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

Catawissa Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, construction, erection, moving, or alteration of a building, including an accessory building, inside Catawissa Township.

  • Repairs or maintenance that do not change use or otherwise violate the ordinance do not require a permit under § 905(A).
  • A separate building-code permit may be administered through Tri-County COG IBC.

  “It shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for or the construction or erection of any building, including an accessory building, or to commence the moving or alteration of any building, including an accessory building, until the Zoning Officer has issued a building permit for such work.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Work authorized under a Township zoning building permit inside Catawissa Township.

  • The Zoning Officer may inspect during completion; a final inspection is required upon completion.

  “Thereafter, he may make such inspections during completion of work for which a permit has been issued. Upon completion of the building, structure, sign, land change, a final inspection shall be made and all violations of approved plans or permit shall be noted and the holder of the permit shall be notified of the discrepancies.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and development inside Catawissa Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

  • The ordinance is enforced by the Township-appointed Zoning Officer.

  “This Zoning Ordinance shall be enforced by a zoning officer who shall be appointed and have the duties and authority as outlined in Section 904.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Catawissa Township.

  • A separate permit is required for each dwelling unit.
  • The permit is effective for one year and must be renewed annually.
  • The ordinance was approved October 10, 2023.

  short-term-rental permit term: 1 year (Must be renewed annually.)

  “A separate Short-Term Rental Permit is required for each Dwelling Unit; for Two-Family or Multi-Family Dwellings, a separate Permit shall be required for each Dwelling Unit being rented as a Short-Term Rental. A Short-Term Rental Permit is effective for a period of one (1) year. A Short-Term Rental Permit must be renewed annually.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Township zoning-permit applications inside Catawissa Township.

  • A completed, signed application and required fee are required; incomplete applications are returned.
  • For new-house construction, the additional well, sewage, soil/perc, and driveway documentation is required.

  “For all Zoning Permits a completed, signed application is required along with the required fee. Applications not fully completed will be returned.”

Rules another office applies inside Catawissa Township

Catawissa Township 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

  Dwellings in the R-1 Residential Low-Density District inside Catawissa Township.

  • Minimum area is 40,000 square feet without central water or sewage, 30,000 square feet with public water and on-lot sewage, and 20,000 square feet with central water and central sewage.

  minimum lot area without central water or central sewage: >= 40000 square feet · minimum lot area with public water and on-lot sewage: >= 30000 square feet · minimum lot area with central water and central sewage: >= 20000 square feet

  “The lot area per dwelling unit without central water or central sewage shall not be less than forty-thousand (40,000) square feet. The lot area per dwelling unit with public water but on-lot sewage disposal system shall not be less than thirty-thousand (30,000) square feet. The lot area per dwelling unit, with central water and central sewage shall not be less than twenty-thousand (20,000) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Residential Low-Density District inside Catawissa Township.

  • The 40,000-square-foot lot column has 30-foot side, 50-foot front, and 50-foot rear yards; the 30,000-to-20,000-square-foot lot column has 20-foot side, 50-foot front, and 30-foot rear yards.
  • Accessory buildings must be at least 12 feet from side or rear lot lines.
  • Corner lots have two front yards, each abutting a street.

  minimum front yard: >= 50 feet · minimum side yard: >= 20 feet (30 feet for 40,000-square-foot lots) · minimum rear yard: >= 30 feet (50 feet for 40,000-square-foot lots)

  “Each lot shall have front, side, and rear yards of not less than the depth and width indicated below: 40,000 sq. ft. 30,000 to 20,000 per lot sq.ft. per lot Minimum lot width 150 feet 125 feet Minimum side yard 30 feet 20 feet Minimum front yard 50 feet 50 feet Minimum rear yard 50 feet 30 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Residential Low-Density District inside Catawissa Township.

  maximum impervious coverage: <= 20 percent

  “No lot shall be covered by more than twenty (20) percent with impervious surfaces.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Residential Low-Density District inside Catawissa Township.

  • Buildings devoted to agricultural use are exempt from height regulations.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Buildings devoted to agricultural use are exempt.) · minimum building height: >= 1 story

  “The height of a building shall not be greater than thirty-five (35) feet. The height of a building shall not be less than one (1) story. Buildings devoted to agricultural use shall be exempt from height regulations.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Catawissa Township.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption applicable inside Catawissa Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Catawissa Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Residential Low-Density District inside Catawissa Township.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Catawissa 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.