Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Swedesboro, New Jersey

Borough of Swedesboro’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Swedesboro borough limits; the borough adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Chapter 340).

  • Zoning districts and the zoning map are adopted by borough council under Chapter 340; the zoning map is incorporated by reference (§ 340-7).

  “for the purpose of this chapter, swedesboro borough is hereby divided into six classes of districts, which shall be designated as follows:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Swedesboro borough (Chapter 340)

  • Six district classes are listed in § 340-6: R-1, R-2, R-3, C, LM and HC. Only R-1 bulk standards were read; R-2, R-3, C, LM and HC standards remain unread.
  • The zoning map is incorporated by reference and is part of the code (§ 340-7).

  “for the purpose of this chapter, swedesboro borough is hereby divided into six classes of districts, which shall be designated as follows: r-1 residence district r-2 residence district r-3 multiple-family residence district c commercial district lm light manufacturing district hc highway commerce district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwelling lots in the R-1 Residence District of Swedesboro borough

  • Sewered lots: 7,200 sq ft per family, with at least 60 ft frontage on one street.
  • Lots not served by the borough sewer system: 12,000 sq ft minimum.
  • Source states the sewered figure applies 'for uses serviced by the borough sewer system'.

  minimum lot area, sewered: >= 7200 sq ft per family (Not sewered: 12,000 sq ft (see second parameter)) · minimum lot area, not sewered: >= 12000 sq ft · minimum lot frontage on one street: >= 60 ft

  “for uses serviced by the borough sewer system, [2] a lot area of not less than 7,200 square feet per family shall be provided for every building hereafter erected or used, in whole or in part, as a dwelling. for uses not serviced by the borough sewer system, a minimum lot area of 12,000 square feet shall be provided. each lot shall have a frontage on at least one street of not less than 60 feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings on lots in the R-1 Residence District of Swedesboro borough

  • Front yard on the long side of a corner lot may be reduced to not less than 20 feet.
  • Figures are the R-1 yard requirements in § 340-10 c.(3) to c.(5).

  front yard depth: >= 30 ft (Corner lot long-side front yard may be reduced to 20 ft) · side yards, aggregate width: >= 20 ft · side yard, each: >= 8 ft · rear yard depth: >= 25 ft

  “there shall be a front yard on each street on which a lot abuts, which shall be not less than 30 feet in depth, provided that the front yard on the long side of a corner lot may be reduced to a depth of not less than 20 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Buildings on lots in the R-1 Residence District of Swedesboro borough

  • Limit applies to the building area of each lot.

  building area as share of lot: <= 30 % of lot area

  “not more than 30% of the area of each lot may be occupied by buildings.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Swedesboro borough

  • Chapter 290 (§ 290-1 to § 290-23) governs subdivision; its approval steps and standards were not read.

  “chapter 290 subdivision of land (§ 290-1 &ndash; § 290-23)”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Swedesboro or Gloucester County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Swedesboro borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Swedesboro borough
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Swedesboro borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for dwellings inside Swedesboro borough
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in the R-1 district of Swedesboro borough

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Borough of Swedesboro means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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