Off-Grid Living in Cameron County, Pennsylvania

Cameron County, Pennsylvania is a sparsely populated, heavily forested corner of the state, and I get why off-gridders are drawn to it. But the permitting picture here is a little unusual, so let me walk through what I found in official sources.

Zoning is split by jurisdiction. For Shippen Township and Driftwood Borough, the Cameron County Zoning Ordinance applies, and the County Planning Commission handles subdivision and land development review under the county's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. But Emporium Borough runs its own separate zoning ordinance. Before you buy land or plan a build, you need to figure out which of those two authorities actually covers your parcel, because the rules and contacts differ.

Permitting order matters here. Cameron County's own guidance lays out a sequence: sewage permit first, then zoning approval, then the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) building permit. This applies to any dwelling, including mobile homes and recreational cabins. If you're on a state-maintained road, you may also need a Highway Occupancy Permit from PennDOT before cutting a new driveway.

Tiny homes and RVs as permanent dwellings aren't specifically addressed in any county document I found. The county does mention a "recreational cabin" exclusion path under the state UCC, administered through the township, which is worth asking the Zoning Officer about directly. Beyond that, Cameron County appears to inherit the state UCC baseline without its own local carve-outs.

Septic and greywater are handled the old Pennsylvania way, meaning through a local Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) rather than a county health department, under the statewide Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537), with technical oversight from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). For the Cameron County / Jones Township area, Russ Braun is named as the SEO to contact for soils testing. Greywater isn't separately addressed locally, so it's regulated as sewage under that same state framework.

Rainwater harvesting has no county-specific rule I could find; treat it as governed by state DEP baseline guidance on non-potable use, and confirm anything questionable with the county.

Private wells are permitted, and Pennsylvania doesn't regulate private well water quality after drilling. The Cameron County Conservation District (Todd Deluccia) is your local resource for well and water questions, and DEP's Moshannon District Office covers water testing referrals for the county.

Off-grid utility independence (no grid tie, no municipal water/sewer hookup) isn't mandated anywhere in county material I found. It likely comes down to whatever zoning authority governs your parcel, so this is a direct-ask item for the Zoning Officer or Emporium Borough office depending on location.

Bottom line: Cameron County is workable for off-grid living, but the paperwork sequence (sewage, then zoning, then building) is strict, and you must first nail down whether county or Emporium Borough zoning applies to you.