.
5. Obtain a PennDOT driveway permit if access uses state highway land or connects to a PennDOT drainage facility²³.
6. Ask the municipality whether a floodplain development permit is required. The county inventory shows municipal floodplain/development-permit ordinances across most of Huntingdon County, but each municipality administers its own rule³¹³². Huntingdon Borough requires a building permit for construction or development in its floodplain areas³³.
7. Complete building inspections, obtain the certificate of occupancy, secure approval before covering the septic system, and give the utility inspection proof before completed construction connects to public electric or gas service^14152516.

What should you check before buying land in Huntingdon County?

Septic suitability deserves early attention because only 8.3% of Huntingdon County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹¹. Ask the applicable Sewage Enforcement Officer for a site evaluation before relying on a proposed home site³⁴. Terrain also narrows the practical building area: 46.6% of county land has a slope of 15% or less, while 79.9% is wooded³⁵³⁶. Federal land accounts for 5.4% of the county³⁷. Check municipal driveway rules and whether the proposed access touches state highway land or PennDOT drainage²²²³. Floodplain rules also depend on the municipality: many have floodplain or development-permit ordinances, while the county inventory identifies several as having no floodplains and not participating in the NFIP³⁸. If you plan to divide a tract, county subdivision and land-development review has an application process³⁹. For private water, Pennsylvania exempts a homeowner drilling on owned or leased land from the commercial well-driller licensing requirement¹⁰. Huntingdon County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.9%, with a median annual bill near $1,648 and a typical home value around $181,491⁴⁰⁴¹⁴².

Watch-outs

• Huntingdon County does not issue building permits, zoning approval, septic permits or floodplain development permits; identify the parcel's municipality to find the building-code agency, zoning office, Sewage Enforcement Officer and floodplain administrator²³⁵⁴.
• We could not confirm a countywide rule for permanent RV occupancy on private land in Huntingdon County; ask the parcel's municipal zoning office, because state-park campground limits do not decide private-land occupancy²⁸¹⁷.

Sources

1. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
2. PA Department of Labor & Industry - Uniform Construction Code (2026 county census)
3. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
4. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
5. Huntingdon County Land Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
6. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
7. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
10. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. 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
12. Uniform Construction Code, quoted and re-checked
13. Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
15. Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
16. Uniform Construction Code Chapter 403, quoted and re-checked
17. Huntingdon County Planning & Development Department (huntingdoncountypa.gov)
18. Huntingdon County Land Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
19. HUNTINGDON COUNTY LAND USE ORDINANCES, quoted and re-checked
20. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
21. Local Registrations, Permits, Zoning (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
23. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Huntingdon County Land Development Guide (2026 county census)
25. Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
26. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
27. Planning & Development Department, quoted and re-checked
28. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
29. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
30. Huntingdon County Land Development Guide, quoted and re-checked
31. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
32. Flood Map FAQs, quoted and re-checked
33. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
34. Pennsylvania DEP - Sewage Enforcement Officers (Act 537) (pa.gov)
35. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
36. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
37. Federal land share: Bolthole Index county data
38. Huntingdon County Land Use Ordinances, quoted and re-checked
39. Subdivision and Land Development Review, quoted and re-checked
40. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
41. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
42. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data

Written October 7, 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.