Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

At a glance

Building permit

Required everywhere in the county under the statewide Uniform Construction Code, but issued by your township or borough, not Westmoreland County²⁴

Zoning

No countywide zoning; set municipality by municipality, and some townships have none at all¹⁵

Septic permits

Pennsylvania DEP's Act 537 program, administered by your municipality's Sewage Enforcement Officer³⁶

County subdivision review

Westmoreland County reviews subdivisions only for municipalities that haven't adopted their own subdivision ordinance⁷

RV, tiny home, minimum home size

The county sets no rule on RV living, tiny homes or minimum home size; your township or borough may⁸⁹¹⁰

Private well

Homeowners who drill their own well on their own land are exempt from the driller licence and rig permit¹¹

Septic permit exemption

An owner or immediate family member's home on a contiguous tract of 10+ acres can qualify for a septic permit exemption, subject to siting rules¹²

Agricultural building exemption

A qualifying farm building with no habitable space is excluded from the Uniform Construction Code entirely¹³

Owner-builder

Not confirmed at the county level; ask your specific township or borough building office¹⁴

Septic-suitable soil

Only 0.7% of Westmoreland County's soil is rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field¹⁵

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 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?

Yes — Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC) requires a permit before you start work anywhere in Westmoreland County, but the county government itself doesn't issue it²¹⁶. Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may proceed without a permit if an application reaches the building code official within three business days². Enforcement is entirely municipal: each township or borough chose one of three paths for reviewing your application — in-house staff, a contracted inspection company, or Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry — so the right office depends entirely on which municipality your parcel sits in¹⁴. One statewide carve-out matters for rural buyers: a qualifying agricultural building with no habitable space — a barn, hay or feed storage, a milk house, or a poultry or livestock building — is excluded from the UCC entirely, though local zoning, fire and electrical rules can still apply to it¹³. A certificate of occupancy must be issued by the building code official before a covered building can be used¹⁷.

Who handles building permits in Westmoreland County, and how do you reach them?

There's no single Westmoreland County building department — permits are issued by your specific township or borough, and the fastest way to find the right one is the county's own municipal directory, which lists building-inspector information for every municipality¹⁸. If you can't identify the right contact, the county's Department of Planning and Development at 40 N Pennsylvania Ave, 5th Floor, Suite 520, Greensburg, PA 15601, 724-830-3600, can point you to it, though it doesn't issue permits itself¹⁴. The county Roads and Bridges bureau does issue driveway and utility construction permits, but only on county-owned roads; ask the municipality or PennDOT about other roads¹⁹. The county's other real permitting role: it reviews subdivisions and land developments directly, but only for municipalities that haven't adopted their own subdivision ordinance (SALDO); where a municipality has its own, that municipality reviews the plan instead¹⁸. The county updated its own SALDO, effective for applications beginning January 1st, 2026, so check which version applies if your subdivision falls under county review¹⁸.

Does Westmoreland County have zoning?

No — Westmoreland County has no countywide zoning ordinance, and zoning is entirely a municipal decision here¹¹⁴. Some townships and boroughs have adopted their own zoning; others haven't adopted any at all, so "no county zoning" does not mean "no rules" if your specific municipality has one¹⁸. The county's municipal directory is again the tool to use: select your township or borough to see whether it has a zoning ordinance and who administers it¹⁸. Pennsylvania law does let a county zone land in a municipality that has no zoning ordinance of its own, but that county power ends automatically the moment the municipality adopts one, so it's a narrow and temporary backstop, not a general county zoning authority²⁰. Where a municipality has no subdivision ordinance of its own and no zoning, the county SALDO sets a fallback lot standard for new subdivision lots: at least 1 acre and 100 feet of width at the building line with on-lot sewage or water, and side and rear setbacks of 25 feet²¹²². Where a municipal zoning ordinance exists, its lot and setback rules prevail over the SALDO²¹²².

How do septic permits work in Westmoreland County?

Septic systems in Westmoreland County are permitted under Pennsylvania's Act 537 program, and like building and zoning, that authority sits with your municipality's own Sewage Enforcement Officer, not the county; Pennsylvania lets municipalities, joint agencies or county health departments serve as the local agency, so confirm which one covers your parcel³²³. If you can't identify your municipality's officer, the state DEP's Bureau of Water Quality Management field office covering Westmoreland County can help, at 724-925-5500²⁴. Soil is the practical constraint to plan around: only 0.7% of the county's soil is rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so budget for a site evaluation and likely an alternative or engineered system on most parcels¹⁵. Pennsylvania does carve out one exemption worth knowing for larger tracts: an individual system serving an owner or immediate family member's residence on a contiguous tract of at least 10 acres can qualify for a permit exemption, subject to siting distances and other conditions, though the exemption doesn't apply broadly and needs to be verified case by case¹².

