Best Places to Live in Pennsylvania

Off-grid & homestead laws in Pennsylvania

How Pennsylvania treats the things that matter for living off-grid or homesteading. Scores feed the national rankings; rules often vary by county.

• Building-code freedomUCC statewide but municipalities may opt out of residential enforcement.ICC / NAHB code-adoption summaries (2026) ↗local-option
• Greywater reuseNo residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer (2026) ↗none
• Rainwater harvestingNo state restrictions.NCSL (2026) ↗unrestricted
• Zoning / land-use freedomMunicipal zoning optional; county plans advisory; many unzoned munis.American Planning Association / Lincoln Institute (2026) ↗local-control
• Water rightsRiparian (reasonable use); domestic/farm use unregulated outside river basins.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗riparian
• Right-to-farm protectionStandard + ACRE local-ordinance preemption.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗moderate
• Cottage-food / home salesBroad foods but mandatory registration/inspection.Institute for Justice / Forrager (2026) ↗limited
• Property tax burdenMedian ~1.3% effective rate across 67 counties.Census ACS (county median) (2023) ↗high
• Income tax burdenFlat 3.07% (plus local wage taxes).Tax Foundation (2026) ↗flat-low
• Homestead exemptionAct 1 homestead/farmstead exclusion (varies by district).Lincoln Institute / state revenue departments (2026) ↗moderate

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.

All 67 Pennsylvania counties, ranked

1. 1Cameron County77
2. 2Sullivan County74
3. 3Fulton County73
4. 4Potter County71
5. 5Forest County70
6. 6Elk County68
7. 7Clarion County68
8. 8Juniata County68
9. 9Montour County66
10. 10Jefferson County66
11. 11Huntingdon County65
12. 12Clinton County65
13. 13McKean County64
14. 14Warren County64
15. 15Wyoming County64
16. 16Venango County64
17. 17Somerset County64
18. 18Clearfield County63
19. 19Greene County63
20. 20Bedford County63
21. 21Indiana County63
22. 22Perry County63
23. 23Tioga County63
24. 24Crawford County62
25. 25Snyder County62
26. 26Bradford County62
27. 27Cambria County62
28. 28Mifflin County61
29. 29Armstrong County61
30. 30Susquehanna County61
31. 31Mercer County60
32. 32Columbia County59
33. 33Wayne County59
34. 34Lawrence County59
35. 35Blair County58
36. 36Lycoming County58
37. 37Pike County58
38. 38Northumberland County58
39. 39Union County58
40. 40Fayette County57
41. 41Centre County57
42. 42Erie County57
43. 43Carbon County56
44. 44Schuylkill County56
45. 45Adams County55
46. 46Franklin County54
47. 47Beaver County53
48. 48Butler County52
49. 49Washington County52
50. 50Luzerne County52
51. 51Westmoreland County51
52. 52Lebanon County50
53. 53Dauphin County49
54. 54York County49
55. 55Lackawanna County49
56. 56Monroe County48
57. 57Cumberland County48
58. 58Allegheny County45
59. 59Lancaster County45
60. 60Philadelphia County45
61. 61Delaware County44
62. 62Northampton County43
63. 63Berks County42
64. 64Lehigh County41
65. 65Bucks County41
66. 66Chester County40
67. 67Montgomery County40