Bolthole Index

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Palmyra Borough, Pennsylvania

Palmyra Borough, Pennsylvania requires a building code permit before construction, issued under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code12. The borough sets its own zoning through Chapter 3803. Septic permits for on-lot systems in Palmyra come from the Lebanon County Planning Department, not the borough4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required; the borough adopted the Pennsylvania UCC and the owner and contractor must obtain the code permit before work12
Zoning
Borough zoning, Chapter 380, with residential, manufactured home park, commercial and industrial zones3
Zoning permit
A copy of any required zoning permit must accompany the code permit application5
Septic
Lebanon County Planning Department, On-Lot Sewage Enforcement; a sewage permit is required46
Manufactured homes
Manufactured home parks are a use in the MHP zone; other zones not confirmed7
Owner-builder
No statewide contractor license for most work on an owner's own residence; borough permits still apply8
RV and tiny home living
Not confirmed; ask the Borough Office3

Who to call

Zoning

Borough of Palmyra Borough Office (zoning questions)

Zoning questions for land inside Palmyra Borough

717-838-6361

325 S Railroad St, Palmyra, PA 17078

Building permits

Borough of Palmyra Building Code Official (Chapter 145)

Code permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy inside Palmyra Borough

Septic permits

Lebanon County Planning Department, On-Lot Sewage Enforcement

On-lot sewage (septic) permits and inspections, including inside Palmyra Borough

717-228-4444

Room 206, Municipal Building, 400 South Eighth Street, Lebanon, PA 17042

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

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Do you need a building permit in Palmyra Borough, Pennsylvania?

Yes. Palmyra Borough adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code in Chapter 145 of its code2. Inside the borough, the owner, any lessee and the contractor share the responsibility to obtain the required code permit before performing work1. The exemptions are those in the state UCC, and more stringent borough ordinances also apply2.

Pennsylvania law requires property owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting work under the UCC9. Qualifying agricultural buildings are excluded from the UCC10.

Who issues building permits in Palmyra, and how do you apply?

The borough's own building code official handles code permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy; the official may be a person or a third-party agency appointed by borough council1112. Lebanon County's Planning Department does not list Palmyra among the municipalities it serves for UCC permits, so do not send a Palmyra application to the county building counter12.

Applications go on forms provided by the building code official. A complete application needs two sets of construction documents, the required fees and a copy of any required zoning permit5. The fee schedule is set by borough resolution and we could not confirm the amounts, so ask the Borough Office at 717-838-636113.

Does Palmyra Borough have zoning, and what does it mean for your lot?

Yes. Palmyra Borough adopts its own zoning chapter, Chapter 380, with low-density residential, town residential, multifamily residential, manufactured home park, mixed use, central business, highway commercial, light industrial and heavy industrial zones plus an airport safety zone3.

Zoning decides what you can build and where, so check your parcel's zone before you buy. Lot sizes, setbacks and minimum dwelling sizes sit in dimensional tables we could not read, so ask the Borough Office, which fields zoning questions at 717-838-63611413.

Manufactured home parks are a permitted use in the MHP zone subject to the borough's park requirements; we did not confirm single manufactured homes in other zones7.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Palmyra Borough?

We could not confirm. Palmyra's zoning chapter is a full set of use zones, so RV occupancy, temporary camping and tiny homes are decided by borough zoning and not by a county or statewide rule3. Statewide rules found for Pennsylvania cover state park campgrounds, which do not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own lot15.

Ask the Borough Office at 717-838-6361 before parking or placing any dwelling on a parcel13.

How do septic permits work in Palmyra Borough?

Septic permits inside Palmyra come from the Lebanon County Planning Department, which enforces on-lot sewage rules for most of the county's municipalities, Palmyra included4. A sewage permit is required to install, replace, repair or alter an on-lot sewage disposal system166. The county's posted fee is $500.00 for a new permit, $400.00 for a major repair and $250.00 for a minor repair16.

We could not confirm whether the borough requires connection to public sewer for a given lot; the borough code has a sewers chapter we did not open, so ask the Borough Office before planning a septic system13.

What stays with Lebanon County, and what should you check before you buy?

Septic permits, and the county subdivision ordinance where it applies, stay with Lebanon County rather than the borough417. Within Palmyra, subdivision and land development fall under the borough's Chapter 31818. For land outside the borough, see the Lebanon County page.

