The Blair County Planning Commission (BCPC) is an independent agency of local governments (County of Blair, City of Altoona, eight (8) boroughs and fifteen (15) townships).

The BCPC was created on May 6, 1964 as a result of petitions by the twenty-four (24) municipalities of Blair County. Its purpose is to provide areawide comprehensive planning for Blair County (Altoona MSA), as well as to perform planning-related activities as required by federal and state law and by rules and regulations.

The BCPC operates under provisions of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247 of 1968 as amended by Acts 170 of 1988, 209 of 1990, 131 of 1992 and 165 of 1996). The BCPC has been organized as an agency of twenty-five (25) local governments, rather than be limited to the role of a planning department of county government or a planning commission with staff under the direction of the governing body of a county, the BCPC serves all of the governing bodies of municipality in Blair County.

The BCPC is made up of nine (9) members appointed by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Blair to serve terms of four (4) years with three (3) representing the City of Altoona, three (3) representing the eight (8) boroughs and three (3) representing the fifteen (15) townships.

The arrangement between the County of Blair and all twenty-four (24) municipalities where the three (3) groups of municipalities each nominate proposed members and the County of Blair voluntarily appoints nine (9) members to the Blair County Planning Commission and where all twenty-four (24) municipalities voluntarily contribute annually to the operations of the BCPC is unique among counties of Pennsylvania.

The BCPC provides areawide comprehensive planning for Blair County (Altoona MSA), and performs planning-related activities as required under federal and state law and/or rules and regulations.

The BCPC meets monthly to receive and act upon reports from its twelve (12) committees and review applications for federal and state assistance, proposed amendments to zoning ordinances and maps, proposed subdivisions and land developments, planning modules for sewage facilities and other proposed actions to determine their degree of consistency and impact with areawide comprehensive planning for Blair County (Altoona MSA) and reports back its findings.

The BCPC currently employs a staff of six (6) [ five(5) full-time and one (1) part-time ] who perform the activities specified in grant agreements for transportation planning, stormwater management planning and community development. The staff also drafts comments and recommendations associated with the numerous reviews performed by the Blair County Planning Commission.