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

Middlesex Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New and existing buildings inside Middlesex township limits: the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code is the municipal building code.

  • Adopted by Ordinance No. 3-2004, which repealed Ordinance No. 1-2004 and also adopted the International Property Maintenance Code, 2003 edition and related updates.
  • Ordinance 7-2009 (found in search results, not opened) reports confirming the UCC as updated by the state Department of Labor and Industry as the building code; later editions are not verified here.

  “section 2: the uniform construction code, contained in 34 pa. code, chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of this municipality.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Middlesex township limits, Cumberland County, PA: the township administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 3-89, titled Middlesex Township Zoning Ordinance, with amendments through May 1, 1991, plus later amendments).

  • Consolidated current text was not located; the posted version is the 1989 ordinance as amended through May 1, 1991, and later amendment ordinances change the zoning map and some uses.
  • Dimensional and occupancy answers below are taken from the posted ordinance pages opened and may be superseded by later amendments such as Ordinance 2-2019, which the township lists as amending Section 6.05.A.

  “an ordinance of the township of middlesex, cumberland county, pennsylvania, regulating and restricting the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RF Residential Farm district inside Middlesex township: maximum impervious area on any lot

  • The limit is on impervious area, measured against total lot area, in the RF district only.
  • Other districts (RS, RC, CH, VC) were not opened.

  maximum impervious area: <= 35 percent of total lot area

  “the maximum impervious area permitted is thirty-five percent (35%) of the total lot area”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of any individual on-lot sewage system inside Middlesex township limits

  • Permit-exempt systems are prohibited, so the permit applies to all on-lot systems installed here.
  • Existing permit-exempt systems are not covered by the prohibition, per the same ordinance.

  “a permit shall be required for the installation of any and all individual on-lot sewage systems in middlesex township in accordance with 35 p.s. § 750.7(a)(1)”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Middlesex township limits
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Middlesex township limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Middlesex township limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Middlesex township limits
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks inside Middlesex township limits

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.