Off-Grid Living in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

I'll be upfront: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is a bit of a split personality when it comes to off-grid rules, and understanding that split will save you a lot of confused phone calls.

Zoning and dwellings are NOT a county matter here. Montgomery County has no countywide zoning code. Zoning authority sits with each of the county's 62 individual municipalities, operating under the framework of the state's Municipalities Planning Code (MPC). The County Planning Commission reviews subdivision and land-development plans, but it does not zone parcels itself. That means whether you can live in a tiny house, park an RV as a dwelling, or build off the beaten path depends entirely on your specific township or borough's ordinance, found on eCode360, American Legal, or Municode. I did not find a county-level tiny-house or RV occupancy rule, so treat this as municipal territory, full stop.

Building permits follow the same pattern. The county doesn't issue them. Each municipality's building department enforces Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC), so your first call is your township or borough's building inspector or zoning officer, not the county.

Where the county actually steps in is public health. Montgomery County runs its own Office of Public Health (OPH), which is unusual in Pennsylvania, most counties defer to the state DEP. OPH directly administers septic permitting under the state's Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537). If you're modifying or installing an on-lot sewage system, you'll go through OPH's phased process: soil evaluation, then design approval, then a final inspection by a Sewage Enforcement Officer. For composting toilets, the state rule OPH applies says no permit is needed if you're adding one to an existing home without touching the existing sewage system, but a new residence still needs an approved method for washwater disposal. Some townships, like Montgomery Township, add a layer requiring you to also loop in the local Sewer Authority before OPH issues anything, so check locally too.

Greywater has no county-specific liberalization I could find; it falls under the same state baseline (25 Pa. Code §73.65) treating washwater as needing an approved disposal method.

Wells are another area where Montgomery County goes its own way. Unlike most PA counties, which don't require a well permit at all, Montgomery County's OPH requires a permit for any new drinking water, irrigation, or geothermal well, following its own Public Health Code (Chapter 17). Drillers still need the state PADCNR license.

Rainwater harvesting for non-potable use, gardening, and the like is actively encouraged by the county Conservation District through its rain barrel program, but it can't substitute for an approved potable water source.

Utility disconnection has no countywide rule I found either; it comes down to whether your municipality's occupancy permit requires a grid hookup.

Bottom line: for septic and wells, call the county. For everything else, zoning, dwellings, building, utilities, call your township.