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

Madison Township’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent

  Land inside Madison Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

  • The official county municipality table places Madison Township in the zoning “No” column.
  • This finding concerns zoning; state construction and sewage rules and Madison Township's subdivision ordinance may still apply.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes [...] Briar Creek Twp Catawissa Boro Madison Twp Berwick”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Zoning districts within Madison Township.

  • The official county table identifies Madison Township as having no zoning; thus no township zoning-district schedule exists on that basis.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes [...] Briar Creek Twp Catawissa Boro Madison Twp Berwick”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Onlot sewage matters inside Madison Township.

  • The township's official page identifies a Sewage Enforcement Officer; Pennsylvania regulations govern that officer's permitting authority.

  “Sewage Enforcement Officer [...] Chris Bower 570-458-0316”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and land development inside Madison Township.

  • The official county table lists Madison Township in the local subdivision-ordinance column.
  • The county SALDO expressly applies only to municipalities with no subdivision and land-development ordinance; it therefore is not relied on as the operative Madison Township rule.

  “Subdivision Ordinance Zoning Local County No Yes [...] Madison Twp Conyngham Twp Catawissa Boro [...] Only those municipalities that do not have a SALDO fall under the jurisdiction of the County SALDO.”

Rules another office applies inside Madison Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and building work inside Madison Township subject to the UCC.

  • Emergency repairs or equipment replacements may proceed without a permit if an application is submitted to the building code official within three business days.

  “The UCC states that before beginning any construction or building work, the property owner or an authorized representative must obtain a UCC building permit”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Madison Township subject to Pennsylvania's statewide Uniform Construction Code.

  • Administration may be by the municipality, a certified third party, or the Department depending on local UCC enforcement status.

  “Pennsylvania's statewide building code, generally known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), has to be followed by builders in the state.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Specified UCC-regulated work inside Madison Township.

  • The state page identifies inspections for construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings; electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems; swimming pools or hot tubs; and manufactured or industrialized housing site preparation, foundations, repairs, and occupancy changes.

  “Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, and the installation of swimming pools or hot tubs.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings or facilities inside Madison Township subject to UCC occupancy approval.

  “A UCC certificate of occupancy must be issued before a building or facility can be used.”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Onlot sewage systems inside Madison Township.

  • The regulation characterizes inspections as those necessary to implement the Act and regulations; it does not establish a universal periodic-inspection frequency in the cited text.

  “Sewage enforcement officer—An official of the local agency who reviews permit applications and sewage facilities planning modules, issues permits as authorized by the act and conducts investigations and inspections that are necessary to implement the act and the regulations thereunder.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Off-grid sanitation systems inside Madison Township.

  • No permit is required for a recycling, incinerating, composting, or other water-conservation toilet where the existing onlot system will not be altered.
  • Other individual or community onlot systems generally require a local-agency permit before installation, construction, occupancy, or use of a served building.

  “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.”

• Permit processPartial

  UCC building-permit applications for work inside Madison Township when the state Department has jurisdiction.

  • The state page says the Department will not process applications lacking the political subdivision and county.
  • The page also requires a completed UCC application and describes electronic and paper plan submission; local or third-party enforcement process was not located.

  “It is imperative that applicants indicate the name of the political subdivision and the county where the proposed construction will occur. Without this, we cannot verify that the Department has jurisdiction for this work. We will not process applications that lack this information.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder residential construction inside Madison Township.
• Well permit — Private wells inside Madison Township.
• Mandatory utility hookup — New homes inside Madison Township.
• Agricultural exemption — Agricultural exemptions from Madison Township land-use or construction requirements.
• Driveway access — Driveway access inside Madison 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.