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

Borough of Darlington’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building code inside Darlington borough

  • Administration and enforcement may be by a borough employee, third-party agencies, an inter-municipal agreement, as set by council resolution
  • Agreement with PA Dept. of Labor and Industry for plan review and inspections of structures other than one- and two-family dwellings and utility and miscellaneous use structures
  • Fees set by borough council resolution
  • Enacted September 10, 2007; effective five days after passage

  “the uniform construction code, contained in 34 pa. code, chapter 401-405, as amended from time to time is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of darlington borough.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Mobile homes and house trailers only inside Darlington borough; no site-built dwelling or zoning-district minimum found

  • Ordinance 305 of 1975; applies to mobile homes/house trailers only

  minimum living space: >= 480 sq ft

  “any mobile home or house trailer to be installed shall have a minimum of four hundred eighty (480) square feet of living space”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Plots on which a mobile home or house trailer is placed inside Darlington borough; no zoning-district lot size found

  • Only one trailer on a plot under one-half acre (21,780 sq ft); no more than two trailers on any designated plot
  • Ordinance 305 of 1975

  minimum plot area: >= 7200 sq ft (60 ft by 120 ft)

  “no mobile home or house trailer shall be placed on a plot of land measuring less than sixty (60) feet by one hundred twenty (120) feet or a total area measurement of less than seven thousand two hundred (7,200) square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes and house trailers placed on land inside Darlington borough (Ordinance 305, 1975)

  • Permit from borough secretary, $25 fee, before installation
  • Inside plumbing and a sanitary sewage disposal system required
  • Plot at least 60 ft by 120 ft (7,200 sq ft); only one trailer on a plot under one-half acre; no more than two per plot; no mobile unit on a site where a house exists
  • Minimum 480 sq ft living space; no more than one immediate family per unit
  • Frost-free foundation with footer, securely fastened, wheels removed
  • Fines of $25 to $100 plus costs per offense
  • Enacted August 25, 1975; current applicability not confirmed

  minimum living space: >= 480 sq ft · permit fee: 25 USD (plus sewage disposal system permit fee)

  “it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to install or place upon, or permit to be installed or placed upon his land within the borough any mobile home or house trailer for human use or occupancy”

• Septic permitLimited

  Individual or community sewage systems tied to placing a mobile home or house trailer inside Darlington borough (1975 ordinance)

  • Permit issued by the borough secretary; fee set by council resolution
  • Must comply with the PA Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537 of 1966) and health department rules
  • Applies to mobile homes/house trailers only; the borough ordinance does not address septic for other dwellings
  • Age of ordinance (1975) means current applicability not confirmed

  “no person shall install an individual sewage disposal system or place any mobile home or house trailer in the borough in which an individual or community sewage system is to be installed, without first obtaining a sewage disposal system permit from the borough secretary”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Mobile home permit fee inside Darlington borough; UCC fees are set by council resolution, not found

  • Plus the current sanitary sewage disposal system permit fee, set by council resolution
  • UCC building permit fees are set by borough council resolution; the resolution was not found
  • Ordinance enacted 1975

  mobile home permit fee: 25 USD (plus sewage disposal system permit fee)

  “a fee in the sum of twenty-five ($25.00) dollars for a mobile house permit plus the current rate of sanitary sewage disposal system permit shall be paid to the borough secretary”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Darlington borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Darlington borough
• Inspections — Inspections inside Darlington borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Darlington borough
• Local zoning — Land inside Darlington 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.