Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of East Conemaugh, Pennsylvania

Borough of East Conemaugh’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering buildings inside East Conemaugh borough (zoning permit)

  • Permit issued by the zoning officer only in conformity with the zoning chapter or by zoning hearing board order.
  • Issued or refused within 30 days of application; expires after 90 days if work has not begun, or 2 years after issuance if begun.
  • UCC building permits through the Cambria County agency were not separately verified.

  “such approval and zoning permit shall be issued or refused within 30 days from date of application.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Structures and property inside East Conemaugh borough; the borough adopted the International Property Maintenance Code and participates in the Cambria County Building Code Enforcement Agency for Uniform Construction Code enforcement

  • Ordinance adopted 18 August 2021.
  • The ordinance recites participation in the county agency for UCC enforcement; the UCC itself is the state code.

  “the municipality hereby adopts the international property maintenance code in its current form and as it may be modified from time to time”

• InspectionsRequired

  Completed work inside East Conemaugh borough; zoning officer inspection before certificate of use and occupancy

  • Inspection is a zoning conformity check; UCC inspections by the county agency not separately verified.

  “the zoning officer shall inspect any structure, building, accessory use and/or land or portions thereof and shall determine the conformity therewith.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Completed work inside East Conemaugh borough

  • Granted or refused in writing within 10 days of application.

  “a certificate of use and occupancy shall be required upon the completion of the work contemplated.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside East Conemaugh borough

  • Ordinance dated 1/3/1994 per code citations; code posted on borough site may include later amendments (a Chapter 27 Zoning Update file exists, not reviewed).

  “this chapter shall be known as the "east conemaugh borough zoning ordinance,"”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  East Conemaugh borough zoning districts (R-1, R-2, commercial, industrial, conservancy, floodplain)

  • Official zoning district map not reviewed.

  “for the purposes of this chapter, the borough is hereby divided into the following districts: a. r-1 district single-family residential district (low density). b. r-2 district multifamily residential district (high density). c. c district commercial district. d. l-i district industrial district e. fp district hoodplain district. f s district conservancy district.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, East Conemaugh borough

  • For dwellings erected or altered after the ordinance.

  one-story dwelling habitable area: >= 850 square feet · multi-story dwelling total floor area: >= 1000 square feet

  “every one-story dwelling hereafter erected or altered shall have a habitable living area of not less than 850 square feet. every dwelling of more than one story hereafter erected or altered shall have a total floor area of not less than 1,000 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  One-family detached dwelling, R-1 single-family residential district, East Conemaugh borough

  • R-2 district allows 6,500 square feet and 60 feet width for a one-family dwelling (not separately claimed).

  minimum lot area: >= 8000 square feet · minimum width at building line: >= 75 feet

  “a minimum of 8,000 square feet and width at the building line of 75 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, East Conemaugh borough

  • Applies to buildings erected or enlarged.

  front yard: >= 25 feet · side yard: >= 10 feet · rear yard: >= 15 feet

  “(1) front yard. not less than 25 feet. (2) side yard. not less than 10 feet. (3) rear yard. not less than 15 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, East Conemaugh borough

  maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent

  “all buildings, including accessory uses, shall cover not more than 35% of the area of the lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  One-family detached dwelling, R-1 single-family residential district, East Conemaugh borough

  • Accessory building limit is 20 feet.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet or 2 1/2 stories

  “(1) one-family detached dwelling. thirty-five feet or 2 1/2 stories.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home trailer parks in the R-2 multifamily residential district inside East Conemaugh borough

  • By special exception only, per the R-2 district description.
  • Individual mobile homes outside parks and Chapter 14 (Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks) not reviewed.

  “representing a compatible mingling of single-unit and multiple-unit dwellings, and mobile home trailer parks by special exception”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Conversion and efficiency apartments in the R-2 and C districts inside East Conemaugh borough

  • Each conversion apartment needs at least 400 square feet of habitable living space.
  • Not stated as permitted in R-1.

  minimum conversion apartment habitable space: >= 400 square feet

  “within the r-2 and c districts, the following regulations shall apply: a. permitted uses. conversion apartments for family occupancy and efficiency apartments.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Lots inside East Conemaugh borough with a public sewer abutting or within 50 feet

  • Duty arises on 60 days notice from the street commissioner or other proper officer.
  • Application for a permit and payment of sewer tapping fee ($1.50 per front foot per §201) required.
  • Public water connection rule not verified.

  connection distance: <= 50 feet (or abutting the property)

  “which has a public sewer, main or branch thereof abutting said property or within 50 feet of the same shall, upon 60 days notice from the street commissioner or other proper officer of the borough, make application for a permit and pay the sewer tax or frontage required by this part and tap and connect with said public sewer.”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permit applications inside East Conemaugh borough

  • Written application with two sets of plans.
  • Refusal carries appeal rights to the zoning hearing board.
  • Permit expires within 90 days if work has not begun.

  decision deadline: <= 30 days

  “such approval and zoning permit shall be issued or refused within 30 days from date of application.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside East Conemaugh borough
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside East Conemaugh borough
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside East Conemaugh borough
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside East Conemaugh borough
• Who permits septic — Onsite sewage inside East Conemaugh 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.