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

Newtown Township’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings regulated as the municipal building code of Newtown Township.

  • The incorporated Uniform Construction Code is amended from time to time.

  “is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of Newtown Township.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

  • Chapter 172 was adopted by the Township Board of Supervisors and has prior and subsequent amendments noted where applicable.

  “Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Newtown”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Newtown Township.

  • District boundaries are shown on the incorporated Zoning Map of Newtown Township, which is on file in Township offices.

  number of district classes: 15

  “Newtown Township is hereby divided into 15 classes of districts”

Rules another office applies inside Newtown Township

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Every building erected or used in whole or in part as a dwelling in the R-1 Residence District.

  • The Board of Supervisors may reduce frontage and square-foot requirements after the stated public hearing if terrain, grade, or shape would otherwise create undue hardship; frontage may not be below 150 feet and lots in the tract must average at least 60,000 square feet.

  minimum lot area: >= 60000 square feet · minimum frontage: >= 175 feet (May be reduced as stated in § 172-29B(1)(b).)

  “A lot area of not less than 60,000 square feet shall be provided for every building hereafter erected or used, in whole or in part, as a dwelling. Such lot shall have a frontage of at least 175 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Residence District inside Newtown Township.

  • Each street frontage requires a front yard.
  • The side-yard provision cross-references § 172-107.

  front yard depth: >= 75 feet · aggregate side yards: >= 85 feet (Neither side yard may be less than 40 feet.) · rear yard depth: >= 50 feet

  “75 feet [...] 85 feet [...] 40 feet [...] 50 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Residence District inside Newtown Township.

  • Height is measured under Article I, § 172-2, Definitions.

  maximum building height: <= 45 feet

  “Building height shall be no more than 45 feet, as measured in accordance with Article I, § 172-2, Definitions.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways and parking spaces on lots in the R-1 Residence District inside Newtown Township.

  minimum distance from property line: >= 5 feet

  “Driveways and/or parking spaces shall be no closer than five feet from any property line.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Newtown Township.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Newtown Township.
• Inspections — Buildings inside Newtown Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Newtown Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Newtown 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Newtown Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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