Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Arendtsville, Pennsylvania

Borough of Arendtsville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Arendtsville borough; joint zoning ordinance with Butler Township, adopted by the borough

  • Ordinance is joint with Butler Township; the borough services page lists amendments 2023-166, 2024-167 to 2024-169, 2025-170 and 2025-172 that were not reviewed

  “arendtsville borough & butler township zoning ordinance adopted by arendtsville borough: april 13, 2022 adopted by butler township: april 11, 2022 effective date: july 1, 2022”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached dwelling in the Residential (R) district

  • Depends on public sewer and water availability
  • Other uses: one acre

  minimum lot area with public sewer and water: 10000 square feet · minimum lot area without public sewer or water: 1 acre

  “a. with public sewer and water: ten thousand (10,000) square feet. b. without public sewer or water: one (1) acre.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family detached dwelling in the Village Residential (VR) district

    “minimum lot area 1. single-family detached dwelling: 7,000 square feet 2. single-family semi-detached (duplex): 3,500 square feet per unit”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Village Residential (VR) district

  • Side and rear: 5 feet or equal to the distance of a pre-existing structure on the property

  front setback: 15 feet · side setback: 5 feet (or distance of pre-existing structure) · rear setback: 5 feet (or distance of pre-existing structure)

  “c. minimum front setback: fifteen (15) feet. d. minimum side setback: 5 feet or equal to the distance of a pre-existing structure on the property. e. minimum rear setback: 5 feet or equal to the distance of a pre-existing structure on the property.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential (R) district

    “d. minimum front setback: thirty-five (35) feet. e. minimum side setback: twenty (20) feet. f. minimum rear setback: twenty (20) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential (R) district

  • Minimum vegetative coverage residential 65%

  max lot coverage residential: <= 35 percent · max lot coverage non-residential: <= 45 percent

  “1. residential uses: thirty-five percent (35%). 2. non-residential uses: forty-five percent (45%). minimum vegetative coverage 1. residential uses: sixty-five percent (65%).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village Residential (VR) district

    “f. maximum lot coverage: seventy percent (70%). g. maximum building height: forty (40) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential (R) district

  • Height exemptions exist in section 1313 (not reviewed)

  max building height: <= 40 feet

  “2. non-residential uses: fifty-five percent (55%). maximum building height: forty (40) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village Residential (VR) district

    “f. maximum lot coverage: seventy percent (70%). g. maximum building height: forty (40) feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units, permitted as accessory use in R, VR and other districts of the joint ordinance

  • Must meet section 1401.b architectural standards
  • Maximum 50% of living area of existing dwelling or 1,000 sq ft, whichever is less

  max ADUs per property: <= 1 unit · max occupants: <= 2 persons (minor related children under 18 not counted) · max size: <= 1000 square feet (or 50% of existing living area if less)

  “no more than one (1) adu shall be permitted on any property. 2. the maximum number of occupants of the adu shall be two (2) persons.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Dwellings and structures for human occupancy in the Village Residential (VR) district

  • Applies in the VR district; R district allows smaller lots only with public sewer and water

  “a. all dwellings or structures to be used for human occupancy shall be connected to public sewer and public water.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Arendtsville borough

  “an ordinance setting forth requirements, standards and procedures for the subdivision of land and land development within the borough of arendtsville, adams county, pennsylvania”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fees inside Arendtsville borough

  • Fee amounts not read; schedule is linked from the borough page

  “zoning permit application zoning hearing board application zoning fee schedule”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits inside Arendtsville borough

  • Exclusions include dog houses, swing sets, sheds under 100 sq ft; normal maintenance needs no zoning permit
  • Zoning permits for variances or special exceptions issue only on written order of the zoning hearing board

  “a zoning permit shall be required prior to the erection, addition, or alteration of any building or structure or portion thereof”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — UCC building permits inside Arendtsville borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Arendtsville borough
• Building code adopted — Building code (PA UCC) inside Arendtsville borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Arendtsville borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Arendtsville 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.