Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required; the borough has adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code¹

Building permit fees

Set by council resolution; amounts not in the borough code⁴

Septic permit

Required, issued by the borough's sewage enforcement officer, even on lots of 10 acres or more²⁵

Driveway permit

Borough permit required before work on a driveway or culvert at a borough road³

Owner-builder

No statewide contractor license for most construction work; the building permit still applies⁶

Private wells

Homeowners drilling their own well on their own land are not subject to the driller licensing rule⁷

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 Harveys Lake, PA?

Yes. The Borough of Harveys Lake adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as the borough's building code¹. Pennsylvania's regulations say an owner who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a residential building must first apply to the building code official and obtain the required permit⁸.

Fees are set by council resolution rather than written into the borough code⁴. We could not confirm the current fee schedule, the inspection steps or the owner-builder paperwork, so ask the borough office before you budget⁹.

Who issues building permits in Harveys Lake, and how do you reach them?

The borough decides how the code is enforced: by a borough employee, a third-party agency, an intermunicipal agreement or a contract, set by council resolution from time to time¹. We could not confirm who holds the building code official role today. Start with the Harveys Lake Borough Office at 4875 Memorial Highway, Suite 1, or call (570) 639-3300⁹.

Does Harveys Lake have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Harveys Lake runs its own zoning through a borough zoning officer, and the borough site publishes a zoning map and documents¹⁰. Luzerne County's zoning office administers zoning only for a limited set of other municipalities¹¹, so inside the borough you deal with the borough's zoning officer instead.

We could not confirm the borough's district rules for lot size, setbacks, RV occupancy, tiny homes or accessory dwellings. Get the zoning map and ordinance for your parcel before you buy, and ask the zoning officer in writing.

How do septic permits work in Harveys Lake?

Septic permits inside Harveys Lake are issued only by a sewage enforcement officer employed by the borough². The borough requires a permit to install or repair an on-lot system on any lot, including lots of 10 acres or more that the state exemption would otherwise cover⁵.

That is stricter than the statewide rule, which exempts some owner residences on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres¹². Treat the borough rule as the one that applies on your lot. Luzerne County's soil survey rates only about 2.4% of soils as not limited for a conventional drain field¹³, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system. Contact the borough's sewage enforcement officer¹⁴.

Building a home in Harveys Lake: the steps, in order

1. Get the borough zoning map and confirm the district and any use limits with the zoning officer¹⁰.
2. Apply for a septic permit from the borough's sewage enforcement officer before you design the house around a drain field⁵.
3. Apply for a driveway permit from the borough before grading or building a driveway or culvert at a borough road³. A driveway onto a state highway needs a PennDOT permit instead¹⁵.
4. Apply for the building permit under the Uniform Construction Code¹.
5. Check whether the site lies in a Special Flood Hazard Area, where the municipality issues a floodplain development permit before work starts¹⁶.

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

Zoning for land outside Harveys Lake is a different question; see the Luzerne County page for the county's rules on unincorporated and county-zoned municipalities.

Pennsylvania has no statewide license for most construction contractors, and homeowners drilling their own water wells on their own land are outside the driller licensing rule⁶⁷. Luzerne County's effective property tax rate is about 1.5%, with a median bill of $2,506 a year¹⁷¹⁸. We could not confirm borough rules on private wells, short-term rentals or floodplain mapping, so ask the borough office.

Watch-outs

• Building permit fee amounts in Harveys Lake are set by council resolution and could not be found in the borough code⁴.
• The borough's septic permit rule applies even to lots of 10 acres or more, so the statewide 10-acre exemption should not be assumed⁵.
• Zoning district rules for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks inside the borough could not be confirmed; ask the zoning officer¹⁰.

Sources

1. Borough of Harveys Lake Code, Chapter 7 Building Construction (Borough of Harveys Lake), quoted and re-checked
2. Borough of Harveys Lake Code, Chapter 37 Sewage Disposal Systems, Article I On-Lot Sewage Disposal Facilities (Borough of Harveys Lake), quoted and re-checked
3. Borough of Harveys Lake Code, Chapter 11 Drainage (Borough of Harveys Lake), quoted and re-checked
4. Borough of Harveys Lake Code, Chapter 7 Building Construction (Borough of Harveys Lake), quoted and re-checked
5. Borough of Harveys Lake Code, Chapter 37 Sewage Disposal Systems, Article I On-Lot Sewage Disposal Facilities (Borough of Harveys Lake), quoted and re-checked
6. Contractor Licensing (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Harveys Lake Borough Office (harveyslakeborough.com)
10. Harveys Lake Borough Zoning Officer (harveyslakeborough.com)
11. Zoning | Luzerne County, PA, quoted and re-checked
12. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. 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
14. Harveys Lake Borough Sewage Enforcement Officer (ecode360.com)
15. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
18. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

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.