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

Butler Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Commercial and residential construction inside Butler Township.

  • Township elected to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and its regulations.
  • The page says the Township opted in effective July 8, 2004.
  • The page states 2018 I-Code provisions took effect February 14, 2022.

  “Butler Township opted into the Statewide Building Code – effective July 8, 2004”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Butler Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.

  • Township Zoning Department administers and enforces zoning.

  “The Zoning Department is responsible for a variety of functions within Butler Township. Including: Zoning administration and enforcement Review and approval of land development and subdivisions”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-lot sewage systems inside Butler Township.

  • The Township assigns issuance and inspection of on-lot sewage systems to its Zoning Department.

  “Issuance and inspection of on-lot sewage systems”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision, land development, and mobile-home-park plans within Butler Township.

  • Preapplication conference is voluntary and has no formal application or fee.
  • Preliminary submission requires at least 10 copies and is due at least 30 calendar days before the scheduled Planning Commission meeting.
  • A complete application includes the filing fee.

  preliminary submission copies: >= 10 copies · preliminary submission lead time: >= 30 calendar days (before the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting)

  “Application procedure. Having completed the preapplication procedure, any developer of land within the Township desiring preliminary approval of a subdivision, land development or a mobile home park plan shall submit not fewer than 10 copies of the documentation required in Subsection J below to the Zoning Officer of Butler Township or his authorized representative at least 30 calendar days prior to the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting at which such submission will be considered.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Minor land development on land subject to flooding inside Butler Township.

  • The cited rule is within the minor-land-development process.
  • Land subject to flooding may not be developed until the stated hazards are removed.

  “Land subject to hazards of life, health, and safety shall not be developed”

• Permit processPartial

  Subdivision, land development, and mobile-home-park approval process inside Butler Township.

  • The cited process concerns subdivision, land development, and mobile-home-park plans, rather than every construction permit type.
  • Preapplication is voluntary and has no formal application or fee.
  • A filing fee is required for a complete preliminary application.

  “no formal application or fee is required.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Butler Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — New or altered residential occupancy inside Butler Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Principal single-family dwellings in Butler Township zoning districts.
• Minimum lot size — Principal residential lots in Butler Township zoning districts.
• Setbacks — Principal residential structures in Butler Township zoning districts.

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Butler Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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