Septic permit rules and requirements in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the state sets the rule. The septic permit comes from your local agency. 25 Pa. Code §§ 72.1 and 72.25 · checked 2026-09-12
Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program
Writes the rules
checked 2026-09-23
Your local agency
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-12
Who decides a septic permit in Pennsylvania
Your local agency issues the permit. The state sets the floor through the Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
A local office issues most septic permits. It may be a town, a group of towns, or a county health office. The state permits only large systems instead.
25 Pa. Code §§ 72.1 and 72.25 · checked 2026-09-12
The office publishes its own page on this: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection — Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program.
The page's own canonical tag names this address as its own link.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection — Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program · checked 2026-09-23
Pennsylvania counties on this site
We have not published a Pennsylvania county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with your local agency before you spend money on it.