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

Borough of Valencia’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Structures inside Valencia Borough for which a building permit is required after Borough zoning approval.

  • The Borough page says only that certain structures may require a building permit from Adams Township.
  • Borough Zoning Officer approval must be obtained before applying for that building permit.

  “Certain structures may require a building permit from Adams Township. You must first get approval from the Valencia Borough Zoning Officer before applying for a building permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  A planned residential development in Valencia Borough requiring a final development plan.

  • The final plan must meet the stated prerequisites.
  • The approved final plan must be recorded in accordance with the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

  “An application for final plan approval can be submitted, provided that: (a) The Borough Council has granted tentative plan approval to the development plan; and (b) All conditions imposed by the Borough Council on the tentative plan approval have been complied with in a manner acceptable to the Borough.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Valencia Borough zoning-certificate and development applications.

  • The Borough directs applicants to include the appropriate fee.
  • The amount is supplied through the Borough-linked fee schedule.

  “Include the appropriate fee to Valencia Borough. The fee schedule is located here. The check should be made payable to Valencia Borough.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building a house or adding a structure inside Valencia Borough.

  • Applicant must use a Zoning Certificate Application, attach a plot plan or county GIS map drawing, include the fee, and send the materials to the Zoning Officer.
  • The Zoning Officer determines approval and other necessary steps.
  • Certain structures may need an Adams Township building permit after Borough zoning approval.

  “Residents interested in building a house or adding a structure must complete the following: 1. Fill out a Zoning Certificate Application. 2. Attach a completed drawing of the structure on a plot plan. If you do not have a plot plan, you can download and print out a county GIS map and use that instead.”

Rules another office applies inside Borough of Valencia

Borough of Valencia 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

  Lots in Valencia Borough's Rural Residential (RR) District.

  • Planned Residential Development provisions may modify density and dimensional standards.
  • Where Parts 10, 11, 12, or 16 require greater yard, lot-size, or lot-coverage requirements, those requirements prevail.

  minimum lot size: 1.5 acres

  “The Rural Residential District is established to promote preservation of the Borough’s wooded steep slopes, and to provide for an orderly development of those undeveloped or historically agricultural lands adjoining the traditional residential core of the Borough and Three Degree Road. 1-402. Yard and Bulk Requirements A. Minimum Lot Size: 1.5 Acres”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in Valencia Borough's Neighborhood Residential (NR) District.

    “The Neighborhood Residential District is established to promote and protect the traditional neighborhood development pattern of the Borough’s traditional residential core, including those businesses and institutions of a complementary scale that have historically operated there. 1-502. Yard and Bulk Requirements A. Minimum Lot Size: 7,250 square feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal development in Valencia Borough's Rural Residential (RR) District.

  • Planned Residential Development provisions may modify density and dimensional standards.
  • Where Parts 10, 11, 12, or 16 impose greater requirements, those requirements prevail.

  minimum front yard: 30 feet · minimum side yard: 20 feet · minimum rear yard: 40 feet

  “B. Minimum Front Yard: 30 Feet C. Minimum Side Yard: 20 Feet D. Minimum Rear Yard: 40 Feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal development in Valencia Borough's Neighborhood Residential (NR) District.

    “B. Minimum Front Yard: 20 Feet C. Minimum Side Yard: 15 Feet Total, neither less than 5. D. Minimum Rear Yard: 40 Feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in Valencia Borough's Neighborhood Residential (NR) District.

  • Where Parts 11, 12, or 16 require greater lot-coverage requirements, those requirements prevail.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 60 percent

  “Where yard, lot size, and lot coverage requirements are required by Parts 11, 12, or 16 of this Ordinance and exceed the base yard and bulk requirements of this section, said requirements shall prevail. G. Maximum Lot Coverage: 60% H. Maximum Impervious Surface Coverage: 70% or 14,000 square feet, whichever is less.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in Valencia Borough's Rural Residential (RR) District.

    “Where yard, lot size, and lot coverage requirements are required by Parts 10, 11, 12 or 16 of this Ordinance and exceed the base yard and bulk requirements of this section, said requirements shall prevail. I. Maximum Lot Coverage: 40% J. Maximum Impervious Surface Coverage: 60% or 20,000 square feet, whichever is less.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Onlot sewage systems inside Valencia Borough under Pennsylvania's statewide sewage-facilities permitting rule.

  • The state rule assigns permit issuance to the applicable local agency through a certified sewage enforcement officer.
  • The specific local agency serving Valencia Borough was not established by the opened official materials.

  “No local agency may issue a permit for the installation of an individual or community onlot sewage system except by and through a certified sewage enforcement officer employed or contracted by the local agency.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation or construction of an individual or community onlot sewage system, or use or occupancy of a building served by one, inside Valencia Borough.

  • Exceptions are those in 25 Pa. Code § 72.22(c)-(e).
  • A permit is not required for an unaltered existing onlot system receiving a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet.
  • The ten-acre owner/immediate-family exception has the conditions stated in § 72.22(e).

  “No person may install, award a contract for construction or construct an individual or community onlot sewage system, or install, construct, occupy or use a building to be served by that system without first obtaining a permit from the local agency, except as provided in subsections (c)—(e).”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Individual or community onlot sewage systems installed inside Valencia Borough.

  • The system may not be covered until final inspection and final written local-agency approval.
  • The system must be inspected, approved, and covered before a structure is occupied.
  • After notice of completion, the applicant may cover the system after written approval or after 72 hours excluding Sundays and holidays unless approval to cover is refused.

  “No part of an individual or community onlot sewage system may be covered until a final inspection is conducted and final written approval is given by the local agency. The sewage system shall be inspected, approved and covered before the structure is occupied by a person.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  A recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet at a property inside Valencia Borough that has an existing unaltered onlot sewage system.

  • The state exception applies only where the existing onlot system will not be altered.

  “A permit is not required for the installation of a recycling toilet, incinerating toilet, composting toilet or other type of water conservation device where the existing onlot system will not be altered.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Residential driveways serving lots entirely or partially in Valencia Borough's Collector Corridor Overlay.

  • Where such a lot has access to a local public street, access must be solely from that street unless compliant access is infeasible due to terrain or other natural limitations.
  • Where driveway access is authorized, one driveway is permitted per lot.

  driveways per lot: 1 (Where driveway access is authorized in the Collector Corridor Overlay.)

  “Driveways serving lots entirely or partially located within the CC Overlay that bear access to a local public street shall access solely from that street unless access of a driveway thereto meeting the standards of this Ordinance is infeasible due to terrain or other natural limitations. Where driveway access is authorized, one driveway shall be permitted per lot.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Valencia Borough.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Valencia Borough.
• Inspections — Building inspections for ordinary residential construction inside Valencia Borough.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Valencia Borough.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Valencia 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.