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

Borough of Geistown’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Geistown Borough, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

  • Ordinance No. 541 is identified by the Borough as its current zoning ordinance.

  “Ordinance #541 being the current zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Geistown Borough.

  • Official zoning determinations are made by the Borough Zoning Officer under the Official Zoning Map.

  “Zoning Districts – The following are the districts regulated under Ordinance #541: R1 – Single Family Residential District – further divided into R-1A, R-1B and R-1C sub-districts differing only in front yard setbacks”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  One- and two-story dwellings in the R-1 Single Family Residential District inside Geistown Borough.

  • The standard applies to every one-story dwelling thereafter erected or altered and every two-story dwelling.

  one-story dwelling minimum floor area: >= 1000 square feet · two-story dwelling minimum floor area: >= 1200 square feet

  “one-thousand (1,000) square feet. [...] twelve-hundred (1,200) square feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in zoning districts inside Geistown Borough.

  • Front, rear, and side-yard standards depend on the applicable zoning district and, for R-1 and R-2, the front-yard subdistrict.

  “building setbacks for fronts, rear and side yards”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision or land development within Geistown Borough limits.

  • Plans are reviewed by the Geistown Planning Commission and other Borough, State, or County officials as necessary and are approved or disapproved by the Borough.

  “approved or disapproved by the Borough of Geistown”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in the Floodplain Overlay District inside Geistown Borough.

  • The overlay applies over portions of several underlying conventional districts and provides additional controls.

  “Floodplain Overlay District – overlays and provides certain controls over portions of several underlying conventional districts”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land-development plan applications inside Geistown Borough.

  • The Borough establishes the collection procedure and fee schedule by resolution; review fees are due at application; approval and recording are not completed until required fees are paid; professional-service costs may be charged additionally.

  “establish by resolution a collection procedure and Schedule of Fees”

• Permit processPartial

  Subdivision and land-development applications inside Geistown Borough.

  • The published process concerns subdivision and land development, not all building permits. Preliminary-plan submissions require listed supporting data, including DEP, PennDOT, and Cambria County Conservation District materials where applicable.

  “submitted to the Borough Secretary and/or Borough Zoning Officer”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Geistown Borough.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Geistown Borough.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Geistown Borough.
• Inspections — Building work inside Geistown Borough.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures inside Geistown 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.