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

Castanea Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection or alteration of a building or structure, or change of use, inside Castanea township

  • Zoning permit must issue before work begins; a building permit is applied for only after the zoning permit issues.
  • Exemptions from zoning permits include non-commercial interior alterations with no exterior change, maintenance and repair, land cultivation, and utility lines (unless in a floodplain).
  • Zoning permit requires prior issuance of sewage, driveway and related permits.

  “upon issuance of the zoning permit, the applicant may apply for a building permit.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Mobile homes installed inside Castanea township

  • Inspection is explicitly stated only for mobile home installation; general UCC inspection schedule not stated in the sections read.

  “all mobile homes shall be installed in accordance with the instructions of the mobile home manufacturer and shall be inspected and approved by the township building code official.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy or change of use of land or buildings inside Castanea township

  • Issued by the township zoning officer (a zoning certificate of compliance).
  • Issuance does not guarantee soundness or habitability of any structure.

  “no land shall be occupied or used and no building hereafter erected, altered or extended shall be used in whole or in part, or shall be changed in use until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the zoning officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Castanea township limits: the township administers its own zoning ordinance (Zoning Ordinance, effective November 20, 2010)

  • Ordinance text opened from the township site is the 2010 zoning ordinance PDF; later amendments were not checked.
  • Floodplain overlay districts also apply under chapter 75 floodplain management.

  “for the purposes of implementing the objectives of this chapter, castanea township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  High density residential district R-H inside Castanea township

  • Public sewer and water are already available or could be extended in most instances (purpose statement).

  “in most instances, public sewer and water services are already available or could be extended to serve these areas”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published — Zoning districts inside Castanea township limits (R-M, R-H, C, I, A, O/R, W/C, and overlay FF&FP, FW, AH districts)

    “for the purposes of implementing the objectives of this chapter, castanea township is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling units (detached, attached, mobile homes, manufactured housing) in Castanea township, all districts

  • Applies 'in the absence of more restrictive codes'.
  • Conversion apartments are also covered by the same minimum.

  minimum gross floor area per single-family dwelling unit: >= 600 sq ft (in the absence of more restrictive codes)

  “in the absence of more restrictive codes, every single-family dwelling unit (whether attached or detached, including townhouse or multi-family units, mobile homes or manufactured housing and conversion apartments) shall contain a minimum of 600 square feet of gross floor area.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Main single-family residential district R-M (medium density residential) inside Castanea township

  • On-lot water and sewer: 1 acre (43,560 sq.ft.).
  • Public water and sewer: 9,600 sq.ft.
  • Table in Appendix B uses slash pairs whose footnotes 1-3 were only partly read.

  minimum lot area, on-lot water and sewer: >= 43560 sq ft (1 acre) · minimum lot area, public water and sewer: >= 9600 sq ft

  “r-m on-lot s & w - 1 acre (43,560 sq.ft.) (sf) public s & w - 9,600 sq.ft. (sf) 120 feet 80 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural district A inside Castanea township

  • Front 50 ft., side 25 ft., rear 25 ft. per Appendix B row a.
  • Footnotes 2-3 (measurement points) only partly read.

  front setback: 50 ft · side setback (each): 25 ft · rear setback: 25 ft

  “a 10 acres / 2 acres5 200 feet 50 ft. 25 ft. 25 ft. 40 ft. 25%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Agricultural district A inside Castanea township

  • Maximum building coverage 25% per Appendix B row a.

  maximum building coverage: <= 25 %

  “a 10 acres / 2 acres5 200 feet 50 ft. 25 ft. 25 ft. 40 ft. 25%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Main single-family residential district R-M inside Castanea township

    “r-m on-lot s & w - 1 acre (43,560 sq.ft.) (sf) public s & w - 9,600 sq.ft. (sf) 120 feet 80 feet 35/25 ft. 35/25 ft. 10/5 ft. 10/5 ft. 30/5 ft. 30/5 ft. 35/20 ft. 35/20 ft. 35% 35%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural district A inside Castanea township

  • Maximum height 40 ft. per Appendix B row a.

