Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Borough of Saegertown, Pennsylvania

Borough of Saegertown’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction inside Saegertown borough

  • Permits available at the borough office; check with the zoning office before any construction.
  • Zoning ordinance: interior alterations not affecting external form do not need a zoning permit, but a building permit may be required depending on nature and cost.

  “building permits needed for all new construction including: garages sheds fences short-term rentals (b & b) driveways - new and refurbished decks car ports porch enclosures greenhouses swimming pools demolition of all buildings”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Saegertown borough, Crawford County

  • Ordinance stated to take effect May 5, 1971 and last amended 2016; revised 2016, 2019, 2020, 2024 and 2025 per its cover line.
  • Zoning officer administers it (Gary Johnson per borough page).

  “101 title: this ordinance may be cited as saegertown borough zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Saegertown borough zoning districts: A-1, A-2, R-1, R-2, B-1, M-1, FO

  “table 201 district (a-1) (a-2) (r-1) (r-2) (b-1) (m-1) (fo) district name conservation agricultural single family residential business industrial floodplain overlay”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-2 agricultural district, Saegertown borough

  • Table text is extracted from a PDF; verify against the original table.

  minimum lot area: >= 3 acres · minimum width: >= 250 feet

  “(a-2) 3 - acres 3 - acres 250 - feet 50 - feet 30 - feet 50 - feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district (east of tracks), Saegertown borough

    “(r-1) 1 - acre 1 - acre 150 - feet 50 - feet”

  • Specified — R-2 residential district (downtown), Saegertown borough

    “r-2 10,500 square feet 10,500 square feet 75 - feet 30 - feet 15 - feet 35 - feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-2 residential district (downtown), Saegertown borough

  • Table text extracted from a PDF; verify against original.
  • R-1 side/rear yards and other district details not separately confirmed.

  front yard: >= 30 feet · side yard: >= 15 feet · rear yard: >= 35 feet

  “r-2 10,500 square feet 10,500 square feet 75 - feet 30 - feet 15 - feet 35 - feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-2 agricultural district, Saegertown borough

    “(a-2) 3 - acres 3 - acres 250 - feet 50 - feet 30 - feet 50 - feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  All zoning districts, Saegertown borough

  • Taller only if approved by the zoning hearing board (variance standards follow in Section 205).

  maximum structure height: <= 45 feet (unless approved by the zoning hearing board)

  “no structure shall exceed 45 feet in height above average ground level unless approved by the zoning hearing board.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Properties abutting a public sanitary sewer inside Saegertown borough

  • Septic or other onsite disposal is barred only where the property abuts a public sewer; rules for properties not abutting a sewer not located.

  “it shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee or occupier of any property in the borough abutting upon any aforementioned public sanitary sewer to employ any means, either by septic tank, cesspool, privy vault, mine hole or otherwise”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Property inside Saegertown borough abutting a public sanitary sewer of the Saegertown Area Sewer Authority

  • Applies where the property abuts a public sanitary sewer existing or later constructed.
  • Owner connects at own cost; 60 days after written notice, extendable up to six months on application.
  • Public water connection rule not located (Ch.20 water ordinances not opened).

  connection deadline after notice: 60 days (extension up to six months for causes beyond owner's control)

  “every owner of property in the borough of saegertown whose property abuts upon any public sanitary sewer presently in existence or to be constructed in the future by saegertown area sewer authority shall connect, at its own cost, each house, building or other structure”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New or refurbished driveways inside Saegertown borough

  • Borough ordinance Ch.4 Part F 'paving and driveways' not opened; state highway driveways may need separate PennDOT permits.

  “building permits needed for all new construction including: garages sheds fences short-term rentals (b & b) driveways - new and refurbished decks car ports porch enclosures greenhouses swimming pools demolition of all buildings”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Borough of Saegertown or Crawford County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Saegertown borough
• Building code adopted — Construction code inside Saegertown borough
• Inspections — Inspections inside Saegertown borough
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates inside Saegertown borough
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Saegertown borough

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.