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

Westmoreland County has no zoning ordinance, so the county itself sets no rule on RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes, manufactured homes or accessory dwellings on private land⁸⁹²⁵. That does not settle the question, because municipal zoning, building, sewage and health rules may apply⁸. We could not confirm a statewide rule on living in an RV outside a campground. Pennsylvania's state park camping rules cap RV stays at 14 consecutive nights in summer or 21 the rest of the year, but that only governs state park campgrounds, not your own property, so it doesn't answer the question here²⁶. A manufactured home is a closer statewide comparison: Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code doesn't apply to new, properly labeled manufactured housing installed per the manufacturer's design, but relocating, reselling, or altering one after delivery brings the UCC back into play, and none of this resolves whether your township's zoning allows a manufactured home, tiny home or RV as a residence on your specific parcel²⁷. Because zoning here is entirely municipal, and many Westmoreland County townships have no zoning ordinance at all, the answer depends on which municipality your land is in — check the county's municipal directory and call that municipality directly before you buy¹⁸.

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

1. Use the county's municipal directory to identify your township or borough and whether it has adopted zoning and its own subdivision ordinance¹⁸.
2. If your municipality has no subdivision ordinance, your subdivision or land development plan goes to Westmoreland County's Department of Planning and Development instead¹⁸.
3. Contact your municipality's Sewage Enforcement Officer, or the state DEP's Bureau of Water Quality Management field office at 724-925-5500 if you can't identify one, to start the septic siting and permit process before you commit to a building location²⁴²³.
4. Apply for your building permit with your township or borough, using whichever of the three enforcement methods — in-house staff, a contracted inspector, or the state Department of Labor and Industry — that municipality has chosen¹⁴.
5. If a driveway will connect to a state highway, apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit before construction; it's typically issued within about 30 days of a complete application²⁸.
6. If your parcel is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, get a floodplain development permit from your municipality before starting site work²⁹.
7. Complete required UCC inspections and get your certificate of occupancy from your municipality before moving in¹⁶.

What to check before you buy land in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Confirm your target township's zoning and permitting setup first, since it varies parcel to parcel across the county's many municipalities, some with zoning and some without³⁰¹⁴. Soil is the next constraint: with only 0.7% of the county's soil rated free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, plan for a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system before you count on a specific building spot¹⁵. On the upside for a rural buyer, Westmoreland County is heavily wooded and hilly rather than flat farmland — about 68.8% forest cover and 62.6% of land at 15% slope or less — with federal land at just 0.9%, so very little of the county is off-limits to private ownership³¹³²³³. Costs run favorably here: a typical home insurance premium around $923 a year and a median property tax bill near $2,473 at an effective rate of about 1.3%³⁴³⁵³⁶. If your parcel fronts a state highway, budget time for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit before you can put in a driveway²⁸.

Watch-outs

• Westmoreland County has no countywide zoning or building department; the rules that actually apply depend entirely on your specific township or borough, and some have no zoning ordinance at all¹⁴.
• We could not confirm an owner-builder exemption for building permits anywhere in Westmoreland County; the 10-acre exemption that does exist in Pennsylvania law applies only to septic permits, not building permits³⁷¹².
• Homeowners who drill their own well on their own land do not need a driller licence or rig permit, but Pennsylvania has construction standards for public water-supply wells only, not private wells, so test the water¹¹.

Sources

1. Subdivision, Development & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
2. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
3. Sewage Facilities Planning and Permitting Program, quoted and re-checked
4. Westmoreland County FAQ - Who handles building permits (2026 county census)
5. Subdivision, Development & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
6. Municipal On Lot Sewage Service Areas, quoted and re-checked
7. Subdivision, Development & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
8. Westmoreland County Planning FAQs, quoted and re-checked
9. Westmoreland County Planning FAQs, quoted and re-checked
10. Westmoreland County Planning FAQs, quoted and re-checked
11. Private Wells, quoted and re-checked
12. 25 Pa. Code § 72.22. Permit issuance (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Pennsylvania Construction Code Act — Chapter 1 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Westmoreland County Department of Planning and Development (westmorelandcountypa.gov)
15. 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
16. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Apply for a Uniform Construction Code Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
18. Westmoreland County Subdivision and Land Development (SALDO) Review (westmorelandcountypa.gov)
19. Roads & Bridges, quoted and re-checked
20. Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Ordinance #ORD-3-2025, Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
22. Ordinance #ORD-3-2025, Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
23. Westmoreland County FAQ (septic handled by state DEP) (2026 county census)
24. Pennsylvania DEP Bureau of Water Quality Management — Westmoreland County field office (westmorelandcountypa.gov)
25. Westmoreland County Planning FAQs, quoted and re-checked
26. RV and Tent Campsites (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
27. Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, Chapter 403 (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
28. Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
29. PennsylvaniA Floodplain Development Guide (Pennsylvania statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
30. Subdivision, Development & Zoning (2026 county census)
31. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
32. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
33. Federal land share: Bolthole Index county data
34. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data
35. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
36. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
37. Contractor Licensing (2026 county census)

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.