A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit19. Floodplain development in a mapped flood hazard area needs a municipal permit20. Fees, driveway rules and floodplain rules inside the borough were not confirmed, so ask the Borough Office.

Watch-outs

  • Lebanon County's county-level building and zoning pages apply to municipalities the county serves under contract, and the county's building list does not include Palmyra, so confirm with the Borough Office before relying on them12.
  • We could not confirm Palmyra's rules on RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, minimum dwelling size, well permits or permit fees; ask the Borough Office at 717-838-636113.
  • Septic permits inside Palmyra come from the county, not the borough, even though the borough issues the building code permit4.

Sources

  1. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 145 Construction Codes (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  2. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 145 Construction Codes (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  3. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 380 Zoning, Article II Zone Provisions (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  4. Lebanon County Planning Department, quoted and re-checked
  5. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 145 Construction Codes (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  6. On-Lot Sewage Enforcement, quoted and re-checked
  7. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 380 Zoning, Article II Zone Provisions (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  8. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 145 Construction Codes (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  12. Borough of Palmyra Building Code Official (Chapter 145) (ecode360.com)
  13. Borough of Palmyra Borough Office (zoning questions) (palmyraborough.org)
  14. Borough of Palmyra, PA Code Chapter 380 Zoning, Article II Zone Provisions (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  15. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Lebanon County Planning Department, On-Lot Sewage Enforcement (lebanoncountypa.gov)
  17. Lebanon County Planning Department, quoted and re-checked
  18. Borough of Palmyra, PA table of contents (eCode360) (Borough of Palmyra), quoted and re-checked
  19. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  20. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

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 Palmyra

Borough of Palmyra’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, demolition etc. inside Palmyra borough, unless exempted by the UCC

    • A copy of any required zoning permit must accompany the code permit application
    • Exemptions are those in the Pennsylvania UCC
    “it shall be the joint responsibility of the owner, lessee, if any, and the contractor to obtain the required code permit before performing any work.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Palmyra borough

    • Other borough ordinances that are more stringent also apply
    • Applies unless exempted by the Pennsylvania UCC
    “hereby adopts and incorporates by reference the pennsylvania uniform construction code, as contained in 34 pa. code, chapters 401 through 405, and amendments thereto”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside Palmyra borough, performed by the borough's building code official

    • Building code official may be a person or third-party agency appointed by borough council
    “make inspections and require such work to be performed as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the code; issue certificates of occupancy; and enter buildings”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Buildings inside Palmyra borough under the construction code

    • All outstanding permit and inspection fees must be paid before a certificate of use and occupancy issues
    “the applicant shall pay all outstanding permit and inspection fees required during the course of construction prior to the issuance of a certificate of use and occupancy.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Palmyra borough; borough adopts its own zoning chapter (Chapter 380) with LDR, TR, MFR, MHP, MU, CBD, HC, LI, HI zones and an airport safety zone

    “§ 380-14 low-density residential zone (ldr). § 380-15 town residential zone (tr). § 380-16 multifamily residential zone (mfr). § 380-17 manufactured home park zone (mhp).”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Palmyra borough

    • Dimensional tables are attachments to the chapter and were not readable on the page opened
    “§ 380-14 low-density residential zone (ldr). § 380-15 town residential zone (tr). § 380-16 multifamily residential zone (mfr). § 380-17 manufactured home park zone (mhp).”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured home parks inside Palmyra borough, in the Manufactured Home Park Zone (MHP)

    • Subject to § 380-82 requirements
    • Use by right only in MHP zone as seen; other zones not checked
    “(3) manufactured home parks subject to the requirements of § 380-82 of this chapter.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and land development inside Palmyra borough under Chapter 318

    • Only the chapter title was read; contents not opened
    “chapter 318 subdivision and land development (§ 318-1 – § 318-57)”
  • Permit processPartial

    Code permit applications inside Palmyra borough

    • Two sets of construction documents, all required fees and a copy of any required zoning permit are needed for a complete application
    “the application for a code permit shall be on forms provided by the building code official.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Palmyra borough
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Palmyra borough
  • Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Palmyra borough
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Palmyra borough
  • Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Palmyra borough
12 more unanswered
  • 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 Borough of Palmyra publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Lebanon County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Lebanon County: county rules, score and offices