  maximum building height: <= 40 ft

  “a 10 acres / 2 acres5 200 feet 50 ft. 25 ft. 25 ft. 40 ft. 25%”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used as seasonal dwellings on private lots in Castanea township

  • Seasonal zoning permit required for a unit on any lot for more than 30 days in a calendar year; permits may be issued for up to 180 days and must be renewed annually.
  • Units must be removed from the site during the off-season.
  • Floodplain: a seasonal permit is required for more than seven consecutive days, and units may only be placed April 1 to October 1.
  • Application must indicate sewage facilities or an executed dump-station arrangement.
  • Buses, trucks, truck trailers and similar vehicles may not be used as seasonal dwellings.

  seasonal permit trigger (outside floodplain): > 30 days per calendar year

  “a seasonal zoning permit shall be required for all such units to be placed on any lot in the township for more than 30 days in any calendar year.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and RV parks in Castanea township (not private-lot camping)

  • Permitted only in zoning districts specified in Part 4.
  • Zoning permit required before establishment; 10 camping spaces per gross acre maximum; minimum 2,400 sq ft per space.
  • No year-round residential occupancy of campground units.
  • No zoning permit may be issued until DEP approves sewage and water systems.

  maximum camping spaces: <= 10 per acre · minimum camping space size: >= 2400 sq ft

  “the maximum number of camping spaces within each campground shall be no more than ten (10) per acre of gross area of the campground.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes in Castanea township; park placement rules are stated in the ordinance

  • Mobile home parks are permitted only in zoning districts specified in Part 4 (district list not read).
  • Each mobile home in an approved park needs a zoning permit before placement, and a certificate of compliance and occupancy permit from the township building code official before use as a dwelling.
  • Installed mobile homes must be anchored to foundations meeting the PA UCC, and inspected and approved by the township building code official.
  • Stand-alone mobile home placement on private lots outside parks was not resolved in the sections read.

  “mobile home parks are permitted only in those zoning districts and as specified in the district regulations, part 4.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Mobile home parks in Castanea township; general connection requirement for a new home not found in ordinance text read

  • Mobile home parks must connect to public sewer where possible; otherwise an approved private system per PA DEP.
  • District purpose statement for R-M says it applies to areas served by or planned for future connection to public sewer and water.
  • No general mandate that a new single-family home connect to public water or sewer when available was found in the sections read.

  “mobile home parks shall be connected to public sewer systems, where possible.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Castanea township

  • Governed by the township subdivision and land development ordinance, chapter 135 of the township code (text not opened).
  • Campgrounds and mobile home parks must also meet chapter 135 standards.

  “the standards set forth in the castanea township subdivision and land development ordinance, chapter 135 of the code of the township of castanea”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway or access permits for new uses requiring a zoning permit in Castanea township

  • A driveway permit must issue before a zoning permit; the driveway permit's issuer and standards are not stated in the sections read.

  “no zoning permit shall be issued however until all appropriate sewage, driveway, and other related permits have first been issued for the proposed use.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the flood fringe (FF&FP) and floodway (FW) overlay districts inside Castanea township

  • Floodplain development must comply with chapter 75 floodplain management ordinance.
  • Zoning officer issues the permit only after both zoning chapter and chapter 75 requirements are met.
  • Floodplain RV and seasonal units have additional limits (see rv-occupancy-seasonal).

  “a zoning permit shall be issued by the township zoning officer when he is satisfied that all requirements of both this chapter and the floodplain management ordinance [chapter 75] have been met.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit application sequence in Castanea township

  • Application is made to the zoning officer with the required fee; the zoning officer has 30 working days after a complete application to act (text partly read).
  • Sewage and driveway permits must issue first.
  • Building permit application follows zoning permit issuance.

  zoning officer decision period: 30 working days (after receipt of a complete application)

  “no zoning permit shall be issued however until all appropriate sewage, driveway, and other related permits have first been issued for the proposed use.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction exemption in Castanea township
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes on private land inside Castanea township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwellings on residential lots inside Castanea township
• Septic inspection — Onlot sewage system inspection in Castanea township
• Well permit — Private water well construction in Castanea township

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.