Zoning, building permits and septic rules in East Franklin Township, Pennsylvania

East Franklin Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside East Franklin township limits; the township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance text states it was enacted September 25, 2008; amendments after enactment were not checked.

  “zoning ordinance east franklin township armstrong county, pennsylvania enacted on september 25, 2008”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside East Franklin township limits

  • Ordinance divides the township into nine zoning districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1, C-2, M-1, M-2, A agricultural, V village), plus overlay and planned districts. Only the R-1 and A districts were read for dimensional limits.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, east franklin township is divided into the following nine (9) zoning districts as follows:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 rural residential district inside East Franklin township

  • Minimum habitable floor area for one single-family dwelling unit in R-1; R-2 and other districts not read for this topic.

  minimum habitable floor area per single-family dwelling unit: >= 700 square feet

  “f. minimum habitable floor area – 700 square feet per single family dwelling unit.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district inside East Franklin township

  • One acre without public sanitary sewers; one-half acre only with a satisfactory public septic system, two dwelling units per acre density, and frontage on an existing public road.
  • Ordinance text as enacted 2008; later amendments not checked. Agricultural (A) district lot area not located within budget.

  minimum lot area without public sanitary sewers: 1 acre · minimum lot area with satisfactory public septic system: 0.5 acre (requires density of two dwelling units per acre and frontage on an existing public road)

  “e. minimum lot area 1. one (1) acre - without public sanitary sewers 2. one-half (½) acre - with satisfactory public septic system, with density of two dwelling units per acre and with frontage on an existing public road”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district inside East Franklin township (principal and accessory structures)

  • No accessory structure or building may be in any front yard.
  • Corner lot side yard is 30 feet, with total side yards of 90 feet.

  front yard setback: 40 feet (measured from street right-of-way line) · rear yard setback: 35 feet · side yard setback: 15 feet (two required) · accessory structure side and rear setback: 10 feet (from any property line)

  “c. minimum yard requirements 1. front yard – 40 feet (from street right-of-way line) 2. rear yard – 35 feet 3. side yard – 15 feet (two required) 4. side yard for corner lot – 30 feet with total of two side yards of 90 feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 rural residential district inside East Franklin township

  • Figure 1 in the appendix defines how height is measured; not opened.

  maximum principal building height: <= 35 feet · maximum accessory building height: <= 20 feet

  “g. maximum building height 1. thirty five (35) feet for principal buildings 2. twenty (20) feet for accessory buildings”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles (motor homes, travel trailers, truck campers) parked or stored on private land in the A, R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts inside East Franklin township

  • RVs may not be occupied for living, sleeping or housekeeping unless the owner obtains a visitor permit from the zoning officer.
  • Visitor permit covers temporary non-paying guests, maximum 14 consecutive days or 60 days total per calendar year.

  visitor permit maximum consecutive days: <= 14 days · visitor permit maximum total days per calendar year: <= 60 days

  “the visitor permit shall be applicable to temporary nonpaying guests of the owner of the property for a maximum of fourteen (14) consecutive days or sixty (60) days total during any calendar year.”

Rules another office applies inside East Franklin Township

East Franklin Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Land inside East Franklin township where public sewage is unavailable: the Armstrong County Sewage Enforcement Agency handles on-lot sewage

  • Township page names the county agency for areas without public sewage; the township also runs a sewage department for areas served by public sewer.
  • The agency's permit and inspection procedure was not opened.

  “armstrong county sewage enforcement agency (where public sewage is unavailable)”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask East Franklin Township or Armstrong County directly.

• Building permit — Building permit for new construction inside East Franklin township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homeowners building in East Franklin township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside East Franklin township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside East Franklin township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside East Franklin township

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.