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

Conyngham Township’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent

  Land inside Conyngham Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

  • The official Columbia County municipal table places Conyngham Township in the Zoning “No” column.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  Residential dwelling size inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning dimensional standard.

  • This records no zoning-based minimum dwelling-size standard; building-code requirements may still apply.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Minimum lot sizeNone

  Lot size inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning dimensional standard.

  • This records no zoning-based minimum lot-size standard; subdivision, sewage, and other rules may still impose parcel-specific requirements.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• SetbacksNone

  Building setbacks inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning dimensional standard.

  • This records no zoning-based setback standard; road, utility, floodplain, building-code, and subdivision requirements may still apply.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Lot coverageNone

  Lot coverage inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning dimensional standard.

  • This records no zoning-based lot-coverage standard; other development requirements may still apply.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Building heightNone

  Building height inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning dimensional standard.

  • This records no zoning-based height standard; building-code and other safety requirements may still apply.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Living in an RVUnrestricted

  Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance; sewage, construction, health, subdivision, and other applicable rules may still restrict a proposal.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Camping on your landUnrestricted

  Temporary camping inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance; sewage, construction, health, subdivision, and other applicable rules may still restrict a proposal.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Tiny homesUnrestricted

  Tiny-home occupancy inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance; construction, sewage, subdivision, and other applicable rules may still restrict a proposal.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Manufactured homesUnrestricted

  Manufactured-home occupancy inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance; construction, sewage, subdivision, and other applicable rules may still restrict a proposal.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Accessory dwellingsUnrestricted

  Accessory dwelling use inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance; construction, sewage, subdivision, and other applicable rules may still restrict a proposal.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

• Short-term rentalsAllowed

  Short-term rental use inside Conyngham Township, as a zoning matter.

  • This is limited to the absence of a local zoning ordinance and does not establish exemption from building, lodging, tax, health, nuisance, or other applicable requirements.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes Berwick Beaver Twp Centralia Boro Beaver Twp Bloomsburg Benton Boro Conyngham Twp Benton Boro”

Rules another office applies inside Conyngham Township

Conyngham Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction inside Conyngham Township for which a Uniform Construction Code permit is issued.

  • Applies only to construction for which a permit was issued.
  • The permit holder must ensure the construction is accessible for inspection.

  “A construction code official shall inspect all construction for which a permit was issued. The permit holder shall insure that the construction is accessible for inspection.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Residential buildings inside Conyngham Township subject to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.

  • A building code official must issue the certificate before residential use or occupancy.

  “A residential building may not be used or occupied without a certificate of occupancy issued by a building code official.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onlot sewage matters inside Conyngham Township.

  • The designated Sewage Enforcement Officer is listed through the Columbia County Sanitary Inspection Office.

  “Conyngham Township [...] Sewage Enforcement Officer James McDeavitt Columbia Co. Sanitary Inspection Office”

• Septic permitRequired

  Individual or community onlot sewage systems and buildings served by them inside Conyngham Township.

  • Exceptions apply under 25 Pa. Code § 72.22(c)—(e).
  • A listed exception concerns installation of a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet where the existing onlot system will not be altered.
  • A listed exception may apply to qualifying owner-occupied residential structures on contiguous tracts of 10 acres or more, subject to the conditions in § 72.22(e) and any local ordinance requiring a permit.

  “No person may install, award a contract for construction or construct an individual or community onlot sewage system, or install, construct, occupy or use a building to be served by that system without first obtaining a permit from the local agency, except as provided in subsections (c)—(e).”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Individual or community onlot sewage systems inside Conyngham Township.

  • No portion may be covered until final inspection and written approval by the local agency.
  • The system must be inspected, approved, and covered before the served structure is occupied.

  “No part of an individual or community onlot sewage system may be covered until a final inspection is conducted and final written approval is given by the local agency.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Use of a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet inside Conyngham Township.

  • The existing onlot system must not be altered.
  • This provision concerns whether an onlot sewage-system permit is required; it does not establish that all off-grid sanitation arrangements are approved.

  “A permit is not required for the installation of a recycling toilet, incinerating toilet, composting toilet or other type of water conservation device where the existing onlot system will not be altered.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Conyngham Township.

  • The County SALDO applies to municipalities with no local subdivision and land-development ordinance.
  • The County municipal table places Conyngham Township under the County subdivision-ordinance column.
  • No subdivision or land development may be made, and affected land may not be sold, until a final plat complies with the ordinance and has been approved and recorded.

  “The provisions of this Ordinance shall be limited to those municipalities within the County with no Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance in effect.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Property inside Conyngham Township requiring driveway access to a highway under Pennsylvania Department of Transportation jurisdiction.

  • The highway-occupancy permit is required before driveway access to a Commonwealth highway is permitted.
  • The construction permit must contain notice of that requirement.

  “A building code official may not issue a permit for any property requiring access to a highway under the Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction unless the permit contains notice that a highway occupancy permit is required under section 420 of the State Highway Law (36 P.S. § 670-420) before driveway access to a Commonwealth highway is permitted.”

• Permit processPartial

  County-administered subdivision and land-development applications inside Conyngham Township.

  • This is a published process only for subdivision and land-development applications, not a complete residential building-permit process.
  • Applications determined incomplete are not processed until required information and fees are received and deemed complete.

  preliminary plat copies: 8 copies (Additional copies may be required by the Planning Commission.) · preliminary supporting-data copies: 2 copies

  “Applications for Preliminary Plan approval shall be submitted to the Planning Commission and shall include eight (8) copies of the Preliminary Plat and two (2) copies of all data required to be submitted with said plat.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Conyngham Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Conyngham Township.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Conyngham Township.
• Well permit — Private wells inside Conyngham Township.
• Mandatory utility hookup — New homes inside Conyngham 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.