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

Borough of Bowmanstown’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Bowmanstown borough, Carbon County

  • Floodplain area operates as an overlay on all districts

  “adopted by bowmanstown borough council on february 5, 2019 this ordinance was prepared under the direction”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Bowmanstown borough

  • Districts: OSR, R-1, R-2, R-3, TC, C
  • Official zoning map published separately on the borough site

  “the borough of bowmanstown is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: osr open space residential district r-1 low density residential district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Every dwelling unit in all districts in Bowmanstown borough

  • R-1 also requires minimum principal building width and length of 16 feet

  minimum habitable floor area: >= 500 sq ft

  “801.c. minimum size of dwellings. each dwelling unit shall include a minimum of 500 square feet of enclosed habitable, indoor, heated floor area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in all zoning districts in Bowmanstown borough

  • Unless a specific use states otherwise
  • Except as exempted by section 802 height exceptions
  • Residential accessory structures on lots under 1 acre: 1.5 stories (half story non-habitable storage) and 18 feet

  max height: <= 35 feet (or 3.5 stories, whichever is more restrictive)

  “307.b. height. all districts shall have a maximum height for buildings of 3.5 stories and 35 feet, whichever is more restrictive, except as follows: 1. unless specifically stated otherwise in this ordinance for a specific use; 2. 'except as exempted by section 802 "height exceptions"; 3. except residential accessory structures on lots of less than 1 acre, which shall have a maximum height of 1.5 stories (with the ½ story limited to non-habitable storage areas) and 18 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured/mobile homes as single family dwellings inside Bowmanstown borough

  • Subject to additional requirements in section 402
  • District permissions vary in the section 306 table

  “single family detached dwelling (including manufactured/mobile home [s. 402])”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in the TC (town center) district of Bowmanstown borough

  • Only where permitted; tied to a principal non-residential use in the TC district
  • Extra 1,000 sq ft lot area per accessory dwelling unit

  “a) any allowed principal non-residential use, which may include accessory dwelling units”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New dwellings in OSR cluster developments inside Bowmanstown borough

  • Section 307.c separately refers to Ordinance 2000-11 for public water/sewage; that ordinance was not opened

  “each dwelling unit on a lot of less than one acre shall be served by both public sewage service and public water service.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Floodplain areas inside Bowmanstown borough

  • Details are in the separate borough floodplain ordinance, not opened

  “the floodplain area, as defined by the borough floodplain ordinance, shall serve as an overlay area to all of the underlying districts.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permits in Bowmanstown borough

  • Borough posts forms for UCC permit, zoning permit, certificate of occupancy and others
  • Zoning permit required before erecting structures, changing use, or demolition (ordinance section 103.a)

  “permits certificate of occupancy complaint form dumpster permit handicap parking application moving permit pavilion rental permit peddler application sidewalk driveway curbing application ucc permit zoning appeal application zoning permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Bowmanstown borough
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Bowmanstown borough
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Bowmanstown borough
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Bowmanstown borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Bowmanstown 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.