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

Herrick Township’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent

  Land inside Herrick township limits (township-specific). Herrick township has not adopted its own zoning ordinance or zoning board.

  • The official statement is on the Bradford County website's township page, which states the township's own status; the township's own site was not located.
  • Herrick township is not an unincorporated county area for this claim; the county does not administer zoning in Herrick township under this statement.
  • Other state and county rules (sewage, subdivision, building code) still apply.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Zoning districts inside Herrick township.

  • No township zoning ordinance exists, so no zoning district map or schedule is published.
  • Subdivision and septic rules still apply.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  All land inside Herrick township (no township zoning district; no main single-family or agricultural district exists to set a minimum).

  • Derived from the township's opt-out of zoning and ordinances; no township dwelling-size rule was located.
  • Building code and septic rules may still set requirements for dwellings.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Minimum lot sizeNone

  All land inside Herrick township (no township zoning district; no main single-family or agricultural district exists to set a minimum lot size).

  • Derived from the township's opt-out of zoning and ordinances; no township lot-size rule was located.
  • Subdivision of land still goes through the county review process and septic approval may require adequate lot area.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• SetbacksNone

  All land inside Herrick township (no township zoning district; no main single-family or agricultural district exists to set setbacks).

  • Derived from the township's opt-out of zoning and ordinances; no township setback rule was located.
  • PennDOT driveway and highway rules and any septic setback rules still apply.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Lot coverageNone

  All land inside Herrick township (no township zoning district; no main single-family or agricultural district exists to set lot coverage).

  • Derived from the township's opt-out of zoning and ordinances; no township lot coverage rule was located.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Building heightNone

  All land inside Herrick township (no township zoning district; no main single-family or agricultural district exists to set height limits).

  • Derived from the township's opt-out of zoning and ordinances; no township height rule was located.
  • Building code height limits, if any, would come from the building code rather than zoning.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Living in an RVUnrestricted

  Long-term or seasonal RV occupancy on private land inside Herrick township.

  • No township land-use rule restricts RV occupancy because the township has opted out of zoning and ordinances.
  • Sewage disposal rules still apply to any occupied unit, and any septic or water connection needs permits.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Camping on your landUnrestricted

  Temporary camping on private land inside Herrick township.

  • No township land-use rule restricts camping because the township has opted out of zoning and ordinances.
  • Sanitation rules still apply to any camp; a septic or privy arrangement is subject to state Act 537 requirements.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Tiny homesUnrestricted

  Tiny-home occupancy on private land inside Herrick township.

  • No township land-use rule restricts tiny-home occupancy because the township has opted out of zoning and ordinances.
  • Sewage, building code and utility rules still apply to any dwelling.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Manufactured homesUnrestricted

  Manufactured-home occupancy on private land inside Herrick township.

  • No township land-use rule restricts manufactured-home occupancy because the township has opted out of zoning and ordinances.
  • Sewage, building code and utility rules still apply.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

• Accessory dwellingsUnrestricted

  Accessory dwelling units on private land inside Herrick township.

  • No township land-use rule restricts accessory dwellings because the township has opted out of zoning and ordinances.
  • Each dwelling unit still needs sewage disposal and building code compliance.

  “the township has opted out of organizing its own planning commission, comprehensive plan, zoning board, and ordinances.”

Rules another office applies inside Herrick Township

Herrick 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 septicLocal (with conditions)

  Onlot sewage systems inside Herrick township. Act 537 is state law, administered by a local agency. Which local agency serves Herrick township (the township or the Bradford County health department) was not verified.

  • Onlot permitting runs through a local agency, which can be a municipality, a group of municipalities, or a county health department.
  • Herrick township's specific local agency and sewage enforcement officer were not located on an official page.

  “the onlot sewage facility portion of the program is largely administered on the local government level by individual municipalities or groups of municipalities working together (including county health departments), which are known as local agencies and joint local agencies, respectively.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and land developments inside Herrick township. The county, not the township, reviews them, and this county rule applies to the township because the township has no subdivision ordinance. Geography is recorded as countywide because the schema does not allow township-specific for a county authority.

  • Under the county ordinance, plans in a township without its own subdivision ordinance must be approved by the county planning commission before recording.
  • The county page says the county office of planning and grants handles all subdivisions and land developments in the township.
  • Driveway access and utility requirements in the county ordinance apply to plans.

  “in boroughs and townships which have not adopted subdivision and land development ordinances, the subdivision and land development plans must be approved by the county planning commission as complying with all requirements of these regulations, before recording.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways serving subdivisions and land developments in Herrick township that access a state highway. Geography is countywide because the schema does not allow township-specific for a county authority.

  • The county ordinance applies only to subdivision and land development plans.
  • Driveway design and permits on state highways are subject to PennDOT approval.

  “where a proposed commercial or residential driveway provides access onto a state highway (state route, pennsylvania route, or united states route, township road or borough street), the design of such driveway access and drainage shall be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the pennsylvania department of transportation and shall be subject to the approval and issuance of permits by penndot, if applicable.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Herrick township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permits inside Herrick township.
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption and enforcement inside Herrick township.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Herrick township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings inside Herrick 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.