Building permits, zoning and septic in Point Township, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permits

Required before UCC-covered residential construction begins¹

Zoning

Township zoning applies; ask the Zoning Enforcement Officer for parcel standards²³

Septic permits

Local-agency approval for on-lot sewage; start with the township Sewage Enforcement Officer⁵⁴

Occupancy

UCC-covered residential buildings need a certificate of occupancy before use⁶

Off-grid sanitation

A new home with a composting toilet still needs approved washwater disposal⁷

Subdivision

Township subdivision and land-development regulations apply⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Point Township, PA?

Point Township residential construction covered by Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code requires a building permit before work begins.¹ Point Township also has a Uniform Construction Codes chapter, and the township says most projects require zoning permitting and UCC safety inspections.⁹³ Listed state exemptions for limited work apply only when the work does not violate another law or ordinance, so ask Northeast Inspection Consultants to distinguish building-permit exemptions from township zoning approval for your project.¹³

Who handles building permits and inspections in Point Township?

Point Township identifies Northeast Inspection Consultants as its zoning enforcement and building inspection contact and directs applicants to the firm’s subcode applications page.³ Contact that office early with the proposed work and parcel location to identify the application package.³ For residential construction with a UCC building permit, the permit holder must keep work accessible and notify the code official when inspections are ready; a final inspection is required.¹⁰ A UCC-covered residential building cannot be used or occupied before the building code official issues a certificate of occupancy.⁶

Does Point Township have zoning, including RV and tiny-home rules?

Point Township has its own zoning chapter, so a county-level statement about no county zoning does not establish the rules for a Point Township parcel.² We could not confirm Point Township’s district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks, minimum dwelling size, or permission to occupy an RV or tiny home; ask the township Zoning Enforcement Officer about the exact parcel and intended use.³ Request an answer covering temporary occupancy during construction as well as permanent residence.³ Point Township also regulates subdivision and land development, a separate question to raise if a purchase depends on splitting a tract.⁸

How do septic permits work inside Point Township?

For a Point Township property using an individual or community on-lot sewage system, Pennsylvania generally requires a local-agency septic permit before installation, contracting for construction, construction, occupancy or use, subject to specific exceptions.⁵ Start with the Point Township Sewage Enforcement Officer, whose township-listed hours are by appointment.⁴ Northumberland County’s soils rating is countywide context: only 7.1% of soils are rated not limited for a conventional drain field, which calls for site evaluation rather than a conclusion that septic is impossible.¹¹ A new home using a composting toilet still needs an approved system or disposal method for washwater and excess liquid.⁷

What are the steps to build a home in Point Township?

First, bring the parcel and proposed home use to Point Township’s Zoning Enforcement Officer, and ask about zoning approval and any subdivision review.³⁸ Next, contact the township Sewage Enforcement Officer about the proposed sewage arrangement and any on-lot septic application.⁴⁵ Obtain the required UCC building permit before covered residential construction starts, then keep the work accessible for required inspections.¹¹⁰ Before moving into a UCC-covered home, obtain the certificate of occupancy from the building code official.⁶

What should you check before buying land in Point Township?

Ask Point Township’s zoning and building contact to confirm the proposed use, and ask the Sewage Enforcement Officer whether the sewage plan is feasible before committing to a building layout.³⁴ We could not confirm Point Township’s well, local driveway or floodplain application requirements; ask the township zoning contact to identify the responsible office for the parcel.³ For access involving state highway land or a connection to a PennDOT drainage facility, Pennsylvania requires a highway occupancy permit.¹² For land outside Point Township, use the Northumberland County guide and establish the municipality first, because the township’s zoning answer applies inside Point Township.²

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Point Township’s RV or tiny-home occupancy rules; obtain a parcel-specific answer from the township Zoning Enforcement Officer before planning to live on the land.³
• A composting toilet for a new Point Township home does not remove the requirement for approved washwater and excess-liquid disposal.⁷

Sources

1. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Township of Point, PA Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Point Township), quoted and re-checked
3. Point Township Zoning Enforcement & Building Inspections — Northeast Inspection Consultants (pointtownship.org)
4. Point Township Sewage Enforcement Officer (pointtownship.org)
5. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. 25 Pa. Code § 73.65. Recycling toilet, incinerating toilet or composting toilet (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Township of Point, PA Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Point Township), quoted and re-checked
9. Township of Point, PA Code of Ordinances (eCode360) table of contents (Point Township), quoted and re-checked
10. Part XIV, Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 Administration (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. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 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.