filesystem copy: directory permission?

I am using the php copy command to copy what is essentially a blank
template, or placeholder file into a directory immediately below it. What
permissions do I need to give this target directory that will not compromise
security, yet allow the filesystem write? The target directory will be
accessed by users via http and will be password protected with an .htaccess
file.

This is on a hosted account, so I can't add the php user (nobody? I'm not
sure what it is) to a group permission.

I'm no *nix guru, so any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

Dan