Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required before work begins; issued by the borough Office of Code Enforcement¹²

Zoning

Borough has its own zoning chapter; zoning permit needed first for new buildings and additions³²

Inspections

Applicant must schedule required inspections⁵

Certificate of occupancy

Required before a residential building is occupied⁶

Septic

Permit from the Act 537 local agency; agency for Forty Fort not confirmed⁷⁴

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in Forty Fort, PA?

Yes. Forty Fort borough requires building permits for building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and demolition work inside the borough¹. The borough's application states that building permits must be obtained before work begins, except in an emergency².

This follows from Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code, which the borough applies⁸. Contractors must supply a certificate of insurance, and no permit is issued without one⁹. Residential permits may take up to 15 days to issue, so build that into your schedule².

Who issues building permits in Forty Fort, and how do you reach them?

The Forty Fort Borough Office of Code Enforcement takes building permit applications at 1271 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, PA 18704². Call (570) 287-8586 or email codeenf@fortyfort.org².

The application asks for a plot diagram and plans for new buildings and additions⁹. The permit fee schedule was not published on the pages we reviewed, so ask the office what a given project will cost.

Does Forty Fort have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Forty Fort has its own zoning chapter in the borough code³. New construction, additions, decks, pools and accessory structures need a zoning permit before the building permit can be issued².

We could not confirm the borough's district rules for minimum lot size, setbacks, building height or lot coverage, nor whether RVs or tiny homes may be lived in. Zoning questions go to the Office of Code Enforcement². Luzerne County's own zoning ordinance covers only certain municipalities, so its RV rules should not be assumed to apply inside Forty Fort¹⁰.

How do septic permits work in Forty Fort?

Pennsylvania requires a permit from the local agency before an on-lot sewage system is installed⁷. Under Act 537 the local agency can be a municipality, a group of municipalities or a county health department⁴.

We could not confirm which agency or sewage enforcement officer serves Forty Fort, or whether a lot is on public sewer. The borough's permit form notes that sewer permits may be required for new buildings and additions¹. Ask the Office of Code Enforcement first².

Building a home in Forty Fort: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and a zoning permit with the Office of Code Enforcement².
2. Check whether sewer, stormwater or floodplain permits apply to your site².
3. Apply for the building permit with a plot diagram, plans and contractor insurance certificates⁹.
4. Start work within 180 days of issue and do not stop for more than 180 days without an extension⁵.
5. Schedule each required inspection yourself or confirm your contractor does⁵.
6. Obtain a certificate of occupancy before moving in⁶.

What stays with Luzerne County, and what to check before you buy in Forty Fort

Land outside Forty Fort follows different rules, so use the Luzerne County page for unincorporated or other-municipality land.

Before buying, ask the borough about the zoning district, floodplain mapping and stormwater requirements². A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT permit¹¹. Countywide, only about 2.4% of soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation if the lot is not on public sewer¹².

Watch-outs

• Inspections are the owner's responsibility even when a contractor is hired; unscheduled final inspections can delay the certificate of occupancy⁵¹³.
• We could not confirm Forty Fort's zoning district rules, permit fee schedule, or septic agency; call the Office of Code Enforcement before relying on county or state generalities².
• Search results for Luzerne County zoning mostly describe county-administered municipalities; the borough's own zoning chapter governs inside Forty Fort³.

Sources

1. Forty Fort Borough building permit application (Borough of Forty Fort), quoted and re-checked
2. Forty Fort Borough Office of Code Enforcement (fortyfort.org)
3. Borough of Forty Fort, PA eCode360 table of contents (Borough of Forty Fort), quoted and re-checked
4. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
5. Forty Fort Borough building permit application (Borough of Forty Fort), quoted and re-checked
6. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Uniform Construction Code (UCC) (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Forty Fort Borough building permit application (Borough of Forty Fort), quoted and re-checked
10. Zoning | Luzerne County, PA, quoted and re-checked
11. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. 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
13. Forty Fort Borough building permit application (Borough of Forty Fort), 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.