Zoning, building permits and septic rules in McKeesport, Pennsylvania

McKeesport’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, replacement and repair of structures inside McKeesport city

  • Obtained in person from Community Development or directly from Building Inspection Underwriters

  “building permits are required for the construction, alteration, replacement, and repair of all structures.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy permits for residential and commercial property inside McKeesport city

  • Required at the time of a sale of a property, residential and commercial
  • Sellers/agents schedule inspection before closing; allow minimum two weeks
  • Completed in person Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Community Development office

  occupancy permit fee, single/two-family: 75 USD per unit ($50 per unit multi-family; $125 per unit commercial/industrial)

  “occupancy permits are required at the time of a sale of a property. this applies to both residential and commercial properties.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside McKeesport city (Allegheny County) limits

  • Ordinance dated February 2017; later amendments not checked

  “city of mckeesport official zoning ordinance article iii establishment of districts and official zoning map”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside McKeesport city

  • Residential R-1 to R-5, commercial C-1 to C-5, industrial I-G and I-U appear in the tables

  “table a: lot, yard and height requirements - residential districts.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential districts R-1 to R-5 inside McKeesport city (Table A)

  • Table columns extracted out of order; the first column (single family 8,000 sq ft) appears to be R-1 but district attribution should be verified
  • Other residential districts have smaller single-family minimums (e.g., 3,000, 4,000, 2,500 sq ft)
  • Reduced lot area allowed on blocks 60% or more developed

  single-family minimum lot area (first column): >= 8000 sq ft (other uses 15,000)

  “lot area minimum lot area (sq ft) single family: 8,000 other uses: 15,0000 single family: 3,000 (1)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential districts inside McKeesport city (Table A)

  • Column-to-district mapping garbled in extraction; first column values shown (single family front 30 ft, side 10 ft)
  • Rear yard noted as * = 20% of lot depth

  front yard, single family (first column): >= 30 ft · side yard, single family (first column): >= 10 ft

  “minimum front yard setback (ft) minimum side yard setback (ft) minimum rear yard setback (ft) single family: 30 other uses: 35 single family: 10 other uses: 15”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential districts inside McKeesport city (Table A)

  • Building coverage maximum 35% appears in the residential table; district mapping not verified; commercial/industrial districts have other limits

  maximum building coverage (as printed): <= 35 percent

  “building coverage maximum coverage 35% notes * 20% of lot depth”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential districts inside McKeesport city (Table A)

  • Multi-family height is set at conditional use approval
  • Commercial/industrial districts have separate heights (e.g., 35, 70, 40, 60 ft)

  maximum height, all uses besides multi-family: <= 35 ft (multi-family determined at conditional use approval)

  “height maximum height (ft) all uses besides multi-family: 35 multi-family: ***”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home parks inside McKeesport city

  • Mobile home park is a conditional use
  • Districts where allowed and treatment of individual manufactured homes outside parks not verified

  gross site area: >= 10 acres · minimum mobile home lot size: >= 5000 sq ft (10,000 sq ft for double unit) · maximum density: <= 8 lots per acre

  “§ 1331-405. mobile home park. a. gross site area shall be a minimum of ten (10) acres.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Certain city permits and applications inside McKeesport city

  • Building permit fee schedule itself not found on this page; page undated, confirm current amounts

  occupancy permit, single/two-family: 75 USD per unit · residential zoning hearing board application: 500 USD (commercial $1,000)

  “occupancy permits are $75 per unit in single- and two-family dwellings.”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permits inside McKeesport city

  • Applications online via BIU site; drawings can be submitted digitally to BIU

  “building permits can be obtained in person from the community development department or by contacting building inspection underwriters directly.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask McKeesport or Allegheny County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside McKeesport city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside McKeesport city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside McKeesport city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside McKeesport city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside McKeesport city

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.