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

Springfield Township’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent

  Land inside Springfield township, Bradford County: the township has no zoning ordinance of its own

  • The statement is on the Bradford County website township profile, not on a township-hosted page; the township office was not found to have its own website.
  • Status 'permitted' here means no township zoning restriction, not an affirmative permit.
  • Excluded: a 2010 'Springfield Township' zoning ordinance on Zoneomics. It was not tied to Bradford County or to this township and is unverified.

  “currently, the township is without a comprehensive plan or a zoning board and regulations.”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Zoning districts inside Springfield township

  • The township has no zoning, so there are no zoning districts to publish.

  “currently, the township is without a comprehensive plan or a zoning board and regulations.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  Minimum dwelling size for a home inside Springfield township

  • No township zoning ordinance exists to set a minimum dwelling size.
  • The Uniform Construction Code and any state rule still apply.

  “currently, the township is without a comprehensive plan or a zoning board and regulations.”

• Lot coverageNone

  Lot coverage for a home inside Springfield township

  • No township zoning ordinance exists, so no township lot-coverage limit was found.
  • The county SALDO was checked for setback and lot-size rules and does not set a coverage limit in the text read.

  “currently, the township is without a comprehensive plan or a zoning board and regulations.”

• Building heightNone

  Building height for a home inside Springfield township

  • No township zoning ordinance exists, so no township height limit was found.
  • The Uniform Construction Code and any state rule still apply.

  “currently, the township is without a comprehensive plan or a zoning board and regulations.”

Rules another office applies inside Springfield Township

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential lots created by subdivision or land development inside Springfield township that are not served by both public water and public sanitary sewers, where the county SALDO applies because the township has no zoning

  • Applies through the county subdivision ordinance, not a township zoning rule. Applies to plats and land developments reviewed by the county planning commission.
  • Lots served by both public water and public sewer have separate minimums in the same section; that table was not extracted.
  • Lots served by private sewer with public water are 100 ft wide and 15,000 sq ft; lots served by public sewer with private water are 85 ft wide and 8,500 sq ft (SALDO section 404 item 6, subparagraphs b and c).
  • Requires percolation and soil survey standards to be met.
  • Source text is partly garbled by OCR; the operative numbers were read directly from the amended July 2026 text. Effective date not stated.

  minimum lot width at front building setback line: >= 100 feet (lots not served by both public water and public sanitary sewers that meet percolation and soil survey standards) · minimum lot area per dwelling unit: >= 1 acre (lots not served by both public water and public sanitary sewers that meet percolation and soil survey standards)

  “residential lots, not served by both public water and public sanitary sewers, which meet the necessary percolation and soil survey standards, shall be not less than one hundred feet (100') wide measured at the front building setback line, nor less than one acre (1) in area, per dwelling unit.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Building setbacks for structures in subdivisions and land developments inside Springfield township where no zoning requirement exists

  • Applies only where no zoning requirement exists (the township has none); otherwise the zoning requirement controls.
  • Applies to subdivisions and land developments under the county SALDO, not to a single lot outside a subdivision.
  • Source numbering for the setback paragraph is garbled by OCR; the operative sentence was read directly.

  maximum required building setback from street right-of-way: <= 40 feet (minimum setback is one-half of the street right-of-way width)

  “otherwise, the minimum building setback line for all structures in subdivisions, land developments, mobile home parks, recreational vehicle parks or campgrounds shall be measured from the required street right-of-way and shall be one-half (1/2) of the street right-of-way, provided that the maximum required setback shall be forty feet (40').”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-public sewage disposal for lots in subdivisions or land developments inside Springfield township where no public sewer is planned

  • Applies to subdivisions and land developments. Outside those, no county or township rule was found.
  • On-lot systems must meet DEP rules and the lot's soil conditions.

  “on-lot disposal facilities, holding tanks or privys shall be provided on an individual lot or parcel basis according to the soil characteristics and physical features of each lot or parcel.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and land developments inside Springfield township

  • Handled by the county planning office under the county SALDO, not by the township.
  • Approval is required before lots are created or land is developed.

  “all subdivisions and land developments for the township are handled at the county office of planning and grants.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway access onto a state highway from a subdivision or land development inside Springfield township

  • Applies to plats that require access to a state-owned highway; the plat must carry a notice that a PennDOT highway occupancy permit is needed.
  • No township or county driveway permit rule for other roads was found.

  “a highway occupancy permit is required pursuant to section 420 of the act of june 1, 1945 (p.l. 1242, no. 428), known as the "state highway law," before driveway access to a state highway is permitted.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new construction inside Springfield township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Springfield township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Springfield township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Springfield township
• Who permits septic — Which body administers on-lot sewage permits inside Springfield 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.