Zoning, building permits and septic rules in North Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania

North Buffalo Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside North Buffalo township limits (Armstrong County, PA), under the township's own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 19-2, posted as Zoning Ordinance 2019)

  • The opened PDF's enactment block is a blank template (day/month/year and supervisor signatures unfilled), so no adoption or effective date is stated in the text; the township page says only that the signature page is on file.
  • The zoning and codes officer appointed by the board of supervisors administers the ordinance (section 19.1).

  “zoning ordinance signature page is on file. zoning ordinance 2019 zoning map”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside North Buffalo township limits

  • Districts named in the opened text include the 'ar' district, an 'r-1 residential' district, and an 'l-1' district; the zoning map is posted as a JPG on the township ordinances page and was not opened.
  • Full district list and map boundaries not verified; see followups.

  “ar agricultural r-1 low density residential district r-2 moderate density residential district nc neighborhood commercial district l-i light industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Zoning district covered by ordinance section 5 (cited elsewhere as the 'ar' district), main single-family and other listed uses, inside North Buffalo township

  • Source figure reads '(65,340)' for one and one-half acres; the correct square footage is 65,340, which the ordinance text gives in parentheses.
  • Lot width: 150 feet of frontage at the building line (section 5.7.3).
  • District name confirmed only by the section 13.8 reference to 'the ar district' and section 11.1.2; confirm against the section 5 heading.

  minimum lot area where public sanitary sewers are provided: >= 1.5 acres (where approved public sanitary sewers are provided) · minimum lot area where public sanitary sewers are not provided: >= 2 acres (where approved public sanitary sewers are not provided) · minimum lot width: >= 150 feet (frontage at the building line)

  “5.7.1 where approved public sanitary sewers are provided, no lot shall be less than one and one-half acres (65,340) in area. 5.7.2 where approved public sanitary sewers are not provided, no lot shall be less than two (2) acres (87,120 square feet) in area. 5.7.3 the minimum lot width shall be one hundred and fifty (150) feet of frontage at the building line.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Zoning district covered by ordinance section 6 (district name not confirmed in opened text) inside North Buffalo township

    “6.7.1 no lot shall be less than one half acre (21,780 square feet) in area whether public water or sanitary sewers are available or not. 6.7.2 6.8 the minimum lot width shall be one-hundred (100) feet at the lot line.”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Zoning district covered by ordinance section 7 (district name not confirmed in opened text) inside North Buffalo township

    “7.6.1 the minimum lot shall be twenty-one thousand seven hundred and eighty (21,780) square feet (.5 acres) in area whether public water or sanitary sewers are available or not. where three (3) or more dwelling units are”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Section 5 zoning district, lots with frontage on township major roads (as defined by resolution 19-2), inside North Buffalo township

  • Yard rules quoted apply to township major roads only; side and rear yards for other lots are not stated in the opened excerpts (section 5.8.3 onward not read).
  • Corner-lot rule refers to section 12.8.1.

  front yard depth: >= 40 feet (measured from front lot line if also the right-of-way line; otherwise 65 feet from centerline, whichever is greater) · side yard: >= 10 feet (two side yards, measured from closest structure wall to property line)

  “5.8.1 there shall be a front yard, the depth of which shall be at least forty (40) feet from the front lot line if such is also the right-of-way line, or sixty-five (65) feet from the centerline of the street or road, etc., whichever is greater.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Section 6 zoning district, lots with frontage on major township roads (as defined by resolution 19-2), inside North Buffalo township

    “6.8.1 there shall be a front yard, the depth of which shall be at least forty (40) feet from the front lot line if such is also the right-of-way line, or sixty-five (65) feet from the centerline of the street or road, etc., whichever is greater.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV campgrounds (and mobile or modular home parks) in the AR district of North Buffalo township; private single-lot RV occupancy is not addressed in the opened text

  • Conditional use in the AR district.
  • Site must be served by public sewers or a community treatment plant for the entire development.
  • Minimum site 5 acres; minimum RV lot 1/2 acre; 15-foot planted bufferyard on side and rear boundaries (sections 13.8.1-13.8.8).
  • Septic and other health rules still apply to any individual site.

  minimum site for RV campground or mobile home park: >= 5 acres (conditional use in the AR district) · minimum recreational vehicle lot: >= 0.5 acres

  “13.8 modular or mobile home parks and/or rv campgrounds conditional use in the ar district. 13.8.1 the minimum site required for a mobile home park or rv campground shall be five (5) acres. 13.8.2 the site shall be served by public sewers or a community treatment plant for entire development.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home placement in mobile home parks in the AR district of North Buffalo township; placement of a single home on an individual lot is not addressed in the opened text

  • Mobile home parks are a conditional use in the AR district.
  • Minimum mobile home lot 1/2 acre; yards 25 ft front, 20 ft rear, 10 ft side measured from the slab; each lot needs access to a public or private street and two off-street parking spaces.
  • Mobile homes are defined in section 3.2.98 as a transportable single-family dwelling; the definition does not itself regulate placement.

  minimum mobile home lot: >= 0.5 acres (within a mobile home park)

  “13.8.3 the minimum mobile home lot shall be 1/2 an acre. 13.8.4 the minimum recreational vehicle lot shall be 1/2 an acre. 13.8.5 the minimum yard requirements for each mobile home lot shall be twentyfive (25) feet for front yards, twenty (20) feet for rear yards and ten (10) feet for side yards.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land development and subdivision inside North Buffalo township; the zoning ordinance refers to a separate subdivision and land development ordinance

  • The subdivision and land development ordinance itself was not opened; its contents are unverified.
  • Planned residential developments are subject to the zoning ordinance's article XI and the subdivision ordinance.

  “certain provisions of this ordinance and the current subdivision and land development ordinance shall not be”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building-related permits inside North Buffalo township under the zoning ordinance

  • Only the administrative role of the zoning and codes officer is stated in the opened text; application steps, forms, and timelines were not in the opened excerpts.
  • Permit fees are set by board resolution (see permit_fees claim).

  “the zoning and codes officer shall administer this ordinance in accordance with its literal terms”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside North Buffalo township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside North Buffalo township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside North Buffalo township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside North Buffalo township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside North Buffalo 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.