Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Frankstown Township, Pennsylvania

Frankstown Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Frankstown Township, Blair County, PA

  • Township posts the zoning ordinance (Ordinance 100207-A, footer date 9/12/07), a zoning map and a 9/30/2025 solar amendment on its site.
  • Ordinance is enacted under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code; a zoning officer and zoning hearing board administer it.

  “section 101. short title. this ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the "township of frankstown zoning ordinance".”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Frankstown Township zoning districts

  • Three districts: R, R-1 and M-F.
  • Zoning map PDF posted on the township site.

  “the township of frankstown is hereby divided into districts which shall be designated as follow: a. "r" residential district. b. "r-1" diverse residential district. c. "m-f" manufacturing-farming district.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  "R" Residential District, single-family detached dwellings, inside Frankstown Township

  • 20,000 sq ft where not served by DEP-approved public sewer; 10,000 sq ft where served.
  • Interior lot frontage/width 100 ft (unsewered) or 75 ft (sewered); corner lots 135 ft / 110 ft.
  • Flag lots measured on the flag.

  minimum lot area, no public sewer: >= 20000 sq ft · minimum lot area, public sewer: >= 10000 sq ft

  “said lots shall have an area not less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — "R-1" Diverse Residential District, single-family detached dwellings, inside Frankstown Township

    “said lots shall have an area not less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  "R" Residential District inside Frankstown Township (R-1 follows R with exceptions)

  • Corner lot: street-side yard 35 ft; through lot rear yard abutting street 35 ft.
  • Accessory structures not in front yard; 10 ft from side/rear lot lines.
  • R-1: townhouses, double duplexes and multi-family must be at least 50 ft from street right-of-way.

  front yard: >= 35 ft · side yards (each, interior lot): >= 15 ft · rear yard: >= 20 ft

  “a. front yard - depth, thirty-five (35) feet. b. side yards (2) - width, fifteen (15) feet each on an interior lot, through lot and flag lot. on a corner lot, the side yard abutting the street shall be not less than thirty-five (35) feet in width. c. rear yard - depth, twenty (20) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  "R" Residential District inside Frankstown Township

  • Coverage is the percentage of lot covered by building area.

  maximum coverage: <= 30 percent

  “section 405. coverage regulations. a. the coverage shall be no more that thirty percent (30%).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — "R-1" Diverse Residential District inside Frankstown Township

    “section 505. coverage regulations. a. the coverage shall be no more than forty-five percent (45%).”

• Building heightSpecified

  "R" Residential District inside Frankstown Township (R-1 also 45 ft)

  • Residential accessory buildings max 20 ft.
  • Spires, chimneys, towers etc. exempt.
  • Dwelling must be at least one story.
  • R-1 also caps buildings at 45 ft (Section 502.d), with multi-family further limited to 15 dwelling units per acre.

  maximum building height: <= 45 ft (accessory buildings for residential uses 20 ft)

  “section 402. height regulations. a. the height of a building shall be not greater than forty-five (45) feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside Frankstown Township

  • On individual lots they are treated as single family detached dwellings and must meet that dwelling's requirements; in parks they must meet manufactured home park requirements.
  • Single-family detached dwellings are permitted in R, R-1 and M-F; manufactured home parks are listed as a permitted use in M-F.

  “manufactured homes placed in parks shall meet the requirements for manufactured home parks. manufactured homes placed on individual lots shall be considered "single family detached dwellings" and be bound by the requirements for said dwelling.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage systems for new construction inside Frankstown Township

  • Approval by DEP, the township and the township sewage enforcement officer; permit issued by the township SEO and DEP.
  • Required before the township issues a zoning permit and building permit for the new construction.

  “said individual on-site sewage system must be approved by the dep, township and township sewage enforcement officer and a permit for said individual on-site sewage system must be issued by the township sewage enforcement officer and dep before a zoning permit and a building permit for said new construction will be issued by the township.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New construction using an individual on-site sewage system inside Frankstown Township

  • Permit must be issued by township sewage enforcement officer and DEP before zoning and building permits are issued.

  “[...] a permit for said individual on-site sewage system must be issued by the township sewage enforcement officer and dep before a zoning permit and a building permit for said new construction will be issued by the township.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Dwellings inside Frankstown Township

  • Definition requires connection to public OR on-lot sewer and water; no distance/availability mandate to connect to public systems was found.
  • Lot sizes shrink when served by public sewer.

  “in addition, all dwellings shall be properly connected to approved and permanently-designed public or on-lot sewer, public or on-lot water, electrical and other utility systems.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Frankstown Township

  • Separate subdivision ordinance (100207-B) posted by township; its text was not read.
  • Zoning ordinance exempts division of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than ten acres not involving new street or easement of access.

  “provided however, that the division of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than ten (10) acres, not involving any new street or easement of access, shall be exempted.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways intersecting township streets inside Frankstown Township

  • Driveways onto Commonwealth streets are subject to PennDOT approval.
  • Width max 24 ft at cartway; slope max 7% within 25 ft of right-of-way; paved apron 25 ft.

  maximum driveway width at cartway: <= 24 ft

  “f. no driveway shall have a width exceeding twenty-four (24) feet at the street cartway.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  New construction in designated flood-prone areas inside Frankstown Township

  • Applicant must also comply with further floodplain requirements; sentence was cut off in the text read.

  “if any proposed new construction is located within a designated flood-prone area, the zoning officer shall not issue a building permit unless that applicant shall also comply with the township floodplain ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Frankstown Township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Frankstown Township
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Frankstown Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Frankstown Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Frankstown 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.