Rental Housing Permit

A Rental Housing Permit is required for any unit occupied by anyone other than the owner or the owner’s immediate family.

The Borough of State College has delegated the Rental Housing Permit issuance and management to The Centre Region Code Administration (CRCA). CRCA is responsible for the review, permit issuance and inspection of building construction, rental housing and commercial fire safety in the Centre Region’s following municipalities: Borough of State College, Patton Township, Ferguson Township, College Township, Half Moon Township, Harris Township, and Borough of Bellefonte.

Properties seeking a Rental Housing Permit must comply with rental housing inspections through CRCA as well as municipal regulations. 

The Borough of State College reviews all permit applications for zoning compliance.

Permit Application

The Procedure for Apply for and Retaining a Rental Housing Permit document contains a comprehensive overview of the permit application process and fees. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult this document before submitting an application.

Access Rental Housing Permit — Application Forms

1. Submit completed applications form to the Borough of State College – Planning Department with the required $25 application fee for zoning review. Do not submit completed applications to Centre Region Code Administration – they will be returned. All information and pages are required unless otherwise noted; please see below for additional guidance on application forms.
2. The Zoning Officer will review the application for zoning compliance. 
3. Planning Department staff will transmit zoning approved applications to Centre Region Code Administration for final review and permit issuance. If an inspection is required, CRCA will contact the person-in-charge to schedule. 
4. Upon completion of the inspection process (when required) and all other requirements by CRCA, a Rental Housing Permit will be issued. 

* Property Grid form is not required for a Change of Management unless the area to be rented is different from a previous application. 

** Person-In-Charge form is always required when the property owner lives more than 25 air miles from the rental property. 

Fees

Application: The Borough requires a $25 application fee with submission of the Rental Housing Permit application. At this time, fees can be paid by check, cash, or credit card (in person, with a processing fee). Please note that credit card payments can only be accepted at the time of application submission if a Planning Department staff member is available to make an application entry into the system.

CRCA Notice Effective January 1, 2026:

New Rental Housing Permit Applications: Advanced payment of the rental housing permit fee, along with a $75.00 CRCA application fee, is required for all NEW rental housing permit applications prior to the rental housing inspection being scheduled. These fees are non-refundable. An invoice will be mailed to the designated property manager/bill to contact. Once payment is received, a rental housing inspector will contact the person-in-charge to schedule a housing inspection date and time. If the person-in-charge is not present within 10 minutes of the scheduled inspection start time, the inspector will assess a $100.00 no-show fee.

Permit: A separate permit fee is assessed by CRCA (this fee includes a Borough-assessed Municipal Enforcement Fee). Please consult the fee schedule for more information.

Enforcement

All rental housing in the Borough is regulated by Centre Region Rental Housing & Building Safety Code, and Chapters IV Part E and VI Part D of the Municipal Code. These codes require the property owner to maintain the structure in a safe and sanitary condition.

Rental permits may be suspended for failure to comply with any provision of the above-referenced codes.

Please see more information here: Ordinance Enforcement — Points for Violations

Other Rental Types

• Student Occupancy and Student Home License: Properties that meet the definition of a Student Home must obtain a separate Student Home License in addition to the Rental Housing Permit (CRCA). The Rental Housing Permit does not authorize the occupancy of more than one unrelated student in a 1-family, 1-family with an accessory apartment, or 2-family property. Please see the Student Home License page for more information.
• Short-Term Rentals: Short-term rental activity (stays of less than 30 days) requires an additional Short-Term Rental License. Please see the Short-Term Rental License page for more information and application instructions.