Zoning, building permits and septic rules in South Centre Township, Pennsylvania

South Centre Township’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside South Centre Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

  • The ordinance provides zoning districts, zoning permits, and Township administration.

  “This Zoning Ordinance shall become effective five (5) days after the adoption by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of South Centre, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Proposed construction or development entirely or partly within an identified floodplain area inside South Centre Township.

  • Applicants must provide sufficient information for the Zoning Officer to determine consistency with flood-damage minimization and applicable code and ordinance requirements.

  “If any proposed construction or development is located entirely or partially within any identified floodplain area, applicants for Zoning Permits shall provide all the necessary information”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  South Centre Township zoning filing fees.

  • Amounts are established by Township Board resolution; an enforcement-notice appeal fee is returned if the Zoning Hearing Board or a court rules for the appellant.

  “Filing fee amounts shall be established by a resolution of the Township Board of Supervisors.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits for construction, alteration, or changed structure or lot use inside South Centre Township.

  • Applicant must file the appropriate form and required fee; the Zoning Officer may issue, refuse, or refer the matter to the Zoning Hearing Board or Board of Supervisors.

  “Persons desiring to undertake the construction, alteration, or to change the use of any structure or lot shall apply to the Zoning Officer for a Zoning Permit”

Rules another office applies inside South Centre Township

South Centre 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 or building work inside South Centre Township subject to the Pennsylvania 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 requires property owners to obtain a construction or building permit before starting any work.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building projects inside South Centre Township under Pennsylvania's statewide UCC.

  • Local UCC administration or opt-out status for South Centre Township was not established by the opened sources.

  “The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) regulates the codes and standards of building projects in the Commonwealth.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Covered residential and commercial construction, systems work, and manufactured or industrialized housing projects inside South Centre Township.

  • The source says inspections are necessary in several cases, including identified building and system work.

  “Inspections are also necessary in several cases, including construction or changes to commercial or residential buildings”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  A building or facility inside South Centre Township subject to the Pennsylvania UCC.

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings over business where allowed by the Township zoning ordinance.

  • The dwelling must have adequate light and kitchen and bathroom facilities.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 750 square feet

  “Such dwellings shall be designed as living quarters having at least seven hundred and fifty (750) square feet of floor area per dwelling unit”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in South Centre Township's R Residential District.

  maximum principal-and-accessory building coverage: <= 25 percent

  “Coverage of a lot area by all principal and accessory buildings shall be not more than twenty-five percent (25%).”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Cultivation of crops and farm-use buildings in South Centre Township's A Agricultural District.

  • The cited exemptions are from the stated zoning permit or lot-coverage rules, not from all state or other local approvals.

  “Cultivation of Crops (no permit required);”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Commercial operations in South Centre Township's CI Commercial Industrial District.

  • The standard applies to road access to public streets; where possible, adjoining properties must share a common-boundary access drive.

  minimum distance from public street intersection: >= 60 feet · points of ingress and egress per abutting street: <= 1

  “Not more than one point of ingress and egress shall be allowed on any abutting street.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside South Centre Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside South Centre Township.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside South Centre Township.
• Well permit — Private wells inside South Centre Township.
• Mandatory utility hookup — New homes inside South Centre 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.