Building permits, zoning and land rules in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required before work covered by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code begins¹

Building inspections

Required for covered residential construction and listed building systems⁶

Zoning

No countywide zoning; eight municipalities have their own ordinances³⁴

Septic permit

Issued by the applicable local agency for most on-lot systems⁷

RV or tiny-home living

Not confirmed countywide; ask the parcel's municipality before relying on it⁸

Owner-builder exemption

We could not confirm a general exemption; ask the local building-code official⁹

Private well

Commercial drillers need state licensing and permits; homeowners drilling their own well are exempt from that requirement¹⁰

Certificate of occupancy

Required before a building or facility covered by the code can be used¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

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

Yes. Mifflin County property owners must obtain a construction or building permit before starting work covered by Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code¹. The enforcing authority can be the municipality, a certified third-party agency, or the state, depending on the municipality and project¹. Inspections are necessary for covered residential construction and listed electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, pool, hot-tub, manufactured-housing, and industrialized-housing work⁶. A qualifying agricultural building is excluded from the state Construction Code Act, but the exemption does not cover habitable space and does not erase zoning, health, environmental, or other applicable rules¹². A Uniform Construction Code certificate of occupancy must be issued before a covered building or facility can be used, generally within 5 business days after a compliant final inspection report¹³.

Who issues building permits in Mifflin County, and how do you reach them?

Mifflin County does not operate one building-permit counter for every municipality. Bureau Veritas handles building permits for Armagh, Bratton, Brown, Decatur, Derry, Oliver, Union, and Wayne townships and Newton Hamilton Borough; its county-listed office is at 75 Reserve Lane, Lewistown, with phone (717) 242-0992². Burnham Borough, Granville Township, Juniata Terrace Borough, Kistler Borough, Lewistown Borough, McVeytown Borough, and Menno Township direct applicants to contact the municipality itself¹⁴. Start by confirming the parcel's municipality, then ask that permit contact which applications, plans, fees, and inspections apply to the exact project. The permit must be obtained before covered work begins, while an emergency repair or equipment replacement has a narrow procedure requiring an application to the building-code official within three business days¹.

Does Mifflin County have zoning?

Mifflin County has no countywide zoning ordinance³. Brown Township, Burnham Borough, Derry Township, Granville Township, Kistler Borough, Lewistown Borough, McVeytown Borough, and Union Township have adopted their own zoning ordinances⁴. For land in one of those municipalities, ask the municipality about allowed uses, setbacks, minimum lot area, dwelling size, accessory structures, RV occupancy, and any zoning approval needed before the building permit. The county's Planning and Development page directs zoning questions to the respective municipality and lists its general county contact at 20 North Wayne Street, Lewistown, phone 717-248-6733¹⁵. No countywide zoning does not mean a parcel is unrestricted: building-code, sewage, floodplain, subdivision, access, and municipal requirements can still apply¹⁷¹⁶.

How do septic permits work in Mifflin County?

Septic permits are issued by the applicable local agency, and the municipality's Sewage Enforcement Officer, not the building-permit office, handles on-lot sewage permitting and enforcement in Mifflin County, rather than one county septic authority¹⁷. Local agencies issue permits for most retaining tanks and individual or community on-lot sewage systems; large-volume systems are an exception to that responsibility⁷. Ask the parcel's township or borough for its current Sewage Enforcement Officer, or use Pennsylvania DEP's active-officer directory by county¹⁸. A permit generally must be obtained before installation, construction, occupancy, or use of a building served by an on-lot system, subject to the state's specific exceptions¹⁹. Only 11.1% of Mifflin County soils lack severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make soil testing and system feasibility a purchase contingency²⁰. A new residence using a composting or incinerating toilet still needs an approved method for washwater or excess liquid²¹.

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

We could not confirm one countywide rule allowing residential RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy on private land in Mifflin County. Ask the parcel's township or borough for a written answer covering the proposed structure, length of occupancy, use while building, setbacks, sewage, water, and utility connections because Pennsylvania directs zoning questions to the municipality where the activity occurs⁸. State-park camping limits do not answer the private-land question; those limits apply only in Pennsylvania state park campgrounds²². A manufactured home is also subject to code rules for work beyond its approved design, utility connections, additions, relocation, resale, and some occupancy changes²³. If the parcel is in a municipality with local zoning, obtain its current ordinance and zoning map before buying⁴.

Building a home in Mifflin County: the steps, in order

1. Identify the parcel's township or borough and request its current zoning, setback, lot-size, and dwelling-use requirements⁸.

1. Contact Bureau Veritas or the municipality shown on Mifflin County's permit-routing page and confirm the required plans and approvals²¹⁴.

1. Contact the municipality's Sewage Enforcement Officer and secure the required on-lot sewage approval before relying on the site as buildable⁷¹⁸.

1. Apply for the Uniform Construction Code permit before starting covered work¹.

1. Schedule the inspections required for the permitted construction⁶. If the driveway occupies state-highway land or connects to PennDOT drainage, obtain the separate highway occupancy permit²⁴.

1. Obtain the Uniform Construction Code certificate of occupancy before using the completed building or facility¹¹.

What should you check before buying land in Mifflin County?

Confirm the municipality, zoning status, legal access, sewage feasibility, water plan, floodplain, and subdivision history before closing. Mifflin County's subdivision ordinance applies in Bratton Township, Juniata Terrace Borough, Kistler Borough, McVeytown Borough, Newton Hamilton Borough, and Wayne Township, while other listed municipalities use their own ordinances²⁵. Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area requires a municipal floodplain-development permit before work begins¹⁶. A driveway involving state-highway land or PennDOT drainage requires a highway occupancy permit²⁴. Pennsylvania licenses and permits commercial well drillers but exempts farmers and homeowners who drill their own water wells on owned or leased land from that licensing requirement¹⁰. Mifflin County is 70.2% wooded, and 49.8% of its land has a slope of 15% or less, so verify clearing, grade, access, and septic conditions on the specific building site²⁶²⁷.

Watch-outs

• Do not mistake the absence of countywide zoning for freedom from municipal zoning; eight Mifflin County municipalities have adopted their own ordinances⁴.
• Do not begin covered construction before the permit is issued; the emergency-repair procedure still requires an application within three business days¹.
• Most Mifflin County soils have severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so acreage alone does not establish that an on-lot system will work²⁰.
• Private-land RV living, tiny-home occupancy, and a general owner-builder exemption were not confirmed countywide; ask the parcel's municipality and building-code official for written answers⁸⁹.

Sources

1. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
2. Bureau Veritas (mifflincountypa.gov)
3. Mifflin County - Zoning, quoted and re-checked
4. Mifflin County - Zoning, quoted and re-checked
5. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
6. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
7. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
8. Local Registrations, Permits, Zoning (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Contractor Licensing (2026 county census)
10. Apply for a Water Well Drillers License and Rig Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
12. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. PART XIV, quoted and re-checked
14. Parcel's municipality (mifflincountypa.gov)
15. Mifflin County Planning and Development Department (mifflincountypa.gov)
16. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
18. Municipal Sewage Enforcement Officer (pa.gov)
19. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. 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
21. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. Mifflin County - Subdivision Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
26. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
27. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 9, 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.